The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-14
DELEGATION OF ALDR1cH.

The leading article of the current number of the
Saturday Evening Post is entitled, The Boss of the
w. Aldrich senior from Rhode Island and
father-in-1aw of the heir of Rockefeller.
Adrich is named the who controls the
gressonal policy, the tariff and legislation, the
party conferences, the party organization the party
campaign contributions, and the general making and
killing of party legislation for the dominant political
party in the United States.
AS chairman of the senate finance committee he is
the actual ruler of the party in tariff legislation. The
tariff is presented "the essence of the Republican
party and Adrich the chairman of the senates most
powerful committee and virtually the committee itself
is named the protective tariff system personfed'
The Post writer that Aldrich the real author
Of the Mckinley tariff act of 1890 and of the Dingley
of 1907 nay more he brought influences bear
upon the Wilson German tariff of 1894 that he practically
dictated the of that law and tinkered it until it
met his demands, and to great extent that Pres
dent Cleveland withheld from it his signature and only
permitted it to become law at all under protest not,
withstanding it bore the Democratic name
What the religious question is to the politics Of
Italy, stated by the Adrich biographer the tariff
question is to the Republican party. The tariff is the
of the Republican SYSTEM and raifes in every
direction That is why President Roosevelt, in his dis
cusson of trusts is fearful disturb a tariff
schedule. No matter if trusts with $4,000,
capitalization derive their chief power for evil from
their tariff privileges not schedule must be touched
The earth may be ransacked for trustnkerng panaceas
but the great breeding incubator the tariff, the
center of the Republican system must be bolstered and
buwared rather than revised and reduced in power for
evil All questions of party" touch the tari-nationa,
state, city, county and toWnbecause the tariff is the
of the Republican campaign contributions, with
out which there would be organization and par
ty." And Aldrch the party tariff master, is the
party ruler and thereby the boss of the United States
Two facts have materially contributed to the
thronement of Nelson W. Aldrich The first is that he
0f thA oil
railway franchises of the state and is independently rich;
and the second is that the state of Rhode Island small
and easily subject to the absolute political control of
ambitious boss, who thereby may elect himself to
the United States senate for lifetime and keep the
upper hand in the legislation of that body.
Rhode Island casts in all only 10000 votes and
Aldrch from his house in Providence may keep himself
in telephone touch with every precinct The entr~
state has $4,000 less population than the single city of
Baltimore, one-thrd that of Philadelphia, one-fourh
that of Chicago and onesevenh that of New York city
So while presidents and speakers congresses and pot-
ical bosses and CO. Aldrich goes forever until
he has become the repository of the party policy the
of its campaign barrel, and altogether the
behind "the power behind the throne"