The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-04-25
ALDRICH THE NAN OF THE HOUR
'opyriEht. isOe. by John Elfrcth watkins.

Copyright. 1909. By John Elfreth Watkins.
. WAsHINGToN. April 2i.-From East
port 20 san Diego, from Cape Flattery
uown again 10 Key West. most conspicu-
pus and most important American today
b Nelson Wlmarth Aldrich. engineer
in-chief Of tho tariff blu IN thc senate OF
The United States Most conspicuous.
vet least known OF all our elder states
men. IS the Een!or senator from the SOW
.freigr state OF Rhode Island.
There are li,ysc men sin Washing ton
who can't be quoted Ia interYiews-tho
PrcsiGent. secretary. OF state and Aldrteh.
Ihc last named shtes AT publicity worse
tren country colt SHES AT benzine
<ugBy- To tho congressional directory Ec
.iprrishes eight lines. barely giving the
.Iatc and place Of hts birth. the fact that
De fcceivcd an academic cduc5 tion and
.brief list Or the offices which he has
<eld. municipal. state and national Twice
Nc much space is occupied with the ca
|rssr OF his colleague. George Peabody
.N'etrore. The various Who : Who's and
What's What's ale ccuai!y mcac"r III bio
E1hpct"Gl data concerning td:s powerful
|tnnD often yciept 'oosS of congress =
|fic ronn Who h. pl,tng tho Payn- bill
|tbrough tao s"nstc. who Is steering 1t
|Hftween toe Syyila Dt ia" free traders
tnd t.io Cagrybl.s of tho s,andpatters.
Seems Tim,d, but Reware'
E a good index TO .NdrIch's modesty is
'l.s choice Of seats In Ia" senate cham
|per. But two other senators exceed him
~ ienyth of service, and those by oniy
scycn months. In ot!Ier words, he has
fnlrd choice OF seats IN tho chamber
Wherc desks a"e awarded according to
fcniori,y. Ye; he chooses 10 sit back in
|nexs 10 the last row. sin places from the
|entrsi aisle. between Smith OF Michigan
1D6 llu Pont ~ Delaware. TWO con-
Uarat.v.ly pcw senators. Back in this
inccnspicuous rlac" q" visitors eye
|ntches square. orcct norvouSy active
Itifn with white halr and heavy white
}nis;schc . high. broad forehead: keen.
daik. ucbilc eyes set well apuvt-wlich
<cc everything. 30 'isMt ana l.f, without
q turn o. his heaG This ig Aldf'ch. the
srpuolican leader OF tn" senate. the
rhaifman uf tho committee on finance.
pDwprf-il member oi tn steering commit
zee and tho committee or rules ana In
II IIc IS no orator-can't bo eloquent II
be tries Some one asks him n question.
PIC iises. coirtcously waits Tor pause.
IIsd then. In a iinId voice. answers in
tnpposyilables. Ike hssbful boy answer.
IaS question on his first day Of school.
ttc uses hut - single gesture. n sudden
sweep or th" right hand from the waist
eptwnrd. Bul although wary OF en-
trHnce into quarrel j." always bears n
that tho opposed hcw1rr OF him. Some
foJr years ago he even worEicd that
great master debator Spouuer aud mad"
thft senator admit UEa; I've WAS least
willing 20 admit ~ that time. An "p-
but never In his figures The statistics
~ our commerce and manufactures. value
and price. supply 8nJ demand. are
Ftonipcd indeiibly upon the inncr ccnvo-
Grocer, aooz,reepcr, City Councilman.
THIS genius was born at Foster. T.. l..
fSty-scven years ago last November
ifis blrfhplac" was littl" country cross
roads Village. some twenty miles west of
providence. Even today II boasts OF less
Than 1000 souls. As = Chtd he went
thSnce IN kiiinsly Conn. where he re-
ce'vci an academic education unrn hc
was IL. Then he started IN at the bottom
10 be Il merchant. beginning on the low
est rung. He was crocer's hov. ihcn
xlerk In fish market. ;h"n Srocer's clerk.
Scxt he was boolll@eIcg in wholesale
ETocery. Next be became Il partner and
fhen proprietor, Even todsy he is one
OF the leading whoiesa!c gyocers in Proyi-
When 81 he was chosen president OF the
Common council OF Providence and when
% he went UP 10 the legislature. where se
was speaker OF the state house OF repre-
hentatives. This was his apprenticeship
as parliamentary czaT. lie was sill in
ibis fhlrties when elected TO the house
OF represssanr'atlyes, receiving 5e63 votes
-pent. Entering the house in 1879. he
put or the committee OF the District of
1Eohmbia-;he body which acts rs the
1cofnmon council OF the city of WASHINGTON.
Len Bingham OF Pennsylvania. now the
{nther Of the house. entered at the same
ss ;nra CneIs ,sr Joe c@pnSn was ySG sGnF
With .Aldrich In the house 1T that time
zRre still there. None Of their colleagues
ut that time, dreamed that Aldr!ch and
-bctween the palms OF their hands.
From House to Senate.
Y Aldrich, Cannon and Bingham were re-
Elected to the forty seventh congress.
chairman Serene Payne did not enter the
house until the forty-eiGhth. But before
/Aldrich had taken his seat the legislature
|of Rhode leland had elected him TO the
Fenate to succeed Gen. Burnside, This
'Whs late In 1851. twenty-seVcn and q half
years ago. Adrich has remained in the
senate ever since.
L There were then but two members OF
| The senate who are still there-Hale and
4 Frye OF Maine. Hale was then a and
Frye WIS 90 Both had taken their seats
/the previous March. Aldrich was the
'goungest OF the threc-only 30,
Cullom OF Illinois did not enter the
|senate until year and half later, and
/DnnieI OF Virginia not until five and
half years afteTward,
n Young Aldrich was placed on the finance
r,-,,It fnn the OF hIg GnIrnTcn IlIS-