Semi-weekly herald., 1913-07-21
saEyE1H ARRAIGNsaENr
OF SENATOR SHAFROTH

Shafroth has been pointed to With
prjde" hy Patterson for many years
hence tks criticism of the ssnator's
position It this time must be cutting
In this connection we ask every Her
aid rsader to closely peruse the fol-
Iowing from the News Of the 18th:
Senator Shafroth and His Excuses
The News published with genuine
eorrpW the statement made By Senator
1hafrpth, following the action Of the
Democratic caucus-to the effect that
he had withdrawn from opposition to
the sugar schedule as approved by the
Democratic caucus-and that he would
vote for the tariff measure in detail
and in bulk precisely as it left the
caucus. Should there be any change
La that schedulc it car only be with
the approval of the senate financial
committee.
The reason for this change in the
attitude of the erstwhile fighting Col
orado senator to that of quiet sub
mission, is given by himself in the
following words:
The bill is a great Democratic
measure. An extra session of con-
gress was called by Democratic
president to enact it. The withdrawal
from the caucus upon such q measure
would, in effect, be desertion of the
Wilson administration and with
drawal from the Democratic party.
/ cannot consider leaving
the Democratic party on account of
something which cannot possibly hap
pen for three years, and which per-
haps may never happen"
This statement by the senator is
L. - -.
continued to fight on for sugar and
4 revenue duty upon the article, he
cratic. party---fn short, he could no
longer claim, to be Democrat.
That statement does q great injus-
tice to the other Democratic sena-
tors. The caucus did not make it
the sugar schedule, nor even for the
tariff measure as whole. The Asso.
ciated Press dispatches were specific
in the statement that nothing that
was absolutely binding upon sena-
tors" was done by the caucus, and
Shafroth himself did not vote for the
resolution that set out that the tariff
bill was party measure.
Senator Newlands of Nevada voted
against the resolution, and does not
hesitate to say that he will do what
he can to have the bill amended in
several particulars when it is before
the senate.
Nor has anybody that the News
knows Of. nor has the News itself ever
asked Senator Shafroth to vote
against the bill as whole, whatever
It's provisions, when it would come
up for final passage. But it did ask
and urge him to keep up his fight to
make sugar q dutiable commodity
while there remained chance to win
it.
1t is absolutely silly, therefore, for
Senator Shafroth to claim that mere
ly &c fight against putting sugar on
the free list would have either re-
quired him to withdraw from the eau
Gus or have made him any the less q
Democrat, even under the caucus test.
It was very much to the credit Of
the Democratic senator's that in the
end they refused to adopt a resolu-
ton requiring Democrats to vote in
favor Of the caucus action, and that
they left the matter of voting to each
senator's own sense Of right and duty.
Whatever may be Senator Shat
roth's real reasons for abandoning the
struggle for his constituents he must
rot place the onus on the shoulders Of
his Democratic colleagues. To be
sure all but few will vote for free
sugar, but that imposes no party obi
cation upon others to do so, and in
80 voting it will be voluntary act
Hnd In no sense the result Of moral
or ether coercion.
9 When the bill will be before the
senate for debate it will also be open
for amendment. Undoubtedly q num-
Der Of amendments will be offered TO
this very sugar schedule and AYE"
and mo" votes taken upon them. The
News hasn't the slightest doubt that
the votes of Colorado's senator's would
with others that will be cast for such
amendments. strike out the free list
clause and substitute for it a revenue
duty on sugar. Both Thomas and
Shafroth must then come more plain
ly into the open, for their votes will
be recorded and the record will stand
to sustain or confound them in the
future.
Both Senator's Thomas and Shafroth
left Denver for Washington intending
70 make q hard fight to maintain a
duty on sugar. Thomas had hardly
got into the shadow of the capitol
when he capitulated: Shafroth didn't
surrender until Tuesday last, although
that he would ultimately do SO has
been freely predicted by every news
paper correspondent at the capital.
It must have been disappointment
to Shafroth that the caucus refused
to cbligate senators to stand by the
caucus action-for then he might
truthfully have said that not to up
hold the caucus would be withdra wal
from the caucus and, in effect, de-
sertion Of the Wilson Administrations.
But the caucus didn't, yet the sena-
tor gives that as his reason all the
sum, though he knows that in doing
80 he is guilty Of a plain evasion.
The course Of Colorado's two sena
tors IL n mighty Indictment Of the
spoils system. There il little rooxu
for doubt that had it not been for
the Offices that senator's may fill and
their anxiety to build up q machine
that will aid them in future contests,
md perhaps the opportunity to place
nsnr friends and relatives IN lucrative
poaitiors. they would have continued
true to their convictions that. since
revenue must be raised to meet the
mighty expenditures of the govern
ment. a duty should be retained on su-