Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-03-05

CRAWFORD's DEFI-
ANCE OF ALDRICH
The standpat Dakotan Editor is
seeking, by deliberate perversion of
the facts as to Senator Crawford's
record in the Senate, to show that the
Senator was in alliance with Aldrich
in framing the Payne-Aldrich bill in
the Senate-a claim that is absolutely
without foundation in fact and that
is unjust to Senator Crawford.
To show how foundationless is
this charge, we refer the voters to the
Congressional Record of July 8, 1863,
pages 43l4 and 4315, where Senator
Crawford is recorded as throwing
down a challenge to Aldrich and ad-
ministering a telling rebuke to him
for assuming to tell republicans what
the true test Of republicanism was
when it came to voting on final pas
sage of the bill.
Senator Aldrich has made the bold
assumption shown in the following
quotation: 81 have been in ths pub.
lie service long enough to have seen
several occasions when individual
members of this body or individuals
outside of the body have thought that
they were wiser than their party and
that their views should control the
| action of the party, Notwithstanding
| the vote of majorities. !. Isay
to the Senator from Indiana (Bever-
idge) and to his friends that the re-
publican party is party of majori-
ties, and the voices of the majority in
matters of legislation control party
policies and control government
| policies, * Ii senators shall
see fit to vote against it (ariff bilD
on account of their individual views,
that is matter for them to deter
mine. But l suggest to those sena-
tors that they will not attempt to
| speak for the party without a protest
from the men who represent states
here, as / have said before, that have
elected and can and will elect repub-
lican Presidents, whatever may be
the attitude of individuals, either in
this body or elsewhere"
This brazen assumption of bossism,
with it's threat against such republi-
| can senator's as had the courage to vote
their COZ yictions on the tariff issue
regardless of party whips and bosses,
| was expressed just before the roll
call on the tariff bill, and was done
with the evident purpose of brow,
beating progressive republican Sena-
tors who had fought all through the
debates for lower schedules than this
bill provided for. How far he sue
ceeded in whipping Senator Craw-
ford into line can be seen by refer
ence to his prompt response, uttered
within three minutes after Aldrich
had concluded, and recorded on page
4315, as follows:
"Just word before the roll is called.
| do not think the chairman of the e.
nance committee (Aldrich) has any
more authority to say to me that have
no right to o~speak as republican or
express my sentiment as a republican
| Senator than / have to say the same
thing to him. recognize his right,
and l recognize the right of the ma
| jority, as far as legislation is concern.
ed, to say what shall be enacted But
do not believe we have come to the
point where a member of this body
loses his right to express, or loses his
standing in his party if he expresses,
his judg ment and follows his conscience
in voting upon question of such vast
moment and Importance as that EN-.
bodied in this bill. shall not cast my
vote here tonight because Of what the
majority has said should be the legisla.
tion, but [ shall cast my vote in ac.
cordance with my judgment and my
conscience and my sense of duty anc
obligation to the country at large anc
to the constituency that sent me here
L shall vote against the bill
tonight"
| And he did vote against it and AL.
drich and his standpat party cohort
voted solidly for it. Where does the
"alliance" between Senator Crawford
and Senator Aldrich on the tariff bill
come in?
/ This sickly attempt of standpatters
who during all the years of Aldrich's s
actual dominance over his party and
| STEPHENS RI