The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-02-22
OUR .NlTlONAl SENATE ! !.
lN0= ENGLISH LORDS
S.si.zEs5 ..
Upper House of Congress Com
pared to the British House d"
Of Lords.
Members Of Each Are the servile
Tools of Predatory,
Capital


-.
With the prevailing knowledge OF
what the United States senate really
represents in the public life Of the
country: it. is question whether the
announced refusal OF the committee
chairmen of that body to have Senator
La Toilette a. member OF his commit
tee is more to the credit If the SEN
ator, or to the shame and discredit OF
the senate. -- zs
Excluded From COMMITTEES.
The exclusion Of Senator La Toilette
need surprise, no one. The attitude
that the senate has borne toward him
from the outset, merely proves it's cor
ruptibility and unWorthiness. While
belonging to the majority party, he
has been a legislative Pariah: Every
feilow-senator1s hand of his own party
has been raised against him, and mis-
hand has in self defense been raised
against most, If not ALL Of them.
A Deserving Man.
Why has this been so? No man
that has appeared for many years in
the politics Of the nation has deserved.
as we'll from the people. He has the
great state of WISCONSIN behind MIN,
a state always Republican in politics,
teeming with wealth and resources,
with an enlightened population and an
insistent demand on the part Of its
people for the. suppression Of corpo-
rate or Individual corruption. The
people of that state have recently dis
missed from it's. service, practically in
disgrace his; former colleague, Senator
Spooner, for no other reason than he
was the facile and able tool of the
corporation corruptionists.
And yet Senator Ia Toilette is un-
worthy in the eyes OF the colleagues
of his own political party to sit even
on the. least important Of that bodys
committees. IS
Needed But Not Wanted.
There is no place. not only on the
senate itself, for such a man as La
Toilette, if the wish 5of that, body and
of the great majority OF It's members
were alone considered. Remembering
that body IS judge .sabsolute Of. the
qualifications of it's Gown members, 1T
may occur to some people to wonder
why Senator La FolIette was admitted
to membership in itsat all. =,
The British house. of Lords, is a
nearer approach in character and ten
dency TO the United States senate than
any, other we'll known legislative body.
The House of Lords has stood between
the British people and their rights
since their inception. Every enact
ment extending English liberties has
had to run the gauntlet: Of it's opposi-
tion, and many Of the most merito-
rious measures, like that. for instance,
of Irish home rule, mas been defeated
| through that opposition. It is now
| conceded by all students Of British
political conditions that nothing short
| Of the destruction Of that herditiary
chamber of English law making will
meet the requirements Of those who
seek to further diberalize British in
| stitutions.
Our national House Of Lords has
not the excuse of hereditary privileges
to justify it's attitude toward the
American people. It's exclusion OF
Senator La Toilette from it's active
committees is the mere expression Of
it's debased subordination to the be-
hests of predatory capital. North Of
Mason and Dixon's line, it contains
hardly a representative of an Amer
lean state that does not trim his sal
to catch the favoring breezes of the
pMtocracy. It is in no sense a repre-
I sentative body. It's mission during thu
past 30 years has been to stand in thu
path Of all progressive legislation ant
to defeat the purposes of all men IL
national life who seek to better exist.
ing conditions. Every robber politi
clan that the corruption OF public ser
vice corporations has thrown to tn,
surface in that period of sufficien
power to do evil, from Plat and Qua,
and Depew to Bailey of Texas, has re
ceived his commission to that bod.
from his corrupt masters to aid il
despoiling the American people.
AS long as the United States senat,
continues as it is, composed of mel
mostly chosen to serve In it becaus,
they are likely to prove or hav'
proven. the servile tools of the corpo:
rations, there will be no place ther'
for such men as Senator La Toilette
When the people Of the whole countr!
have risen fully to an understanding
Of what all this means they will a
least make these senators depend ii
the future on the popular vote TO-
their election. Until that much Il
done it will continue little less thar
folly to expect any improvement.
! --------1---- -------1o-----
ABOUT MEN,.
The man always in a hurry seldom
gets anywhere. .-.-s -,
Often O man u-ith nothin~ fn COZ