The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-25
.CURRENTCOMMENT

r,o.t.o,,fn+ If senator J. w Bailey, of Texas.
From Gainesville Tex, the home oI 9ei'n 49,
rnsanb w Bailey comes the announcement tNot
he viii not be candidate Tor 'he 9en ttt ,a
siiceaed himself, Ills present term WIN Sl'N
March 3 1913 and he viii not seek Ie-et 80,
ton lie declares his decision ~ hfef ,
e4fuuoaedlv Senator Bailey VIII continue - -
onloe until the end Of his term, and thus WIZ
remain senator through the coming i'ns e9
sion Of Congress and through the short ses,
sion a year from next winter but ffdShiuNi'
as the announcement of the prospective ~"
,neut Of a politician Is likely 10 be eoincldeht
with the waning Of his Influence the pupI l'..
tton OF his decision to quit the Senate fust
DO considered the beginning OF his poht%a
end For come time It has been apPalea' ~
innueuce OF the Texas senator on the senate
was lessening and that It viii now stun fuf'hef
lessen cannot be doubted. 49,,
II would be idle to contend that the TetlFe-
mont OF senator Bailey is not deeply slthih-
can't TO the thinking man 1t Is slsila.aht anu
Is clear indication Of the ueha 9i tn i,tets
In public affairs. Of the thought OF the p0nl'N
with respect to the qualifications that II oe-
lnands OF the who are to represent IL
in high places and especially In Congress
senator Bailey has dropped out OF the Sem
ate no matter what surface reasons may ne
assigned. because of the growing 'ehqeheg u
the country toward progresslYsm' lie mas
failed to keep step with the march OF me pro-
gresstvo movement. intellectually brillaht 10
the point that he must be said to be the peer
in brains Of any man who has sat IN Con-
gresa III this generation. an orator OF great
power. a lawyer Of rare capacity he IS essen
TALLY an ultra conservative. His political ideas
and more prevailing to-day lie can see noth~
ing If good in the greater participation Icy the
/ people I'm government. He Is unwilling to trust
popular government and IN the Senate mas
made his position in this respect clear on many
occasions Last March :, in lit of anger.
ho even resigned from the senate because or
Ipetulant opposition to the initiative, reieren-
! dunn, and recall as voiced in tho Arizona const-
/ tuition Though he withdrew his resignation, IL
has been plain since that time that his In
tluence with his Democratic colleagues in the
Senate waning, Just as il has been apparent
+ that the progressive spirit Is more and more
/ taking hold on the Senate Democrats, In a
/ word Senator Bailey has been growing more
/ and more ont OF place III the Senate with It's
/ marked tendency TO rrogresstVism on both the
/ Democratic and the Republican side.
Senator Bailey has been assailed as few
public men OF his time have been assailed
by reason Of hts relations With the STANDARD
ON interests in Texas He managed to com
/ bat these attacks successfully at various times
in his own State. But with all his hrilliancy
! he could not stay the oncoming of the progress
sve movement In his party, He roresaw that
its waves would roll over him, just others
| foresaw IT. In It's essence his retirement Is
not different as to the that lie back
OF it from tho retirement from public life OF
such men as Hale, OF Maine and Aldrich, OF
Rhode Island, The public no matter how
high II may regard such men as these for
their capacity in certain respects, has little use
| longer for them senators or representative
in Congress The call is for a new and higher
type OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT Times