Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-05-31
LsF Toilette and The Senate.

with shotgun. Win ueTTilleu cdWS
they took to flight. Like the Philistines
before Samson brandishing the deadly
jawbone of an ass, or flock of sheep
before coyote, they scattered, they
adsquatulated, they fled. What was the
reason for this extraordinary exodus y?
What were the venerable and conscien-
tious senators afraid of I? Did they
think La Follette's speech would be a
bore? Hardly. They know very well
that he could talk better than any mem
Der of that sapient and sinuous body
with possibly two or three exceptions
AS a matter of fact, his speech upon
the rate bill was the only one that had
a partical Of human interest. 1t was
the only ore except Bailey's which read
neither like plea of a devils adv ocate
nor page Of geometry. The other rate
bill orators had the sole object in mind
to show how much technical law they
knew and how ingeniously they could
twist it this way and that way to prove
anything and everything. But La Fol
lette swept away the complicated soph-
istries. both of the enemies and the So
called friends of the rate bill, and went
directly to the heart of the matter.
There was no lack of interest in his
speech.
The plain fact of the matter is that
they knew La Toilette would tell the
truth about the railroads and their SEN
atorial retainers and they were afraid
to listen to him. La Toilette did not
tell Aldrich and his shivering gang of
railroad parasites that they were
"Hairhung and breeZe-shaken over hell
as Lorenzo Dow used 10 say to the
wicked, but he came next thing to it,
Few public speakers have ever set forth
SO clearly and completely the crimes of
the railroads against the public as the
Junior senator from Wisconsin did in
this great Grafton, which is destined to
take place among the classics of our
political literature. No man ever dared
to exhibit on the floor of either house,
with such terrible and Incorporating
veracity, the derelictions of congress
in performing its duties to the country.
La Toilette violated all rules of sena-
torial courtesy.
Senatorial courtesy is an unwritten
agreement among the members of the
upper house OF congress that no mem
Der shall ever be brought to book for
his misdeeds, no matter how fragrant
they are, no matter how ruinous to the
commonwealth. Itpermits any senator,
however mediocre his abilities, howe ever
corrupt his character, TO hold up and
defeat every presidential nomination
which he thinks will interfere with the
smooth working Of his political machine
Senatorial courtesy permits Platt to
smother every proposed law which would
interfere with the eXtortionate monop-
oily Of the express companies, and gives
Aldrich the power to kill every measure
contrary to the nefarious interests Of
Standard Oil 1t is a cunningly wrought
devise to give the privileged interests
control of the government and keep
them in control, 1t is an ingenious ar
tifice to nullify the constitution of the
United States.
The constitution gives every state
equal representation in the senate, Sen
atorial courtesy utilities this consttu-
tional guarantee in two ways; In the
first place, il puts the control of legis-
lation in the hands of certain star
chamber committees Each of these
committees is presided over by an
adroit attorney of the trusts who says
absolutely what measures shall come
before the senate and what ones shall
secretly perish In the second place,
senatorial courtesy DISTINGUISHES a state
which sends a new man to the senate,
especially if he is displeasing to the
monopolistie ring. 1t is not true that no
new man can be influential in the SEN
ate Knox is a new man and he has been
received with open arms by the corpor-
alton crowd and advanced without delay
to the foremost place in their counsels.
1t is a rule of senatorial courtesy, how
ever. that new member shall be put
down and suppressed, and it is ruthless
" enforced when, like La Toilette he is
persona non grata to the trusts. Thus
a state which dares send a man there
who represents the peoples side on the
great living issues of the day loses its
representation TO all intents and pu-
poses unless he has a character so strong
and O determination aa ftsaltWe Chat ne
viii fight his way "a the front, La Fol
lette is such a man. Sagacious, eloquent
and undinchingly courageous. his loyal
ty to the public interest has never fall
tered or swerved and the people Of Wis
consin sent him to the senate to carry
on there the work which he began so
well at home. Forthwith all the servile
cohorts of monopoly arrayed them
selves apainst him