Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-05-24


will put another crimp In Uncle Joe
Cannon, and give the interests" a
case of the coliywabbIes. For twenty
years we, have been trying TO put this
thing over, but the senate itself got
across the track. 1t is a striking CO.
Incidence that we are adopting the re-
form at the very time the English are
doing things to the house Of lords,
after which the senate was modelled
Some of US thought we had won this
victory at the last session, but we were
Just four votes too previous. Now
large bunch of statesmen from the red
sandstone perfod-the Hales, Abdr1ches,
Depews, Keans, Bulkeleys, SCOTS,
Dicks, Burrowses. Warmers. Carriers,
Pileses, Fints and Youngs-have de-
parted into ancient history, and bevy
of progressive Democrats and Repub-
Hcans have arrived in their places,
giving assurance that this time there
will be a different story.
Some people seem to think a thing is
good simply because handed down
from the carboniferous age. If God
had been of the same mind the earth
would still be inhabited by diplodo-
cuses, ichthyosauruses and ringtailed
monsters. Progress got into the game,
however. and now we have people that
smoke cigarettes and go to moving pic
ture shows.
Progress Finally Wins.
But it took progress a long time to
make a dent on the senate. Il could
get the best OF the pterodactyl, the
mammoth and the cave man, but the
senate defied it. Progress had the
troglodyte groggy after the first few
rounds, but it never feaZed the senate.
As the fathers made it, so is 1t today,
except that it has more money. In
the days of Washington and Adams
the senate was long on back hair, in
the time of Webster and Clay it was
long on oratory, and at present it is
long on bank books and the stock
market. Sometimes also 4 is short Of
The market. but that is only when its
inside information Is bearish. The
senate is a diGnified body, willing TO
represent any one that looks like ready
money. 1t has a brand of courtesy
that, like charity, covers a multitude
of sins.
The senate has a rule against ap-
plause, but seldom has to enforce it
since nobody wants TO applaud. 1t has
no written rule against reform, but an
unwritten one that is as strong as the
laws of the Modes and Persians. I do
not know how strong the laws of the
Modes and Persians were, and neither
does anybody else that talks about
them, but Il is Il good phrase that has
-. i. t.
that they We're stronger, for example,
than the criminal clause Of the anti
trust law.
Most senators look Ike perfectly
nice men and are not at all imposing
IN appearance unless one looks at
their rolls. BY pocketbook measure
their greatness is Of tremendous girth.
There are more millionaires in the SEN
ate than in any other body Of equal
size. They also look imposing to their
constituents. and for q reason. The
way they impose on these poor people
is something scandalous.
A senator is a big noise in Washing
ton. where money talks. If you do not
believe that money talks in Washing
tor you should attend one Of its social
functions or q session OF congress.
There are a few other takers in the
town, but for persuasive Oratory mon
ey has them all tied TO the post The
others may be more garrulous and
have more rhetorical friIls, but the
long green brother IS the vote Getter.
When he makes q remark something
happens.
Lorimer and Bailey.
One of the members Of the senate is
Lorimer OF Illinois, and another is Bal
ley Of Texas. These gentlemen belong
20 different political parties, but what
are party lines between friends? Bal
ley once resigned, and few OF us
were deluded into giving three cheers.
thinking that he meant II, but # was
too good 10 be true. There were also
persistent efforts to have Lorimer re-
sign, with nothing doing. Lorimer had
TOO much trouble being elected and in
keeping elected 10 resign Perhaps II
is just as well that he did not That
would have spoiled a most interesting
investigation at Springfield and an
other and more interesting one yet TO
be pulled of by the senate.
The Lorimer case had not a little
10 do in crystalEizing sentiment for
direct election OF senators. Public
opinion was already for the change
in a languid sort Of way. but this
made # bristle and show its teeth.
Now everybody Is FOR the proposition.
or everybody except Senator Hepburn,
Uncle Joe Cannon and a few others.
The house has passed IL by an Inn
mense majority. enough OF the states
have Endorsed # to compel a cons1-
tutiouaI convention. and the senate Is
driven into 4 corner and must needs |
accept II willy niI1y. II has been a 1
long fight. and the outcome shows that |
public opinion can finally have its way