The Detroit times., 1911-03-08
new us. SENATE is
TO CONTAIN 2
PR0GREss|vEs
ellison Gardner Shows How Special
Privilege Still Dominates, Although
Insurgents Have Made Net Gain
Of Eight Votes.
Bailey and His Followers Now Bull
wark Of System-Changes
In Personnel.

WASHINGTON, ID. c.. March SIN
the new senate the progressives have
made net gain OF eight votes.
In the senate whose life ended
March 4, the progressive votes were
IA, as follows: Clapp. Beveridge. La
Toilette, Gronna. Borah. Bourne, Bris
tow. Cummins, Rayner, Owen, Cham
berlain, Gore, Newlands and Shively
To these will be added nine votes
as follows: Townsend. of Michigan;
Works. OF California; Poindexter. OF
Washington: Republicans; and Kern
OF Indiana, Hitchcock, OF Nebraska;
Pomerene, of Ohio; Lea. OF Tennes
see; MARITIME, OF New Jersey, and VII
liams, of Mississippi. Democrats.
With the loss of Beveridge, the to
tai progressive vote In the senate Is
22
Six years ago, when Robert M. La
Toilette entered the senate, there was
not single senator who could justly
be called progressive.
Party lines are rapidly disappearing
The cause OF their disappearance Is
the fact that Special Privilege disre
CARDS party lines and secures Its pur'
poses by bipartisan corruption. The
case of William Lorimer Is good
illustration. The vote to seat Lorimer
Is the normal vote of the bipartisan
combination In support OF Special
Privilege.
On purely party measures the new
senate is more Democratic than the
old senate by 10 votes. At the be-
ginning of the late session the senate
consisted of SO Republican and 80
Democrats. The Democrats have lost
one and gained IL members, so In the
new senate the party vote will be 4S
Democrats to 40 Republicans. (This
is assuming that Colorado and New
York send Democratic members)
The Republican progressive vote,
added to the Democracy party vote
without New York and Colorado)
would give total OF 81. as against
SO standpat Republicans. majority
OF IL.
Thus 1t will be seen that IL all the
Democrats were genuine Democrats,
II would be easy to form combina-
tion with the progressive Republicans
and to take command of legislation
in the senate. But there is small,
compact organization OF Democrats
In the senate. led by Bailey, who are
for Special Privilege always, and as
sist Republicans when needed.
These Bailey Democrats are: Bail
ey, Of Texas; Banwhead, OF Alabama;
Fletcher OF Florida; Foster, OF Louis
lana; jackson. of Alabama; Paynter,
OF Kentucky; Simmons, OF North Car
Gina; Smith, of Maryland; Thornton,
of Louisiana; Tilman. of South Caro-
lima. and Watson, of West Virginia.
The above-named Democrats saved
Lorimer in his purchased seat.
Subtract the Bailey Democrats from
the total Democratic strength and the
Democratic Democrats are left 81
votes. Add to these the 10 progress
sive Republicans and the total Is AZ
still four votes short of a majority.
Thus Special Privilege, is a COM
bination which ignores party lines.
still dominates the senate, but the
domination is less tyrannous than In
former years. 1t Is threatened con-
stantly by the aggressive and indie
PENDENT Republican progressives, sup
ported by a dozen almost equally mill
tant Democratic progressives, who are
backed up by 20 Democrats who are
not completely under the domination
OF the Bailey-Smoot combination for
Special Privilege.