The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-04-22
4 TARIFF WIZARD

Basis of the Power of Senator Aldrich
iii Handling Revenue Legislation
in Congress.
This week the United States senate
will begin consideration of the tariff
revision bill passed by the house OF
representatives. Tentative consider
alton of the tariff question has been
in progress since the beginning of the
extra session by the senate committee
on finance, to which the house meas
ure will be referred. The chairman
of the committee is Nelson w. AL
drich, of Rhode Island, accounted one
of the ablest members of the senate.
On questions of finance and the tariff
his knowledge is considered master
full. Hence the measure OF 1903, as 1T
leaves the senate, is likely to bear the
Impress of his influence to a larger
degree than that Of any other men,
Der OF the body. The reason for his
power and the characteristics of the
senator possess timely interest, and
are set forth instructively by the
Washington correspondent of the
Brooklyn Eagle.
DO you want to know how the
hides schedule and lumber schedule
will be fixed up?" asked a wise look
ing individual.
yes" replied the di%sputants in a
breath.
Go ask Aldrich."
That's it Go ask Aldrich. Those
three words supply the answer to
nearly all the tariff puzzles of the
present day, says the writer. The cor
ridors and Hobbies of the house are
filled every day with tired looking
men who are buttonholing congress
men and telling them Of the outrage
which the Payne bill will perpetrate.
Those who know the ropes pay no
attention to the wordy, noisy house.
They take their briefs to the little
DON on the main floor Of the CAPT
toll next to the senator's elevator.
This Is a private DON of the senator
from Rhode Island. A word spoken
Ito him there, under favorable Cir
cumstances, is worth more than a
three-hOur speech on the floor of the
house or the senate.
Nobody has given a satisfactory ex-
PLANTATION of Aldrich's remarkable
mastery over the senate when cur
srency and tariff are up. He executes
some mysterious influence over the
senators beyond a doubt. Men of &C
kn0wledged ability and leadership
in other issues, for some strange rea-
son, bow to the superior domination
sof Aldrich when the subject of sched-
ules and rates is mentioned.
A we'll known senator gave this ex-
PLANTATION the other day:
II hate to admit is, but it's the
truth" he said 'that Aldrich knows
more about the tariff than all the rest
of us put together. We don't oppose
him because we don't know enough
! about the subject to argue with him.
We raise a question and he comes
back with a string of statistics of inn
ports, exports, manufacturing values.
wages, foreign rates and other detail
ed knowledge that makes us look
foolish by comparison. Rather than
be shown up we stay in our seats"
There is a great deal of truth in
this statement. Everybody admits that
Aldrich is without a peer in congress
in the matter of tariff knowledge. He
has been in congress for thirty years,
He KNOWS all about every tariff bill
that has been enacted in that period,
He can tell you offhand the rates in
every important schedule in all the
tarlr laws Of the last quarter Of a
century. Furthermore. he a tell
you how each Important schedule
has worked out in the matter of fur
nishing the revenues and protection,
The feeling of holplessness before
Aldrich when tariff Is debated. crop
ped out the other day. The democrats
were all "het up because Aldrich
Hale and other republicans of the
finance committee were examining
witnesses without admitting demo
cratic senators. Bacon protested
against the violation of constitutional
privleges; Rayner Numbered against
the throttling Of public liberty and
the venerable Daniel lost his temper
In the language OF the street, demo.
Gratis ran around in a circle" giving
vent to their rage. and all the time
Aldrich sat smiling. calm and upper
turbed. Finally Senator Daniel lei
the cat out Of the bag when. rising
and shaking his fist at Aldrich, he
cried out In a hopeless wall:
You are the only one who knows