The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-09
IS THE SENATE ON
The DOWN GRADE /?

he conviction OF Senator John H..
Mitchell Of Oregon has revived tho
perennlal con trovcrsy as to whether tba
United Stutcs Senate Is decadcnt.
Mr.. t'levelHl,ds first Inauguration rs
generally accepted by historians MS marx.
Ing the beginning Of II new epoch III tho
history Of the United States. Is the Senate
today inferior TO tho Senate OF Mnrcn
y, 1885? II It has degenernted, the evi-
dance OF twenty years should befconclu-
sivc
Eleven senators who were In Office when.
Mr. Cleveland was first lnaugiratcd are
stu, members of that body. one Of them,
sDy tho way, is John II. Mitchell, OF Ore
sh.i. kansas had no Joseph II. Button in
1850. out 1t had It's Preston b. Plumb to
offset It's John j. ingalls,.
Maine was represented. In 1856 by the
SENATORS who serve the State to-day, Wiz
liam p Frye and Eugene Hale. John L.
Morgan, cf Alabama. is still In tho Senate
Ills colleague is Edmund w. Pcttus, q
wise octogcnarinn, by no means inferior
TO tho James il. Pugh OF 1856. Henry Nj.
Teller and Thomas NJ. Bowen represented
colorado i. M. Patterson 10 more than
the peer OF Bowen, and Mr.. Teller is still
In the harness.
Iowa was represented by William b.
Allison and James +. Wilson. j. p. Dolli-t
YER has nothing to lose In comparison
with Wilson. kcntuckys senators we're
Joseph c. $. Blackburn ana James b.
Beck. Mr.. Blackburn Is still IN the
Senate. In 1885 Senator 6pooncr's coll
league was Philctus Sawyer. 1t Is a long
advance from n Sawyer to n LII toilette.
There are certain States which have
lost in senatorial prestige during these
two decat\s. Lodge and Crane are hardly
hn nf ma i,>
Massachusetts. In Vermont Proctor and
Dillingham; are dubious substitutes for
Justin S. Morrill, and George II. Edmunds.
AlEcr7 and Burrows In Michigan do not
measure up to Omar j. Conger and
Thomas w. Palmer. In Missouri Gum
shoc" Bill Stone Is a poor trade for
George c. Vest, but in Maryland Isador
Rayncr Is a notable gain over Il: X. VIII
son, WHO was Gorman's colleague In 1885,
New York had It's William NJ. Evars
TO balance its Warner Miller, so after
striking ali average the less said about
MIR. Plat and Mr.. Depew, the better.
Connectcut's Brandesee and Buckley
cannot be considered the equals Of CrvIe
II. Plat ana Joseph r. Hawlcy, hut vir-
Ginia gains immeasurably in substituting
Daniel and Martin for William Malone
and II. Fl. Rlddlebcrger. Pennsylvania
has its Penrosc, but II had Don Cameron
in 1885, while p. c. Knox is a giant along
side Of John ]. Mitchell
John a. Logan was Mr.. Cullom's coll
league from Illinois in 1855. Albert j. Hop
kins is a much ADLER senator than General
Logan. Indiana no longer mas Daniel ".
Voorhees, and Benjamin Harrison, but Mr.
Beverdge and Mr. Hemcnway need no
apologies. If Ohio has Charlie Dick In
place OF John Sherman. 1t mus. be said.
nevertheless, that even Foraker is pre-
ferable to Il Harry B. Payne, who was 4
senator In 1885. Nobody would ask Nevada
to exchange Nixon and Newlands for
James G. Fair and John y. zones.
But the comparison need not be ex-
tended. In some States there has been
retrogression. in others a marked adj
vance. If the East has lost the West has
probably gained, and the South is holding
! rs own. The average of ability integrity,
and efficiency seems about the same Ger
tainly there is nothing TO show that the
Senate of twenty years ago was notably
superior to the Senate of to-day-New