The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-03-06
TUESDAY, MARCH 9Th, 1906.
ALDRICH AND ROOSEVELT LUCK


In speaking of the action of the in
terstate commerce committee of the
senate in placing the railway rate bill
in control Of Senator Tillman The
News, of Chattanooga, says:
The success of the rate bill depends
on the support of the personal follow
ing in the senate of President Roose-
Welt and the radical wing of the de-
mocracy. President Roosevelt can
manage his side of the fence. and now
he has crossed over into the demo-
cratic pasture and selected the most
radical m of that side to line up
the democrats. The combination in
sures the passage of the rate bill, and
that is why President Roosevelts face
has been Wreathed with smiles since
last Saturday.. He has turned a political
trick, and Tillman is happy to help
him carry it through, because he wants
the rate bill to become the law of the
land.
We cannot see the matter in that
light. 1t is probably true that the turn
affairs have taken has strengthened the
chances of success of the friends of the
bill; but We think the circumstances
connected with ais action of the com
mittee show that this was no the mo-
tive influencing the instigator of the
movement.
There surely could have been no con
cert of action between the president
and Senator Aldrich. who made the
motion to place the bill in Senator
Tillman's hands.
In the first place, the Rhode Island
senator is violently opposed to the
measure. He would have been about
the last member of that committee to
take any action or to propose any
sure calculated to aid the bill; and, in
the second place, it is we'll known that
Senator Aldrich would gladly do any
thing to embarrass the president in
this matter.
When it was decided by the commit
tee to report the bill as it came from
the house it was this senator who
proposed hat it should be placed in the
hands of Senator Elkins, who is as
strong in his opposition as he is him
self. 1t was when objection was made
to a bill being reported by n oppos-
ed to its passage that Senator Aldrich
made his coup by proposing that it
be put in the hands Of the one of all
the senate who is so hostile to the
president Is to hardly be on speaking
terms with him.
These facts would not indicate that
this was a plan on the presidents
part to secure democratic support of
his pet scheme.
Senator Aldrich's motive in making
the motion is shown by his remark as
o o as it was carried. that "the SEN
ator from South Carolina is thus made
the personal representative of The
president on the floor of the senate"
The following editorial paragraphs
from the Washington Post show that
paper thought Senator Aldrich's pur-
pose was to injure the chances of the
bill:
The edge of Senator Tillman's Ella
ton would be much keener if he
could rid himself of the conviction
that the rate bill was left OF his door
step in the hope that it will die on
his hands.
1t need astonish nobody if Mr.. Aid
rich's flank movement shall turn out a
piece of Roosevelt luck AT least
We know that it will be a big job to
juggle with a bill in the keeping Of
Benjamin r. Tillman.
Another reason has been assigned for
Senator Aldrich's action-that of hu-
initiating Senator Dolliver. There is
no love lost between these two re-
publican senators. After the very nat
ural objection raised by the friends
of the bill to it's being reported by
Senator Elkins, on the ground that he
was hostile to the measure the usual
course would have been to put it in The
hands of the ranking senator on the
side of the majority of the committee
who favored the bill. This was Sen
ator DELIVERY In fact it is about as
much his bill as Mr.. Hepburn's. These
two drafted the bill together. But it
was too good a chance for Senator
Aldrich to give Senator Deliver a
slight, which the latter took as such,
as his action and remarks made at the
time show. His face flushed and he re-
piled to the other senator's remark
above quoted that "at any rate the
bill will be reported by a gentleman"
On the whole it looks like Senator
Aldrich "got a little bit too smart"
that time and that he played to the
Roosevelt luck"
The Durham Herald says that