Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-14

Some time during the present session OF
congress a senator Of the United states
viii arise. in his place in the senate and,
having obtained the recognition Of the
chair, he will look out about him and say;
This. the senate Of the United States. the
most powerful. potent and puissant delibera-
tive assembly on earth" And there is not
one to say him nay. for upon that subject
Aldrich agrees with Gore, Hale with La
Toilette. Lodge with Tilman. every senator
with every other senator. Senators are not
oppressed with a false modesty which for
bids them publicly to declare their apprecia-
ton Of the worth ahd dignity Of the body
to which they have the honor to belong.
Every session witnesses from one to fifty
Z public declarations Of the faith OF the sena-
tors In the Sc rate. 1t may be Bailey Of
Texas who, gracefully brushing a raven
lock from his altitudinous brow, declares
In sonorous tones. the doctrine of senatorial
responsibility. It may he Hale Of Maine
who, frowning disapprovRl upon some luck
less wight guilty Of the crime OF youth,
intones in sepuIchral voice the lltany OF
senatorial courtesy and department. 1t may
be Daniel OF Virginia who, knowing his
paJrician face recalls TO every mind the
portraits Of the fathers Of the republic,
pleads with plebeian radicals not to disturb
the PIEEe0tlLs OF a BlOl lOl5 past buN WIN
ever it may be there is none to take him
lightly.
"As a man thinlSeth, so is he" The house
OF representative refuses to take itself
seriously, the senate declines to consider
itself IN any other light. Every senator
looks upon the senate as the highest and
mightiest parliamentary body in the world.
And they are right. No other house In any
parliament has 80 much power. Granted by
the constitution equal rights with the lower
house in all Legislative matters except the
oriElnation Of tax bnis and a considerable
share IN the executive branch Of the gov
eminent, it has gathered TO Itself by usurpa-
ton and by the voluntary abdicatlou Of
rights by the lower house, practically all
legislative power. The senate is supreme.
Nc matter what the house does, the senate
will do It over, and in the end the house
usually submits to the scnate's viii.
On account of the rightly Of the rules
Of the house of Representatives true de-
liberation mas been made impossible In
that body. Men have come to regard the
senate as the only deliberatlve body left
in the national government. Despite the
theory Of the constitution, it appears TO
be true, in a majority of instances, thal
the senate is more responsible to public
opinion, more representative Of popular de-
mGnds and more reasonable in shaping leg
islat!on TO meet the needs of the nation
than is the house of representatives. This
estimate Of the senate has been growing
ever since the adoption of the Reed rules
in the house. 1t Is said that the house is
ruled by one man. while in the senate
every man may have his say; that The
house rushes measures through the legls-
latlve mill without giving the opportunity
for amendment. while in the senate every
senator may offer as many amendments
as he desires and may have each of them
considered and voted upon.
Against these claims Tor the superiority
of the senate as a tribuHe OF the people
may be set some very cold facts. 3 The
house may rush bills through in haste, bui
it does not accord public hearings before
full committees on many important meas
ures, while the senate committee will con-
slider the same measures in secret session
Of the majority members. 1t was thus
that the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill was con-
sldered. The house committee gave public
hearings and invited the people to come
and say their say. The senate committee
where the bill actually was shaped. con.
sidered 1t in secret, not permitting ever
the democratic members of the COMMITTEES
to be present.
Uncle joe Cannon has carefully pointeC
out on a number of occasions hat tn,
boosted freedom of debate in the senat,
operates to make much talk during tn,
/ first part of the session, but that whei
adjournment approaches the senate pasze
bills with a rapidity which is impossible,
in the house. And Uncle joe is right
for the senate machine, to all intents anC
e purposes. is just as powerful as the housI
( organization, except when 1t is opposed
: by a determined filibuster. As such fill
busters are prevented in all but excep