The Paducah evening sun., 1910-04-19

WIN WndL Jney most Desired, ana sdW
that they always got it--in consid-
GRAFTON OF their votes on such ques-
tions as Senator Aldrich interested
himself In the inner workshop,
where committees revamp and revise
bills that are introduced, Senator
Aldrich studied measures as he stud
led men, and no bill, in which he was
interested got by without Nelson A.
Aldrich finding out just what 1t
meant Perhaps, this is why Nelson
A. Aldrich's health Is breaking under
the strain of public work, and his
colleagues are suffering only from
gout and kindred ills.
Aldrich is rich, he IS related by
affinity and consangunity to the
Standard Oil company, his associates
have been the heads Of big industries,
his life has been spent In the atmos-
lphere of finance, on these questions
no other man In public today is so
well versed; but these are not the
reasons why Aldrich is the leader of
the senate. He Is leader, because he
works at being senator. When our
insurgent, reform, progressive or any
other kind of senator puts the same
amount of brains and energy into
studying his colleagues and studying
the measures introduced, instead of
making spread eagle speeches for the
Washington correspondents to mail
out In advance to their papers, he
will be like Nelson A. Aldrich in in
huence.
; Senator Aldrich has been useful
during that period, happily just pass
ing, when material things occupied
the exclusive attention of the nation,
and the individual counted for
naught. He has prevented the po-
litical barbarians, who would wreck
civilization itself to crush out a little
injustice on its surface, from running
us. and he has enabled capital to at
tain the zenith of its productiveness.
Now, that the old order is changing.
It is not to be expected that Senator
Aldrich will be in sympathy with the
change. A great mind may be fiexi-
BILE, but II is seldom reflexible. Yet,
Aldrich as head of the commission
appointed to revise the monetary
system, a work with which he hopes
to crown his career, made tour OF
the country addressing the populace
on the subject; but Aldrich is a
great specialist, capable only. of
thinking in technical terms and un-
able to catch the popular ear. The
people are suspicious Of his kind.
Like the rest of us, Aldrich is the
product of his environment. He sees
the welfare of the country involved
in the protection of the country's
finances; just as a lawyer sees 1t in
volved in the laws, the workman in
the protection Of labor, the church
man in devotion to religious ideals.
the railroad man in the development
OF means of transportation, the farm
er in the high prices OF food stuffs.
To point him out as the kinsman of
rapacious trusts Is to do him Unjust
ice. Trusts were not primarily or
ganized that one man might drive
his competitors out of business. Per-
sonal knowledge of the formation of
more than one assures us that trusts
usually are formed as settlers once
fed to the stockade when the Indians
appeared: under the exigencies of
fierce individual competition they
united for mutual protection, and
then the most able leader became the
of all. Trusts and com
binations OF capital are the logical
result of our competitive system, and
Nelson A. Aldrich happened to be on
a different side from us in the organ
ization. Consequently, he sees
things differently, and there may be
to be said for his side.
What concerns us now Is |
the character of Aldrich's sue
cessor. Aldrich is high |
class gentleman, as those who have
had dealing with him agree. We,
who have been caught electing a low
grade of crook to public Office now
and then, must not be too hard on
him. We hope Rhode Island will not
elect as his successor the kind of
men We occasionally elevate to high
honors; one, that while bawllng out
from the hustings loud invective
against the big combinations of CAPT
tai, uses the legislative Office as
means of blackmailing them. Our
views of the trusts sometimes are af-
fected like the sentiments of a gen
tleman, who is now high in Nc
Cracken politics, when he was APP
pointed local agent for a certain
brand of beer. and was reminded by
a prospective customer OF the severe
he had once pronounced
against the taste and quality of that
brand. THE truth is, never tasted
it until / began selling it," he re-
piled.
Tastes differ, OF course; but the
opportunity to taste is sometimes the
deciding factor.