The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-13
THE EVENING TIMES. GRAND FORKS. N D.
THE SEN ATE
~ Evening

Name me another Henry Clay!" ex-
claimed an earnest and informed adj
mirer OF the pasta worshiper of the
heroes who are dead.
WELL" came the answer-"Well,
where are the questions that produced
Sumner and Seward? Where are
the conditions that evolved Clay?
Where are the ideals that were the
real mothers of these great minds
and sculs?"
The answer might perhops have
been that the equals of Sumner and
Webster, though not in the same lines,
are In the American senate today.
| Yet in that answer abides the rea-
son for the change in the character and
aptitudes OF American public men
most of all of American senators. The
senate reflects the ideals that have
lasted sufficiently long and that have
so saturated the American mind and
conscience as to be said to be national
The house OF representatives cannot
as perfectly represent national ideals
as the senate, because the house is
too changeable a body and reflects
rather the phases OF the popular mind
and heart during the period in which
the ideals themselves are crystallizing.
Thus, at the foundation of cur gov
eminent the ideal of the American peo-
pie was government itself-free gov
eminent under orderly institutions.
Liberty regulated by law" as the
noble old phrase has it. The people
thought about that more than all other
subjects put together-talked about it,
wrote about it. The reason of this
was that for hundred years the Col
onists had been dissatisfied with the
government of the English king, and
this dissatisfaction meant discussion;
and this discussion meant action; and
this action meant independence; and
independence meant workable gov
eminent Of their own.
| So the first senators. and indeed all
of cur early public men, were skilled
| craftsmen of government. In the first
senate nearly every man college grad
uate; nearly every man a lawyer:
every man an earnest prOpagandist of
that revolution of ideas which preced-
ed and followed the revolution of
arms; and absolutely every one of
them was profound and lifelong stu
dent of the nature and science of gov
eminent.
In the first senate there were only
two business men and one financier,
Robert MOrris-One-ninth of the whole
senate. In the senate today, nearly
one-third of the whole senate are bust
ness men. This in itself does not mean
deterioration of the senate; but 1t
means change in the national ideal.
This point is worth emphasizing, be-
cause there has been such an unjust
assault made upon the senate in late
years. The truth is that the standard
of personal conduct among senators
is much higher now than in Webster's
day.
We would send senator to Jail for
doing such things as were often done
then. Webster even advocated in the
senate and had claim passed for
which he charged and got fee.
II senator did thing like that to-
day he would be expelled.
Until 1864 we find our senators TAX
ing cases against the government and
thinking no harm of it. But the stand
ard is different now, higher now; no
senator will take case against the
government today; no senator can
lawfully do so.
Then. too, the personal life of Amer
lean public men is beyond all COMPARE
son better than it was fifty years ago
yes, better than 1t was ten years
ago; and it grows better all the while,
just as the personal habits of the
American people grow better all the
while. Indeed, the senate is almost
as perfect an index of the personal
habits of the American people as it
is true reflection of the ideals OF the
American people.
Note. now. the two overwhelming
ideals that filled the peoples minds
during the period of Clay. Webster and
Calhoun-the ideal of state sovereign
ty on the one hand, and of nationality,
on the other hand. These ideals filled
the peoples mind even more than the
daily struggle for their daily bread.
So this period produced these intel
lectual mighty ones whose sheer power
of mentality. and wide knowledge of
the problems growing cut of these
ideals compel our admiration a gen.
GRAFTON after those problems were
solved
Nearly every senator during this
period was profound student of pub
lie questions, although there were not
so many lawyers and fewer college
men than in the first senate. A num-
Der of planters from southern states
were senators-which merely en-
phasizes the truth that the senate was
tn, index of national conditions.
The tremendous period of the civil
war, aud the dread Titanic years which
Immediately trod in its red footsteps,
produced still another type Of public
men and especially of senators who
answered perfectly in their terrible
strength and relentless purpose the
conditions which called them into pub
lie service. They were more widely
scattered among the business occupa-
tions and professions than before
and in ability and learning they were,
with three or four brilliant exceptions.
distinctly inferior to the senators that
made illustrious the upper chamber
of congress from Washingtcn's day
to Lincoln's day.
But they were the most determined
and intensely purposeful Of any
body of men that ever went to the
senate OF the United States. They were
there to put down the war. Sheer
power. crude strength, deadly deter
mination marked their characters and
their discussions. When the war was
over and reconstruction came. the
quality of senators changed and rose.
No ADLER group of men has been In the
senate than adorned 1t when Conkling,
Edmunds and Thurman appeared in
the seats of the great ones of the past.
A few of these Old-time senators
with like idaa1s still survive and ara