The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-15
WEDNESDAY. JANUARY Is. 1913.
DANGERS or SENATE REORGANIZATION.

DANGERS CT If%Nk T. 1AGCib@tNif hCtf'
In the REORGANIZATION Of the United States
senate planned By the progressive Demo-
Gratis of tha, body. there are at least three
dangers which must he avoided--oyer-leaping
ambition on the part OF the new members sec
tionalism and wrong definition Of pro-
glessyer and "reactionary
These three may be summed up into one.
namely: uitra-radicalism. In other words am
hition for place dislike OF Southern members
and tendency 10 mistake proper conser-
satism for staud-pat ideas and extreme radical
Ism sor progressivism may lead the re-
OF ganizers TOO far,
It is natural that the new members. anx-
ious for power and place and seeing that
under the present custom OF naming commit
tee chairmen they will be compelled to wait for
years for the realization Of their hopes, should
desire change and it is equally natural that
they should mistake this personal ambition
for patriotic resolve for a betterment of con
ditions new senator without power or in
fuence who desires to impress the people back
home, who wishes 10 leap TO the front from
the first who wishes place which under pres
ent conditions he cannot hope to attain as yet
may be easily persuaded that be is progress
siye and that the first step necessary for pro-
gress is a change in the senate rules That a
change is necessary may be admitted. An
iron-bound seniority system whereby the Older
members get all the chairmanships without re-
gard to ability. is out-of-date II was never
In date. But TO overthrow the system COM
pletely and then to finish the job by naming as
charmen men without either experience or
ability is mistake that must be avoided
There are also senator's from the North who.
though not recently elected, have not been
members OF the senate long enough to secure
the choice plums, These look with envous
eyes upon the Southern members at the head
of these committees and they TOO. are easily
persuaded that reform is needed. They mutter
to themselves that the South is in the saddle
ard must be endorsed. The danger here is
the same as with the new members and the
moving cause is the same,
Under conditions such as these it may de-
veiop that the new senators and the Northern
senators lacking chairmanships of Importance
best committee assignments as reactionaries
while those whose ambitions are unsatisfed or
whose sectionalism is stirred will regard them
selves as progressives. There is danger that
position and MOI opinion on public questions
may determine the alignment and that the dir
ferences In the senate may degenerate from
one OF principle to a struggle for the SPOTS,
The Vrgintan has frequently expressed the
opinion that the seniority system as now in
operation should be abolished. but 1t does not
believe that length Of service and experience
should count for nothing 1t does not be-
HcYe that The senate should be surrendered
t. the control OF the new and untried mem
bers no matter from what part of the country
they may come and il does not believe that
Southern senator's should be- denoted merely
because few senatorial freshmen" wish
their places. The plan OF taking from one
man the power to name the steering commit
;s rs1ist Tia r1aa shn eeu11rrt reHs. Should: meet
WITH approval and some means should be de-
vIsed whereby merit will be recognized in com
mittee appointments. but care should he taken
that ambition and sectonalism should not de-
termine whether senator is progressive or
reactionary. Moreover the radicals should not
De- in full control There is room for men
o. the type described by Woodrow Wilson as
"consers atives on the move"