Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1908-09-26
Ros U. S. Senator's Work.


State Senators ut Washington are
looked upon as the most interesting
centers Of social life and of political
activity in the capital.
Every Senator is u member of half
dozen or more important committees.
Practically every bill introduced in
Congress passes through the hands
of more than half u dozen Senators
before it becomes u law, or before &C
ton is taken upop it in senate ut all.
In addition to the committee work
which is mainly in progress during
the session of Congress, always from
three to four months out of the year,
are the commissions for gathering in
formation on great matters to come
before congress Mt the next session.
These commissioners are more exacting
from point of time than are the COM
mittee assignments and frequently a
senator is obliged. to take trip half
way round the world in quest of
data and testimony required for safe
handling of the subject under consid-
Grafton by congress-.
Such trips as that of Taft's to the
Philippines with the Philippines
Commission, take many weeks. This
one alone consumed two months in GO
ing and coming, another month in the
islands, and weeks of work preparing
the data gathered while in the islands.
Senator Morgan, of Alabama, whose
Advocacy of the Panama canal was I'M
firing for quarter of a century sat on
so many commissions that he simply
moved from Alabama, his home, and
lived his. whole time in Washington,
where the archives and records were
under his hand. Other senator's imi-
tated him. Sherman of Ohio, who was
almost great man every day of his
long life, spent less than two months
out of the year in his Ohio home,
though it was only nights journey
from Washington. James g. Blaine,
who was one of the greatest senators
that ever sat in the forum, spent almost
his entire life in Washington, and
went to Maine only long enough each
year to retain his voting residence.
1t is practically impossible for a
senator who has been in office very long,
to spend any of his time at home with
out carrying his secretaries with him
and working on governmental matters
while attempting to attend to his
private business, if he has any, or tax
ing, what to some men, would be a
vacation.
The cry has been raised in many
states that the u. S. Senator is soon lost
to his state through the fact that he
lives for such a short time in the state.
William NJ. Stewart, honored this state
with his presence about once in six
years. Jones lived in q home at Gold
Hill that belonged TO mining COM
pany. He did not pay the taxes on it.
Both these men came to Nevada in
early days, lived here less than a dozen
years and bought seat in the U. S.
Senate from which they never returned
except to buy it again.
The incumbents, Senators Newlands
and Nixon, spend more time in Ne
vada than any senator ever did be-
fore. Senator Newlands especially
comes to Nevada as quickly as posi-
BILE after the session, when COM
mission work will allow, and spends
all his time out of congress at his
home on the Truckee river heights
in Reno. Senator Nixon has only
been in congress one session and has
not, been drafted for much heavy
work yet, but his large business IN
terests keep him out of the State
the. greater part of the time Sena-
tor Newlands, spends two or three
weeks year in San Francisco where
he has property interests, but with
the exception Of the six months an
nual residence in Washington neces
sary to congressional work, the bal
ance of his time is spent in Reno, and
i'm travelling over the state looking into