St. Tammany farmer., 1905-08-19
REVELATIONS BY
AN SPEAKER

INSIDE HISTORY OF A STATE
LEGISLATURE BY ONE
WHO KNOWS.
United States Senators Now "Made,"
Not Elected-Methodo Of the MAX
ing" Little Un6erstood-Story of
How a Great Railroad Company
Manufactured Senator-A Three
Years. Campaign and Its Rami-
6cations-Potency Of the Barre" !"
By AN Ex-sPEAKER OF A STATE
LEGISLATURE.
Copyright, 1905, by Joseph B. Bo"les)
Unless the method of electing United
States senators is changed only men
with extraordinarily strong pulls or
uncommonly long purses can hope to
win the coveted tOgas. Time was, ana
not SO very long ago. when United States
senatorial campaigns were conducted
along moderate lines. In those days the
candidate wrote a few letters, made a
few visits to some of the pivotal
counties, then hied him to the state cap
ital and there awaited the unpledged
and open-minded state senators and as
semblymen.
But modern methods have changed all
this, and now United States senator
is made, not elected. The vote in the
in 2
is merely the ratific1tion of caucus ac-
ton 1t is the consummation, however
of several years of intrigue, hard cam
paigning, keen and unsentimental poll
| tics, promise giving and pledge making
job-trading and in the majority OF cases
plain, unvafnished and unblushing
bribe asking and bribe giving.
No campaign or agitation which cen
| ters on the legislature of state has in II
so much of interest to the practical poll
tician or onlooker who understands the
moves as the campaign which leads aI
| to the election of United States sen
| ator And no election is so little un,
derstood. l often have been astoundeo
| at the dense ignorance of all that goes
into the making of a United States sena
tor shown by men who seemed to be
~ell-informed citizens
| Yet should not have been surprised
for so much of the preliminary work is
of the gum-snoe campaign variety thai
| frequently old. seasoned members Of
the general assembly are completely
fooled
This kind of campaign frequently
brings into conflict the state and feder
al machines, for in every state there are
two distinct organizations; one head
81 by the governor and the other by one
or both senator's When the candidate
Is United States senator seeking re
election and is opposed by the governor
of the state, the federal and state pay
rolls are the rival awards held up be
fore the coveted lawmakers. If the jobs
in hand or promises. are not enough, thu
man who wants to succeed himesH open!
his barrel. .
Some good people have deluded them
selves into believing that because SOM
candidates for senatorial honors are no
rich-men. money is not used in thei
campaigns except in a legitimate ant
therefore small way. The cold, har'
fact is that any man who carries tn
hall mark of success in politics and wh'
is looked upon as winner in rae
for seat in the United States senat
has no need to spend one lone cent of hi
own money Bank accounts of whicl
i he had never heard; funds from source
he had never known, ready cash from
hands he never before had grasped ar
his for the intimation; he doesn't eve1
have to ask.
This eagerness on the part of certai
kinds of men who control certain kind
of great transportation and manufae
turing businesses explains why compar
atively poor men have been able to carr
out to a successful conclusion long, ex
pensive campaign. And when that ma
gets into the senate he is not going t
have his financial hackers, his angels,
ray he is man with cold feet" He
going to make good, for he will need tha
same kind of money, those same influ
ences; those same brands Of passes an
"get busy letters when he comes befor
the people and legislature of his stat
for reelection.
Il have said that United States sens
tors-I shall modify that statement b
saying most of them-are made, nc
elected, One of the statesmen who "reI
resented our state in the upper chan
J ber in Washington was manufacture
. by great railroad whose general Office
were in the principal city of my state
, know he was made because was one
the men who worked on the job. Th
sequence of processes which entered il
to the making of this senator bega
when the railroad people decided the
wanted one of their attorneys to loo
after their interests in the nations
capital.
: / have been told that the man himse
| had not the slightest idea of becomin
a candidate until he was told by his S,
perior that the great ones had pickle
him out as likely probability for toe
honors. This picked-out candidate ha
few of the personal qualities whic