The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1909-05-15
NEWS OF NATIONS
CAPITAL
BY Sheldon s. Cline.

recalls that Nelson w. AldrIch, senator
from Rhode Island, is 6s years of age
one wonders why he is willing to un-
dertake so huge task as steering a
tariff bill through the senate A man
of half his years might well quail be-
fore the purely physical larbor involv-
ed, to say nothing of the tremendous
mental strain.
1t cannot be ambition that keeps
the Rhode Island senator at his task,
for he already had all the glory which
was to be gotten out of the handling
of tariff bill. In the case of Serene
f. Payne, chairman of the house ways
and means committee, who is only two
years the junior of Senator Aldrich,
the explanation may very well be found
in ambition. He regards the manage
ment in the house of the tariff bill and
the affixing of his name to the measure
as the crowning achievement of his 26
years in congress. 1t is the thing he
has waited for and labored for these
many years. But Senator Aldrich has
tested every depth and shoal of honor
that may come from the handling of a
tariff bill The venerable Senator Nor
rill of Vermont, was chairman of the
senate finance committee when the
Dingley act was passed, but he was
eighty years of age and that the bur
den of tn etask fell on the shoulders of
Senator Aldrieh, who was the ranking
Republican member next to the chair
edge The remodling of the Dingley
bill in the senate was just as much
recognized as the work of Aldrieh as
has been the remodling of the bill
which bears the name of Mr.. Payne.
If not ambition, then it must be love
of power which has made Aldrich will
ing again to undertake the herculean
task. Men as a rule don't like to let
go of power once they have gathered
it into theis hands, and there appears
no reason why Senator Aldrich should
Power he certainly has in abundance
1t probably would not be fair, how
ever, to write down love of power as
the sole motive with which Mr.. Aldrich
is animated. He is an apostle and a
high priest of protection and it is ad-
mittedly true that there is no other
man in the senate so well equipped to
fight the battles of the high protection
lists. Possibly he regards it as sol
emn duty to captain the guns trained
not only against the Democrats but
against those members of his own party
who would desecrate the schedules.
Until the tariff bill is through the
senate Mr.. Aldrich win have to en-
dure a lot of what ever in the British
parliament they call motoring" And
despite his familiarity with all the
devious ms and outs of tariff legisla-
tion, Mr.. Aldrich is not well equipped
to play the role of the hectored. Al
though he has % years of service in
the senate to his credit, preceded by
two terms in the house, he has never
acquired the art of ready speaking, nor
is he nimble of wit nor quick at re-
parte. A senator with not tith of
Aldrch s attainments often makes the
Rhode Islander look like an awkward
school boy when engaged in running de-
parte A senator with not tithe or
down" it generally is disclosed that
Aldrch has gotten what he set out for,
while he of the silvery tongue is more
apt to discover himself with empty bag
in hand.