The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-03-11


Weekly, and in 1t noticed AN
equally Well-wriiter article entitled:
"'rhc Powers of the senate mo
recent development in federal poll
ticrs compares in Importance is
boSins, with the growth of the power
Of the senate. 1t is now The force ot
first importance al Washington The
writer in Haiper's Weekly admits par
cnthctically that in this administro-
tlon the president has seemed to be
the great power; but ne Is 50. the
writer assures Us, only as the senate
asscnts, or. rather because the senate
itself Is controlled by the presidents
friends. In general. says the Harper's
Weekly article, the senate Is in con-
tlol of the situation; the senators are
the masters of the government. They
tell the president what he may or
may not do. and they force the house
of representatives to agree tc their
amendments of legislation" They
were expected to constitute the conservative
brake on the machine; they have become the
masters and tic promoters OF both legislative
and executive decd,. They have acquired then
power principally through thcir constitutional
participation IL making appointments. ~
banding together uudcr the rule Of senatorial
courtesy they present solid front, aud when
II comes TO appointments party differences oi
opinion do not count. No Democrat will refuse
to aid brother Republican senator To stand out
against the president ON dispute over patron.
age. The result is that The president moves
at the command Of the senate. lie gets what he
wants onl! II he sUlrtrdciJ his right 10 make
appointments To- senators. NhGi the senate
want, anything. ON tue other hand. it obtains
II, desired object by dealing with The prcsi.
dent as &" appointments and as 10 treaties.
Again both the constitutional and political
power and the wealth of the senate have given
it. command Of the party machine The senator's
power over patronage gives linn = certain con.
tro! over his piuy's delegation in the house
"i representatives. lie can make or mar rep
rc>yutatifc by permitting him any voice ia the
selection of federal officers in his district. The
main strength OF the senator however. lies IN
The control Of The party machine. The last
Republican national convention olordS a mos
striking Illustration OF this It was the scnatc''
convention. Not single member of the house
was prominent. senator Hanna called the con.
v,ution to order. senator Wocott was its tenn
porary chairman. senator Lodge was its pcr-
mdrcnt chairman. senator Fairbanks was chair
man Of its committee on resolutions. senator
Foraker nominated Mr. Mckinley snnators
| rlau and Quay forced The nomination Of Gov.
clnor Roosevelt. The dominant patty is un.
der the control OF senators, as the government
Is under the control of the senate
Continuing the writer i'm Harper's
Weekly says: "That the dominance Of
| the senate is not wholesome goes with
| out saying. 1t is contrary to the spirit
| of our institutions, and to the declared
| purpose of the government. Like all
usurpations, it is inclined towards
| tyranny, and tyranny tends towards
| corruption. The overshadowing import
ancc of the senate robs the representa-
| tiVes of the people of their rights of
| initiation, and destroys the Significance
and the reason of biennial elections to
the popular branch. 1t also destroys
| the independence of the president, and
| puts n cabal or an oligarchy i'm the
| place Of the single executive. The de-
sign of the fathers has been defea ted
The executive is not independent. He
is controlled by the senate, which also
overshadows the house of representa-
| tves. Moreover. the executive has
! practically no influence whatever in
| legislation unless he can command
two-thirds of both houses"
In the arguments of these tive
| writers we have the case we'll pre-.
sented Of those who say the president
is becoming too powerful and of those
who fear the increasing power of the
senate. But ii was only a few years
| ago that we heard similar complaints
just as well argued, about the speaker
of the house Of representatives. Wher
he put an end to minority iilibuster,
ing by his new rule of countinl
quoruma, and by aid of the COM
mittcc ON rules decided what shoulC
and what should not come before The
house, he was dubbed a czar and be,
labOred from one shore To the othe
for his revolutionary contempt of tn,
principles of the fathers. Should tn,
supreme court in its forthcoming upin
ION on the insular cases decide cithel
for or against the administration.
contention of latitudinarian power il
unorganzed territories, thus strength
ening or weakening the hands of tn
government in its new difficulties
duties, it is safe To predict that objcc
tons will be heard and regret eX
| pressed at the power of the court thu
TO differ from its critics in logic an,
opinion This Is the way of the world
Nothing that is is as it should be L
those who have the fault-hnding tenn
pcrament; and everything that is /
worse on better than it was, dcpendin,
upon the spcctacles through which yoj
view it.
In the meantime, the government u
the fathers is doing very well, ana tn
coordination Of its three componen
parts, though now and then disturbed
tends in the long run to equilibrium.
Not until after the tax assessor ha
made his rounds will the average resi-
dent be able to determine where he i
at on this sccond-class city business.
A Parcels Post.
~ MI Ol' the measures which fc