The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-05-17
BY gibson GARDINER.

| L have lived in washington and fol-
lowed the doings of congress,
have seen a genuine revolt against
the domination of Nelson w. Aid
rich"
This comment by an old resident
of the capital was called forth by
the recent speech of Senator Jona-
than Dolliver of Iowa.
Nothing like it has been seen in
the senate since the days of Ingalls,
Nothing to equal its sarcasm and
probably nothing It's daring. Moth.
ing which so reveals genuine per-
sonal antagonism, based on .rea-
sons which can only be surmised.
carried to the point of an open rup-
ture between members of the same
party and veterans of the same
brand of tariff partisanship.
Without mercy and without fear
Senator Dolliver raised strong
hand against the suave and power
full leader of the senate. He gripped
| him. as it were, by the scruff of his
neck and shook him until every
tooth in his head ratified in its
place He set him down and let him
start to walk away; then he picked
him up and gave him another
shake. He cuffed him, tossed him,
nipped him, played with him,
scratched him lightly, scratched
him deeply. He poked him to see
whether there were signs of life.
Then he bit him through the spinal
column.
Thus the cat Oolliver with Aid
rich the mouse.
Senator Dolliver talked tariff.
What he said sounded sensational
because he spoke the simple truth.
He told how lobbyists and special
interests had written tariffs in the
past, and how they were writing
them today. Only he named names
and handed out figures. He exposed
the present bin as revision upward
and again he handed out the facts
and figures. He denounced the
whole thing as fraud and imposi-
ton on the people and to this de-
nunciation he added force and the
eloquence of man long trained in
public speaking. He exposed the
leadership OF Aldrich as trifling and
paltry: and the sensation lay in the
fact that Nelson w. Aldrich sat and
had to listen. He told of tricks and
subterfuges in the past and present
legislation, and the galleries looked
down and saw in Mr.. Aldrich the
author of these tricks. He drew on
history and parable. He was both
vehement and caustic. At times he
was persuasive and then again al
most playful On the whole he
made a speech more daringly an
tagonistic than anything which has
come from the party Of the opposi-
ton.
Cold words in type give but a
small idea of the speech of Senator
Dolliver. Yet the touch of vitriol
may be seen in a passage like the
| following:
"All men bow naturally before
the Divine wisdom even when they
do not understand. All men regard
with reverence the wisdom of Solo
man, or Franklin. or Lincoln. But
| it is another matter for men full
grown, sitting in this chamber, to
put their individual judgment into
servitude not to the great and good
men who adorn the deliberations of
congress, but the person on the
outside whose very names are UNI
known to us. 1t is not necessary to
comment harshly upon the work Of
Governor Dingley or William Nc
Kinley. Much less 1t is necessary
to appear wanting in consideration
for my honored friend from Rhode
Island"
With this gentle introduction,
Senator Dolliver proceeded to ex-
pose the action of the committee
on finance and its chairman In
turning over the construction <of
the cotton schedule to the apprais-
ers in New York. With this and
the trick by which Senator Aldrich
aimed secretly to increase the cot
| ton schedule the public are ia
miliar.
1T is even possible" said Sen
| ator Dolliver, ito comment ad-
versely upon the cotton schedule
as contained in the senate bin
without impeaching the abilities
of the senator from Rhode Island,
because, as he has himself stated
upon this floor. the amendments
offered to the senate by the COM
mittee were not the work of the
committee, but every one of them
made by persons connected with