Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-06-26

Undoubtedly the most 1mpOrtan
| commission that ever went from this
4 country to the old world was the
/ monetary commission that sailed II
/ 1908. 1t went to consult the financial
| giants of the money centers of Europe
Senator Aldrich was chairman of that
commission. His opinions We're lis
tened to with attention and bore fruit
In Europe. as at home, he conducted
himself without ostentation. This IS
one OF his conspicuous traits. 1t is
this trait which caused a great states
man to say. "a safety deposit vault is
! noisy compared with Aldrich of Rhode
IIsland.'
| Annoyed by Roosevelt.
The only time i'll his senatorial ca
reer that Senator Aldrich evinced any
perturbation was when Mr.. Roosevelt
| was president. The president broke
a tradition of the senate He consulted
as frequently with member OF the
lower house as he did with a senator.
1t was not unusual for member of
| the lower house to evolve n matter
which, according to custom. should
| have como from the senate leader.
| Aldrich has always been an uncon-
| scious leader. He cannot follow with
| out chatting. That his proud spirit
was more or less stung by this new
order of things was shown IN his fall
ure to attend the Chicago convention
that nominated Roosevelt, and during
the entire campaign his voice was still.
Nevertheless he is the power of his
party in the senate.
In the bill:now under consideration
| Senator Aldrich's committee report
| has been sustained up to date. Nearly
II not all the amendments offered by
what have come to be known in po-
litical parlance as the insurgents"
| have been defeated and it is noticeable
that in several instances Democratic
votes lined up with Senator Aldrich.
A striking description of the way in
which Senator Aldrich leads in poll
tics was given by an old statesman
who said that house leader played
politics as he played poker. Aldrich
played the game as he would play a
game of chess. The latter never
makes a move without studying out at
least sixteen moves ahead. And he
plays with all the pieces. from king to
pawn.
To change the metaphor. Senator
Aldrich never quits lighting. And he
fights with the suavity of knight.
He could take message from Wal!
street to the White House presaginG a
panic with as much grace and ease as
he would hand in q -congratulation
from a crowned head. Even when he
is whipped he manages TO get some
glory out of the defeat. This was
shown in his contest with Roosevelt
when the rate bill was being thrashed
out. The president got a rate bill. but
Senator Aldrich got the sort of bill he
was after In spite Of the president.
OF course the question went to the
courts. Honors were even.
The tenacity of the senior senator
from Rhode Island was strikingly ex-
hibited in 1908 when the bill for an
emergency currency was before the
upper branch of congress. 1t provided
for the issue of s250.000.O90 If neces-3
sary. 1t was the sort of legislation
that interested bankers in particular.
1t grew ont of new condition of
business affairs. Almost any member
of congress can make a draft of a
tariff bill. The banding business Isl
one of the few professions in which
the game OF BLUR falls down. When
the time came to formulate an emer-
gency currency bill the senate turned
to one man-Senator Aldrich. Of
course his place on the finance COM
mittee dictated that he should have
charge of such a measure. But, aside
from this, the senate knew that such a
bill coming from the finance commit
tee would hold together AS carefully
constructed as it was, as it had - be.