Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-19

the limit. but except what Aldrich vol
UNFAIRLY yields to them they will not re-
ceiye: neither will they displace him till
he voluntarily retires-which now seems
probable In 1911. Moreover, 1t is safe to
say that the one thing which will prevent
his retirement at the end Of the present
term-lf anything prevents twill be the
demands of his colleagues, absolutely in
sistinR that he remain. They will demand
It, because It will be so obvious, little
though many of them Low him, that there
is not in the senate or the country a mar
who can fill his place. Some individual
senator's think themselves perfectly ade-
uuate and capable, but no other senator
thinks so OF them. No one can be sus>
gested who would not have an overwhelm-
ing majority in opposition. But there must
be someone at the head.
How He Obtained Mastery.
For every combination, corporation, club,
there is a dictator. Neither anarchy nor
nihilIsm could be without a controlling
czar. and Capitalization OF power is the
cause and effect Of successful dictatorship.
The senate has always had a dictator and
always will have one, and the man best
fitted for the position will hold It, In time,
il he remains in the body long enough to
make the climb. Aldrich is not what he is
by any accident or political chicanery. He
came to the senate nearly twenty-eight
years ago. from four years service in the
house, and before that he had served con-
spicuously in his state legislature. 1t is
the Judgment of a lifetime, of his con-
stituents, and the judgment of more than
a quarter of a century of his senatorial
colIeagues-weightier than the snapshot
conclusions of muck rakers-which has
placed him where he is. He has reached
the position of autocrat and dictator by
the slow process of promotion accorded
him by his colleagues, because he was the
man for the place. He is as indifferent to
opinions in the senate as out Of It. Meas
ures are what he considers and votes are
what he counts. II he advocates a meas
ure which you favor you will kneel at his
feet and acknowledge that he is the great
est of living statesmen; II not, you will
toin the progressives and say all Of the
other things you can think OF. Either way
you will be more than half right. But not
Clay or Calhoun, Benton, Douglas or Fes-
sender, not even Webster with his gigan-
tic brain and matchless eloquence, ever
possessed the power in the United States
senate which today rests with Nelson VIII
marth Aldrich. And yet, in that hotbed
of legal ability, he is-not a lawyer-sub
rosa, he is not even much Of a scholar.
He prefers the reports Of the Fall River
mills to classic literature, and commercial
interests to signaling Mars. He seldom
argues on the floor of the senate, but
those who say he does not speak because
he can't are wide Of the mark. They have
forgotten times in history when occasions
required him and he rose to them, Crap
pling the greatest men in the house and
the senate and winning out every time,
They have forgotten the time he tangled
spooner, only three years back, and the
times he has forced Bailey from the field.
Aldrich can speak when he wants to, but
he rarely wants to. He is better satisfied
quietly to dominate.