The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-12-09

AS one looks over the senate chamber
from the reporters gallery it does not
seem to be filled with big men, says a
Washington correspondent, of the Chi
cago Record-TIerald of December 4.
Perhaps the present occupants of the
floor are as good and as useful as
their predecessors. Perhaps it is better
for the country to have practical, rath-
er than brilliant, senators. But the
closest inspection cannot discover any
such great men as Oliver P. Morton,
Allan G. Thurman, Roscoe Conkling,
James G. Blaine, John Sherman, George
F. Edmunds, l.. @. G. Lamar, William
M. Evarts and George F. Hoar. It is
not necessary to go back to the time
of Webster, Clay, Calhoun, Sumner,
Breckenridge and Fessenden for pur-
poses of comparison. 1 do not suppose
there has ever been more useful man
in public life than the Honr. wflf1am
Boyd Allison, who has served longer
and done more hard work and accom-
plished more useful legislation than
any other man who ever sat in the
United States. senate or any other leg
islative body in the world. He may
not be as big as Alexander; he may
not have made as much noise in the
world as Julius Caesar or Constantine
the Great, or so much trouble as Ma
poleon, but none of those men ever
passed as many laws or appropriated
so much money, or performed more
solid, useful, everyday service for his
country and mankind, as "The Old Gray
Owl" from Iowa. If the total Of the
appropriation bills that have passed
through Mr.. Allison's hands since he
became chairman of the Senate COM
mittee on appropriations were to be
added up, it would make a bigger sum
than all the wealth Of the world many
times over, and no one has ever sug-
gested or suspected or even dreamed
that he was guilty Of dishonest act
or thought.
They have several pet names for the
Hon. William Boyd Allison out in the
cornfields Of Iowa. They used to call
him "Blue-eyed Billy" before he got so
shaggy and so gray; they formerly
called him old Pussy-Foot," too, be-
cause of the quiet and unobtrusive way
he has of doing things. I have also
heard the term Rubber Tired States
nan" applied to him for the same rea-
-on. These nick-names are intended
to describe his characteristics. Sen
ator Allison never travels with brass
band. He never yearned for glory.
Early in his career he discovered that
"soft words turn away wrath, and
grievous words stir up anger" He
learned with Solomon that "in vain
doth the hunter spread the net in the
sight of any bird" or words to that
effect, and he has worked on that the
ory for nearly half a century.
Nelson w. Aldrich is also business
senator, and knows how to do things
better than Daniel Webster or Henry
Clay; and there are other men Of prac-
tical mind in the Senate who can Sc
cure or defeat legislation and accom-
plish their purpose much better than
any Of the great orators or statesmen
of the past generation.
BY the logic of evolution the talent
and integrity Of the Senate certainly
ought to improve. If not, there is no
value in experience. If not, why spend
50 much money and labor to make the
world better? Why found universities
and civil service reform associations,
schools Of science and law, and social
science associations? We have i'm
proved our breeds of cows and horses,
and Secretary Wilson will tell you that
the present generation Of hogs and
chickens is much superior to those who
furnished ham and eggs to our faith
ers. We have better wheat and corn,
better apples and prunes, and better
machinery and implements to cultivate
them with. Hence one would natural
ly think wes would have greater SEN