The independent., 1907-01-24
The Nebraska Independent

ator is not complicated He has all
the money he needs, and he casts about
for new field that will afford him an
occupation and give him an added re-
spectablity. The most pathetic thing
about riches is the constant search of
the men of great fortunes for re-
spectablity, for some heritage for chill
dren, family, or for history aside from
the record of the mere accumulation of
wealth. Even hundred millionaire
recognize the dignity of the senatorial
office, and it is not surprising that so
many men with millions try for seat.
1t sounds better in the family record
to say that the head of the line was
senator Of the United States than to
have nothing to put down save that he
made an enormous fortune in mines,
in steel, in insurance or some other
way.
Riches Buy Seats.
Thus this ambition has developed a
line Of senator's, not large in proper
tion to the entire membership of the
body, but large enough to prove the
claim, who are there because they are
rich. New ones come from time TO
time. There are plenty Of men who
are planning to get into the senate for
this reason. Because they want to be
considered more than merely rich
1t is sad reflection on our political
/ system that there should be any mere
ly money senators, but after we have
| shed our bitter, bitter tears over it.
| 1t might be we'll to cneer up and re-
| fleet that there are five times as many
poor men in the senate as there are
rich ones, and that the number Of
/ senator's who use their official position
1 to make money for themselves is small
/ enough to be counted on the fingers
of one hand. One Of the men who vat
a senator and tried it is in Jail. and
| another is dead, and dead after con-
viction. And even when making the
count there is no proof nothing but
implication for if there was proof. the
senator's would be in Jail along with
the unhappy Burton.
HadIey of Missouri.
When Herbert Hadley, the attorney
| general Of Missouri, called at the white
house some time ago and met for the
first time the president, Mr.. Roosevelt
| hailed him as one of the rising politi-
cal stars of the west. Mr.. Hadley was
on his way to New York to resume his
examination of the big Standard Oil
| magnates in the suits he has brought
| against that giant concern under the
corporation laws Of Missouri. Mr..
Hadley is as youthful in appearance
as he is in years. He Is not yet thir-
ty-four years old. Soon after being
graduated from the Kansas university
at Lawrence he located in Kansas
City. This was not more than ter
years ago. He was elected prosecuting
attorney of the county in which Kan
sas City is located, and in that Office
made a. record which singled him Ou
in the community as a marked man
His ambition after holding that office
one term was to come to congress
but as the district was thought to be
safely democratic he did not seek
:. the nomination hard. In that year
1904, there was a Roosevelt landslid,
in Missouri, which overwhelmed tn,
democratic majority in the Kansas
City district. Thus, had Mr.. Hadley
received the nomination then he woulG
now be member of the house, anc
the Standard Oil company would have
been spared a great deal of trouble. HI
did not want to accept the nomination
for attorney general, rendered him
unanimously by the republican state
convention in 1904, but yielded to thu
demands of friends. He and Governor
Folk, the democrat, are in thorough
accord and work together as If they
belong to the same rarty.