The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1909-09-15
ALDRICH.

Nevada Representative There is
altogether too much of disposition
to make personal issue out of SEN
ator Aldrich OF Rhode Island The
senate is not the sort Of d body to be
dominated, as it is assumed by many
that the senate has been don mated,
by the Rhode Island serat r. BY
virtue of long service and real ability
MIR. Aldrich has become chairman, of
the finance comm tee, and the sena-
tor holding that position has in nearly
all times past been the spokesman of
the majority in the senate, when a
tariff bill has been under considera-
tion. and such will undoubtedly con-
tinue to be the rule Indefinitely in the
future. But the senate contains
great many men of very positive and
very diverse opinions and it was the
province of Senator Aldrich IN the de-
velopment Of the tariff bill, not to
tell such senators what they must do,
but to find the concensus IF their
spinion and after the same had been
ascertained and agreed upon to state
the same to the senate. In this work
bis part was that Of moderator and
not of a dietator. and the fact that
any tariff bill was finally passed is
pro.a th-t he was a good moderator.
Further it should be noted that
% to the matters concerning which
there is greatest reason for COM
plant in this part of the country,
he was hardly consenting praty.
There were New England senaotrs,
of whom Lodge and Crane of Mass
achusetts appeared to be leaders.
whose attitude was that of advocacy
of high duties on what New England
had TO sell and low duties on what
New England had to buy. and was
thsrefor directly antagonistic to the
attitude of those western senators who
voted consistently for high duties on
what New England buys of the west
and lower duties on what the west
buys of New England; but Aldrich at
no time appeared in the senate as an
advocate of free hides or free coal
and his position right along was that
Of an all round protectionist. insisting
indeed upon protective duties for the
Droducts Of New Englan but willing
1s the same time to concede without
sentative argument protective duties
upon the products Of other sections of
Ne country, even though such pro-
61ets were at the same time subjects
Il New England consumption. And !
Ibis policy of Senator Aldrich pre-
sailed al through the sessions of the
ssnste and of the conference commit.
10 Of the senate and house, and in
he end it was not any situation in
congress but the interference of Pres
ident Taft that put hides on the free
list and reduced dangerously the duty
u soft coal.
Il is usual. perhaps, after the mas.
age through congress of a great
neasure of any sort to hold RESPONSE
kle some leader for everything in the
nil that one does not happen to like.
md there was time when Mckinley
Nd 70 suffer after this fashion for the
thrift Of 1890; but McKinley'ss vindi-
sation came along all right in due
liue. and it is not new the general
belief that it once was, that even
4lkins Of West Virginia made such
m utter mess of his work in the rail-
nod rate bill. Possibly it is prema-
lpre to claim ur predict such vindi-
aation for Aldrich; but his work in
laRmer years upon important measures
1as probably stood the test of time
md experience about as we'll as has
work, and in the present in
stance Aldrichism" means simply
IN general cohesion of the Republic
can ma ority in the senate -about ten
iasurRent senators excepted-upon the
general policy of protection for the
Dssducts Of east, west and south
The determinations. which held up
she duties for New England producers
and.fought them down for New Eng
hand consumers, were the result in
the first place of a campaign by
Lodge and others and were ultimately
successful. as before noted. because
Of the interference of the President.
and all without their having been ac-
quiesced in-except under final COM
pulsion-by Senator Aldrich.
Z It appears to US that lot of folks
who do not like various things in the
Payne tariff bill-as to which many
may sympathize with them--are exer-
eisiDg mistaken Judgment in picking
heads to throw clubs at.
From present indications it would
appear that Brooklyn has cinch on
The Polar Pennant.