The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-02-18
SENATORS GUARD
SPECIAL INTERESTS
Elected for the People, Many
Elder Statesmen Soon Stand
|aIA for Private Greed.
BY w. W. Jermane.

BY w. W. Jermane. 10y
Washington, Feb. ls.-The burden. Of
Hthe, increasing complaint against the
: eenate of the United States is that it
Hc0ntalns too many men who have ex-
tensive private interests that are likely
ITO be hampered by general legislation,
and too many men who, while without
tion to special interests that must be
nprotected in time of danger. Undoubt-
Hedly the whole body is frequently ma
Hligned unjustly, but. one does not have
= Ito 20 far to find facts to substantiate
the allegation that senators occasionally
put their private interests above the
public welfare. e..
\. The history Of statehood legislation
Nor the past two or three years reveals
many facts that are anything but
creditable to the senate. Down under
Fhe surface Of the prolonged contest
cover the admissi on of the four terri
- +tories to the union the real struggle
took place, and it involved, not the
,highest welfare Of the union, but the
fnterests Of individuals and corpora
ntions it has been made to appear that
political considerations were involved
but as compared with other considera-
{tions they were a small factor in the
contest.
E Influences as to Statehood.
It is notorious that the late Senator
;Quay maintained the long deadlock in
the Fifty-seventh congress at the re-
,auest Of Pennsylvanians who had invest
nnents in the territories, and it is Of
record that at least one senator who
sRoted on the bill last week has private
sinterests down there that were on his
I'D hill h0fN hn
ate. Senator Alger Of Michigan is
1ahe man. In the course of the debate
he interrupted to say that he had talked
! with scores Of people in Arizona who
$were opposed to uniting that territory
with New Mexico.
there he said, "that I will sell in a
!: minute if this bill goes thru
/, The railroads exerted powerful inf1u-
snce against the measure, and it's failure
to 60 thru the senate in the form In
which it passed the house can, undoubt-
eddy, be charged to the influence Of men
J who have large investments in the terri
tories, and to the railroads who wanted
at least six senators and eight, if pos
sible, out Of the territories.
flatt and Express Interests.
G. W. Post Of Battle Creek, Mich,
declares he is ready to prove that, but
for the opposition Of Senator Platt Of
New York, congress would enact law
making small renlittances by mail. The
allegation the Battle Creek man makes
is that Plat is opposed to the proposed
new method of making remittances be-
4- cause it would injure the business of
the express company Of which the sena-
>tor is the directing head. Mr.. Post has
not been able to get his indictment of
7 he tod ~
! cially, and it is probable he never will
! get Il before the senate. "Senatorial
courtesy' stands in the way of any Of
Platt's associates offering the document
and, Of course, the accused senator will
! not submit it himself.
: charge, coming from a reputable bust
ness man Of large means, ought to be
investigated. The post.check system
which MIR. Post brought to the attention
Of the committees on postoffces and
postroads in the two branches of con-
gross two or three years ago impressed
everybody favorably: The late, Post
scheme unreservedly.
The Scheme Plat Fears.
MI. Post 3 plan, briefly, is to change
the form Of existing and future paper
currency issued by the United States Of
Su0 uoAo! AAAoV!OAo VI PAS PG Gnu PO, GA
cept national bank notes, 80 that they
may at the option Of the holder, b.
Il made payable to named payee. L
would be provided that the currency
could be- made 80 payable by filing il
certain blank spaces which would ap
pear on the face Of each note.
The .postoffice department. declared i
was Every simple, easily. understood
and would prove Of incalculable conven
ience to the public.''
At first sight congress looked with ia
vor ON the plan, but it soon struck
~~ snag in the senate, and now Mr.. Pos
declares Senator Plat is the snag.
The express companies did not loo]
with favor on the plan. Of the 80 00
postoffices in the United States, onl,
about $4,000 are money order offices
The express companies are prepared t.
transmit money to every town and ham
let in the land. Under the Post sys
Item, post checks would reach ever.
Il postofice.
Railroads and Senators.
It is well understood that the railroad
have senators q plenty who are sen
to congress for the purpose Of seein
THAT harmful legislati on is not enacted
For instance, there is the jovial Chaur
acey NJ. Depew, Of the New York Cen
trial. fair man and broad-gage mar
-on most public questions, but the fac