The Washington times., 1910-04-19
RETIREMENT OF SENATORS
ALDRICH AND HALE.

The momentous announcement Is
made that Senator Nelson W AIdrieh
OF Rhode Island viii retire from Con
gress at the end of his term. At the
same time Senator Eugene Hale of
Maine VIII lay down his toga and re
tire 10 private life. Thus. simultaneous
II, the two foremost men on the Re
publican side OF the Senate, the men
who are known throughout the country
as its leaders, viii make their exit
from the upper house.
Both Senators AldTich and Hale are
nearing the end of thirty years OF
service in the Senate. Senator Hale l.
the older OF the two in years and in
service He has served longer IN the
Senate than any other member Of that
body. He entered the Senate March 4.
1881. Senator AIdricb did not take the
oath of office until October . OF the
same year. Both have been in con
tinUOus service since they entered the
Senate, and they have risen to its
highest hOnUrs- Senator Hale Is chair
man OF the Appropriations Committee
and head of the Republican caucus
Senator AldTiCh = the chairman of the
Finance Committee. and Is known in
every corner Of the Union as the real
leader OF the Senate. Both are men
OF remarkable capacity for leadership
Senator Hale. q trained lawyer. a
convincing speaker, a man versed IN all
the iutricacies of legislation, has
welded influence in any situation in
which he concerned himself Senator
Aldrich. practically d self made man.
not an orator. but with a remarkable
innate power to sway men and handle
them has demonstrated his capacity To
control difficult situations ii legisla-
ton so often as to leave DO question
of his skill and ability or cf the fact
that he was the Senate's real head
Without entering into a discussion
OF criticism Of either Senator Aldrish
or Senator Hale a. a public man, 1t
may be said that the announcement
that they viii quit public life viii be
a source OF strength to their party IN
the coming campaign IF Speaker Can
non following their example, should
now announce that he would not seek
another term in the office Of Spec ker,
or that he would Quit Congress at the
end Of his term, the Republican party
would go into the fight the coming
summer and fall IN much better con
dition to meet its Democratic cPPo-
nents-
Senators AIdrieh and Hale and
Speaker Cannon are not the oragniza-
ton Of Congress But in the public
mind they are the men who stand at the
head OF II and are typical of IL They
are an Outgrowth of the system that
has prevailed IN Senate and House In
recent years Senators AIdrich and Hale
have headed the Senate Republican ma
chine and Mr.. Cannon has headed the
House Republican machine. The two
machines ltd Ft ttAt4 4tNnNNA ~ Ntt-Sll a.
to be practically one
Neither Senator Ald-ich nor Senator
Hale represents the progressive thought
OF the party to which he belongs, any
more than Speaker Cannon does Each
of these men has played his part Each
Is getting out OF step with the forward
movement Of events. The times are
ripe for a new order Of things and new
men must take charge.
Whatever the reasons assigned pub
liely for the retirement of Senator
Aldrieh and of Senator Hale. there can
be no question that the growth of the
progressive movement in the Republi-
can party Is more or less directly re-
sponsibIe for It Does anybody sup
pose. If there were not a tremendous
protest the country over against the
old leadership IN Congress that either Of
these men would step out or that