The Washington times., 1912-08-03
REGULARS
HINT THAT ALDR|CH
MAY Be RETURNED
Upper House Leaderless,
and Standpatters Hope to
Revive Old Custom.

The suggestion that former Senator
Nelson w. Aldrich of Rhode Island,
may be returned to the Senate from
that State and the statement that he Is
wanted by Senator Bradley of Ken
lucky. and some of the other Senate
regulars to take over the leadership Of
the Senate. serve to call attention to the
fact the Senate is now leaderless.
1t Is wandering about in the mazes Of
proposed legislation without a COM
mander. This explains to a large ex-
tent why there is such a delay In get
ting rid OF bills and why there is SO
much indefiniteness about the question
of time of ending the session.
Not only is 1t true that no one man
In the Senate 10 leading It but It Is
true that there is no such thing as
leadership by a group. In recent years,
there has seldom been a time when the
Senate was running as a sort of go-as-
you-please affair to such degree as
now.
Finance Committee, would ordinarily be
the Senate leader. But he Is not How
little Senator Penrose is the leader, or
other Senate regulars of prominence. IL
shown by what happened recently when
against the opposition of the regulars
and by an alliance Of Democrats and
insurgents.
Senator Penrose has a certain infu-
ence in shaping legislation and 30 have
Senators Crane Smoot. Lodge. Calling
| er and others OF the regulars. but none
Of them ior all Of them together lead
| the Senate. Nobody leads 1t.
One does not have to have q long
memory to recall wnen the Senate was
adreha sy ausIis Hson aa and
Orviile Platt. Then the leadership mar.
rowed down to one man. Aldrich; Then
the Senate insurgents smashed the rule
Of Aldrsh and that 6stefui daK Sam,
bearded 'Aldrich in his den and sc
scathed and scored him that he fed te
| the cloakrooms- Since then there bai
been no such thing as a Senate ,ie leader !,
be a Senate leader. in all probability
II the Republicans control the Sen
ate. there will be none. II the Demo
Gratis get control. II is possible SOM
The reason is that Senators refus.
to be led as in the old days. II Aldrici
comes back to the Senate he canno
possibly lead 1t. He may try; Su
the Republicans will not go into eau
Gus and be bound on essential matters
The regulars may, but the insurgent
will not. And unless the rule of tn
4
leadership Is well-nigh impossible.
1t has got to be 30 that as a matte
Of practice caucuses are no longer he'll
among the Senate Republicans. Senat
insurgents will not intrust their vete
to the keeping of the majority of
caucus and hence the rule by caucu
on the Republican side Of the Senat
is dead. If Aldhch should come bac
and try to re-estab ablish II he woul
merely be laughed at.
| The insurgents see in the caucu
merely an instrument for enabling
ma jority Of one party to control tn
whole Senate. They think 1t gives con
troll to a few on the hoicing- compan
system. They will have nothing to
} The Senate Democrats are paying
good deal Of attention to the caucu
iust now, but they are not likely to d
SO permanently. Plenty of insurger
Democrats do not like the caucus ide
! and in a cricis will refuse to be boun
! by IL. So, II the Democrats control tn
senate after March 4. they will have
leader only in name. II any leade
, attempts to exercise a real leadershi
and tie Democrats up by caucus actor
there will be a split. The House DEN
ocrats have been run by caucus largel
this session, but they are already ge
+ ting restive under 1t.