Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-08-06
NO MAN 70 soss LEoIsLATIoN
NOW THAT ALDRlcA HAS
RETIRED.
PRESENT Membership
REFUSES TO De LEAD
No Men or Group Of Men Now Able
70 Dictate Legislation = 0olIivsr's
spssch Driving AIdrieh to Cover Re.
called Caucus System in Disfaver
hv House Democrats.
Especial Correspondence

that former Senator Nelson w. Al
drich, of Rhode Island, may be returned
| to the senate from that state and the
statement that he is wanted by Sen
, ator Bradley, Of Kentucky. and some
Of the other senate regulars to take
over the leadership Of the senate.
serves to call attention to the fact the
senate is now leaderless. 1t Is wan
dering about in the mazes OF proposed
LEGISLATION without a commander. THIS
explains to a large extent why 1t 10
there is such delay in getting rid or
, bills and why there is so much indefi-
niteness about the question of time Of
ending the session.
Like RuddsrIsss Ship.
Not only is it true that no one man
in the senate is leading it but 1t Is true
| that there is no such thing as leader
ship by group. In recent years, there
has seldom been time when the SEN
ate was running as sort OF so-as-
YOU please affair to such degree as
now.
Senator Penrose as chairman OF the
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, IS
shown by what happened recently
when the LaFollette wool bill was
passed against the opposition Of the
regulars and by an alliance of demo-
Gratis and insurgents.
Senator Penrose has certain influ-
ence in shaping legislation and SO have
Senators Crane, Smoot, Lodge. Gal
linger and others OF the regulars. but
none of them or all Of them together
lead the senate. Nobody leads 1t.
Delivers Days Recalled.
One does not have to have long
memory to recall when the senate was
managed by quartet consisting OF
Senators Aldrich. Allison, Hale and Or
Vile Plat. Then. the leadership mar
rowed down to one man. Aldrich. Then,
the senate insurgents smashed the rule
Of Aldrich and that fateful day came
when Senator Jonathan p. Dolliver
bearded Aldrich in his den and 20
scathed and scored him that he fled to
the cloak rooms. Since then, there has
been no such thing as senate leader.
+ What is there ,isn't going to be a
senate leader in all probability. II the
republicans control the senate. there
will be none. II the democrats get
control. 1t is possible some leader Will
evolve but not likely.
Refuse to Be Led.
The reason is that senators refuse to
be led as in the old days. II Aldrich
comes back to the senate he can not
possibly lead It, He may try but he
will not succeed. He will find that the
republicans will not go into caucus and
be bound on essential matters. The
regulars may but the insurgents will
not. And unless the rule OF the caucus
is respected. such a thing as leadership
| is we'll nigh impossible.
1t has got to be 80 that as matter
Of practice caucuses are no longer held
among the senate republicans. Senate
insurgents will not entrust their votes
to the keeping Of the majority Of a
caucus and hence the rule by caucus
on the republican side Of the senate ia
dead II Aldrich should come back and
| ffy to establish it, he would merely
be laughed at
The insurgents see In the caucus
merely an instrument for enabling .
majority of one party to control the
| whole senate. They think 1t gives con-
troll to a few on the holding company
| system They will have nothing to do
! with It.
! Caucus in oisfavor.
The senate democrats are paying a
GOOD deal Of attention to the caucus
| Just now but they are not likely to do
90 permanently Plenty Of insurgent
democrats do not like the caucus idea
!! and in crisis will refuse to be bound
lby It. SO. II the democrats control the
senate after March 4. they will have a
leader only in name. II any leader at
tempts to exercise real leadership and
tie democrats up by caucus action
there will soon be split. The house
/ democrats have been run by caucus
largely this session but they are al