The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-07-11
TWO SENATORS AND WHAT
THEY REPRESENT.


Incidents sometimes occur in leg
islative sessions which are more sig
nifcant than they at first appear to
be. Shortly after a commission had
investigated and reported the con-
ditions under which the operatives in
the steel mills of Pennsylvania were
compelled to work, Senator Borah of
Idaho introduced a resolution direct
ing the secretary of commerce and
labor to make an investigation of
the condition of employment pre-
vailin, in the iron and steel indus
try of the United States with details
concerning sanitation, wages paid
and the number of hours laborers
were required to work each day and
week. This resolution was very dis
tasteful to Senator Oliver of Penn
sylvania, who is supposed to repre-
sent the people of the state of Penn
sylvania but who in reality repre-
sents the steel interests.
In order TO get this resolution
adopted it required shrewd man
euvering on the part of Senator Bor-
ah. He did not dare to have it re-
ferred to a committee for it would
have been smothered there. He had
it laid on the table and waited until
the close of the session when vari-
WE MT
were being railroaded through, and
while the Pennsylvania senator was
off his guard he had it called up.
The Pennsylvania senator did not
dare to voice his objections to it in
open session, and it was according
ly passed.
The point of difference between
these two senators represents one
aspect of the mighty contest which
is now shaking political parties to
their foundations. Senator Borah
is an exponent of human rights;
Senator Oliver is an exponent of
property rights One of these sena-
tors believes that flesh and blood is
more important than iron and steel;
the other senator believes that iron
and steel is more important than
flesh and blood. One man repre-
sents public interests, the other rep
resents private interests. Borah
listens to the cry of crushed and
10 or RI
cracking of the blistering steel. In
the 61st congress Borah did some
insurging. His reputation is nation
wide. Senator Oliver did not in
surge. His name is probably not
known to half the constituents of the
state he represents. Borah repre-
sents a free people who have eman-
cipated themselves from machine
politics. Oliver represents the dumb
machine ridden degenerates of that
grand old state in which the Declar-
alton of Independence was penned;
that state which Owen Wister, the
famous writer and one of its sons,
characterizes as the "dirtiest smear
on the map" of the entire Union,
and of which the New York World
says there can be no stronger COM
ment on the political morals of that
state than the fact that a successful
candidate for congress recently spent
$4,000 for his nomination at the
primaries.
In some states the people are con-
suited as to who shall represent
them in the United States senate; in
Others the politicians are consulted.
In New York the legislature said re-
Gently, the people be ID, and
turned a deaf ear to the pleadings
of Governor Hughes, ex-President
Roosevelt and President Taft. In
this state if the politicians do not
succeed, as some of them threaten
to do. in overturning the direct pri-
mary the people will designate the
man who is to represent them in the
United States senate. Two years
ago they emancipated themselves