The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-05-29
REPUTATION MARRIED.
Only Tillman and Bailey Seem to
Have Scored Triumph-Deep En-
. mites Engendered-What the
President Has Lost.


mites Engendered-W the
President Has Lost.
a Washington special to the Phila-
delphia Ledger says: The passage Of
the rate bill on Friday ended what is
universally agreed to have been the
greatest debate known in Washing
ton for many years. No greater dis
play Of skill, learning and ability is
recalled by the habitual students of
legislation, who in Washington for
a class. Neither has any legislation
called for greater exercise Of political
prowess. The bill has been as ably
contested by the wirepullers as it has
been by the debaters.
In no debate in recent years has
the personal feature figured so large
ly. The intensity of the struggle
perSoniiicd the various issues in va
riouS men. From the beginning these
personalities have been steadily grow
ing larger. till all other personalities
in the Senate have been pale and
meaningless besides them. The most
notable among them have been Bail
ey. Tillman. Spooner. Aldrich, Knox,
Foraker, Allison, LaFollette,' Long,
Dollivcr and. Of course the president
himself.
In focusingthe eyes of the. country
ON the intellectual greatness of the
Senate and putting an end, at least
for the time, to the senile talk about
that body's "decay" since the days
of Summer, the rate bill, in the
opinion of observers here, has ac-
compished something not set down
on the cards; something possibly Of
permanent value to the country.
Yet now that the smoke is gone the
general verdict is that nearly every
body in the front Of the fight has
paid heavy price for it III the de-
crease of his own reputation; that
only two men have come out Of it
with increased reputation-Bailey
and Tillman.
The debate, it is generally agreed.
has revealed the real personalities Of
some men who have not hitherto
been currectly understood. Before
the rate bill came up, Tillman, to the
country, was a swash-buckling dema-
gogue. He was not that to Washing
ton; here his great ability, his cour-
age, manliness and honesty were as
rwell known as his definite purpose to
serve his country well. The old Till
man, the imaginary Tilllhan, is gone
forever, and the real Tillman has TAX
Ell his place.
For years the newspaper cores
pondents had been vainly trying to
hammer home the real Bailey, Bailey
the statesman, and had found it next
to impossible to overcome the popu-
lar preconception of the freak Bailey
who wouldn't wear n swallow-tail
coat. Another misconception is gone
forever.
The Fame of Aldrich.
So tremendous has the personality
of Allrich loomed up in this con
trovcrsy that it is difficult now tc
realize that short time ago he was
only n name to the average newspa'
per reader. Six months ago it is
safe to say that his face, now so well
known through portraits and car
toons, was hardly known to sucf
readers. A year ago, in steering visi'
tors through the Senate galleries
Washingtonians were exasperated te
have their explanations met will
"W1hat is his name, did you say
AIdich7 Where is he from7 Oh, Is
Senator Depew heeq'
Aldrich may be regarded as an ex
ception to the statement that only
Bailey and Tillman have come
through the ordeal with increased
reputation, but the kind Of reputa
ton Aldrich has won is kind that
a man pays dearly for. Whether II
is just or unjust Aldrich is now
fixed indelibly in the minds Of ma.
jority of his countrymcn as the rep
resentative Of certain interests that
that majority would like to see curb