The National tribune., 1902-03-06
THE SUPREMACY
OF The SENATE.
The Growing Power of the Real Ruler
of the Country.

respondent, IN recent article IN Conner s
Weekly points out the ever-increasing
power of the United States Senate in Ma
| tional legislation, declares it is plain to
be seen that the real seat of power is the
| United States Senate. While President
| Mckinley lived this fact was partially
hidden from the country by his rare and
subtle skill in dealing with the Senators;
but the advent of a new President who
lacks the personal magnetism and diplo-
| matte genius of his predecessor, makes
the ascendent power of the Senate in the
! Government all the more marked.
The simple truth is that President
Roosevelt must control the Senate or sur
render it. So far as the Legislative and
| Executive branches of the Government
ordination with independence is gradually
disappearing. Mr.. McKiney's steady dom.
ination was not due to the powers of his
office, but rather to his own surprising
knowledge of human nature and his CON
cliatOry policies.
| The House of Representatives was long
ago destroyed as an equal partner with
the Senate in legislation. The Speaker
| appoints and controls all committees and
by means of the Committee on Rules and
the previous question:" can eXtinguish
| the minority, suppress debate and compel
or arrest legislation at will.
| So long as the President can secure the
support of the Speaker he can control the
! House of Representatives. The expert
enced newspaper correspondents who scrr1-
! tinize the course of legislation in Wash
ingtOn seldom pay any attention to the
debates in the House, save when the
speeches or retorts are picturesque. dra-
matic or witty. 1t is well understood that
the House is simply an instrument of the
Speakers will.
The Senate is now the last refuge Of
the real legislative power of the Nation,
for the right of unlimited discussion gives
the minority such powers Of obstruction
that matters must be debated to q CON
clusiOn. No vote can be taken until the
minority consents to it. The Senate as n
whole appoints its own committees. and
its presiding officer is jealously excluded
from any powers that might enable him to
cocrcc or in any way control the action Of
the Senators.
SOME CURIOUS EXAMPLES OF SUPREMACY.
The supreme position of the Senate in
the Government was illustrated in the
closing days of the last session of Con
grcss The Army Bill, with it's amend
mcnts, was in many respects the most
important measure that had been pro-
posed for 20 years. 1t not only increased
the size Of the permanent military forces
Of the limited States four times, but it
gave the President the right to reduce or
increase the strength of the army between
certain limits at pleasUre-a power exer-
cised by no other constitutional ruler in
the world. One Of the amendments prac-
tically established an American Suzeranty
over the. Cuban Republic and another
amendm6ht abandoned to the President
the whole civil and judicial, as well as
the military, powers of the United States
in the Phiippines-an abdication of legis-
latiye authority which the Supreme Court
declared to be invalid
This extraordinary measure. involving
four almost revolutionary policies. was
forced through the House Of Representa-
tives by the automatic operation of the
Speakers despOtic power. The Speaker
obcyed The will Of the President and the
Housc ohcyed the will of the Speaker.
But when the Army Bill reached the
Senate il was arrested. President Nc
Kinley was compelled to give private as
suranccs of his intentions to individual
Senators and the majority leaders had TO
enter into a legislative bargain with the
opposition Senators before the bill could
become u law. The Democrats could
easily have prevented vote by talking
until the end of the session.
The Hanna-Payne Ship Subsidy Bill
was 'jammed' through the House by the
Speaker. but a minority prevented a vote
i'll the Senate. Senator Hanna. the Chair
man of the Republican National Commit
tee, with the active support of the Presi
dent, attempted to carry the Senate by
ernment could move the Senators TO ac-
ton
Even in the reduction of the special
war taXes--a matter especially belonging
TO the House as the body of original juris-
diction over revenue lawS-rhe House was
compelled in the last session to yield to
the Senate. When the two branches of
Congress differed, the Senate prevailed
This was simply one of many indications
that the actual legislative authority of
Congress was in the hands of the Sen
aiorS.
The refusal of the Senate to confirm
the Hay-PauncefOte Treaty in spite of
the repeated appeals of President McI<in-
ley and Secretary Hay, was another illus
trati0h of the Senatc's power and indie
pendence. The terms of the new treaty
were. it is well known. dictated by MEM
bers of the Senate.
THE PRESIDENTS LACK OF POWER.
Take President Roosevelt as he stands
today. He cannot appoint & single i'm
portant officer of the Government without
the consent of the Senate. 1t is this CON
troll over the power of appointments that
make the Senators the real dispensers of
official patronage. He cannot complete n
treaty with a foreign power unless the
Senate ratifies his action. lie cannot
even carry out the principal reciprocity
provisions of the present tariff law with
out the concurrence of the Senate-wit-
ness the II reciprocity treaties negotiated
by President Mckinley and ignored by the
Senators. This control of reciprocity
treaties by the Senate actually gives that
body power to regulate the revenues of
the Government without consulting the
House. Even the undisputed political
leadership and cOnsummate tact of Pres
ident Mckinley were pOwerless in the face
of the Senate's opposition to his attempt
to avert n tariff war by means of FIVE
year reciprocity treaties. The President
was buntly defied.
The last great speech of Mr.. Mckinley
at BuflaIo-his dying message to his coun-
try-was simply an appeal from the stub
born Senators to the people. Even he. the
the chair of supreme executive authority
in America, saw his greatest and broadcast
policy defeated in the Senate.
Who then can doubt that the Senate gov
erns the United States and that its power
Is growing year by year? And who will
dispute the statement that, so long as the
right of unlimited debate exists in the Sen
ate, it will continue to dictate to the Pres
ident and the House?
We are confronted with the indisputa-