Yellowstone monitor., 1914-02-19


BauuAau1anAa&MaaaaHasaasH&anSs asH&ans
sey w. Shackelford blessed. Moreov
er and beyond that, I can even almost
hear the rafters singing over yonde,
in Boone county, Missouri, as "shack
moseys about during the dog days OF
the coming August interviewing the
farmers of the fecund regions as to their
intentions with reference to sending
him back to Washington to continue
his fight in behalf Of honest toll.
In the olden days, when a new sena.
tor arrived in Washington he was sup.
posed to remain quietly and sedately
mute during his first term while the old
hands on the job managed the machin.
cry Of legislation. Bob LaFollette OF
Wisconsin was one of the first to kick
a hole in that tradition and was almost
ostracized for his temerity. Things
are altogether different now. For one
thing, there are not many Of the old
hands any longer on the job. Then,
again, most Of the new arrivals are not
Of the type who are satisfied 10 act
merely as ontockers. It is now con
sidered quite the proper thing for a
brand new senator to walk into the SEN
ate chamber, hang his hat on peg,
listen revenently while the chaplain is
pronouncing the benediction and then
proceed to tell his colleagues what he
thinks about the state Of the union. 1t
is well that this is the fact else T. j.
Walsh of our own state might now be
in the same situation that Bob LaFol-
lette found himself in about eight years
ago.
It is doubtful if one in one thousand
people back home begins to realize
just how big figure Walsh has become
since he came down here less than a
year ago. The newspaper men who sit
in the senate press gallery are perhaps
better qualified to rate accurately a
mans standing and influence in that
body than any other individuals. Al
most without exception, they have
marked Walsh down as one who has al
ready attained position Of leadership
second to none in that august body.
This distinction has come to him
through the sheer force of ability back
ed up by a capacity for hard work sell
dom equalled in the history of the sem
ate. Most men would stand appalled,
at the prospect Of having to do in six
years what he has accomplished in one.
The absolute and invariable prepar-
edneess of the man has been source of
constant wonderment among his col
leagues. His activities have taken a
wide range. He sat for months on a
special lobby investigation committee
and at the same time accumulated an
astounding mass Of information on the
tariff question which was then before
the house. He took leading part in
the investigation by the territories
committee on the Alaskan railroad bill,
and yet displayed thorough knowledge
Of every phase of the currency bill.
Walsh has made his most profound
impression here however as an author
ity upon constitutional law. He won
a most signal triumph last week when
he delivered powerful speech against
the seating Of Glass who was appoint
ed to the senate by the governor of
Alabama to succeed ex-governor John
ston, deceased. It was pretty general
y known that the president wanted
Glass, who who former class mate,
seated, and in passing, I might add that
the influence of the executive is mighty
powerful with a large number of sena-
tors. Walsh did not believe that the
president g friend was constitutionally
entitled to seat in the senate and ad-
ranced his reasons with such power,
,loquence and irresistible logic as to
lefeat the ambition of the Alabama ed
tor. / have talked with senators who
'eard that speech, including Lodge Of
Massachusetts,, Hoke Smith of Georgia,
md others, and without exception, they |
pronounce it one of the most brilliant |
'forts heard in that body for many
lays. But for the Walsh speech, Glass
would have been seated and a precedent |
which, according to some of |
he best lawyers of the senate, would |
ave been of farreaching consequences.
TOM STOUT.