Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-04-21
Nelson w. A1drich Was Great
P0wer While IN u. S. Senate
Dead Politician Ruled Financial Affairs and Also Took Part In
Formation of Six Tariff Measures.

charged with bossism and with being
the tool of the interests" Whether or
not inns was true i'm the main. 1t can
oe SAID in fairness that some of these
cause 1T was his policy never to de.
lehu himself against published attacks
HE rarely permitted himself to be quot
ed by the press.
The fact that his daughter was arried
TO son OF John ID. Rockefeller served to
~strengthen the popular impression that
Senator Aldrich was in some way pc
culiarly friendly to the oil
and conslderate of the so-called "Rocke-
e1eiler interests" Yet when a friend
OF the senator once asked him for Il let.
ter to Mr.. Rockefeller. Mr.. Aldrich re-
piled:
have met Mi. Rockefeller only
twice III M life I fear the letter would
oe or nut niue II a" assistance to YOU"
IN legislation he was charged with
pelhg sectional. This is hardly borne
out by the facts. and more than once
ne gained his points by utilizing this
conflict of interests between west ana
south and east.
a temporary opponent within his
own party when suddenly deprived Of
he floor during a debate on proposed
currency reforms expostulated in vain.
AS ne took his seat he said: The Sem
ate no longer is the great forum nf
lfee speech. at least not when the sena-
tor from Rhode Island is here"
Dared Public Opinion.
studiously avoiding discussing or
reading attacks upo him MIR. Aldrich
practically invited adverse critisisnl. \
Well now writer OF Wal! street tales
devoted one whole winter TO a study
or Aldrich and then wrote II long
biography for a popular magazine. The
dIUltlC WAS DrOfllNalS 11l1Ct~ufn l md
a highly colored photograph was used
on the outside cover. Naturally he
author desired TO know what Aldrich
thought OF the article. and "A friend
sought To find out A copy of tho
magazine was handed Ii, the senator.
He looked at the cover and his face de.
picted disgust. Il never wore a green
Wnlstcoat in my me- he said. and
forthwith the offending magazine was
thrown into the waste basket.
Born In Foster. r. L., November 6,
ls4l, he first appeared In public Of
flee as member of the commo council
in The city of Providence. He was
elected to the Rhore Island assembly in
1873, and four your years later sent to
congress. After two sessions he was
Elevated to he Senate. as successor of
Gen. Ambrose Il. Burnside.
Having begun his career as a bust
ness man. Senate Aldrich continued
throughout his public service to dis
play business-like methods and extra
ordinary capacity for organization. Up
on his election to the Senate. he was
Immediately made chairman OF the
committee on rules, and "A member OF
the committee ON finance and interstate
commerce. Later as chairman of the
finance committee he was called upon
TO assume Il large share of the re-
! sponsibility for all tariff and financial
legislation before the Senate. He par
t%icipated in the preparation of no fewer
than six revisions of the tariff and bore
the burden of labor incident to them.
h Aldrich tariff act was en-
gineered through the Senate by him af-
ter many weeks OF skillful m~aneuyc1:
ing and hard fighting.
Seized All Chances.
Mr.. Aldrich was always ready to
seize upon n treud OF public business
to advance legislative causes in winch
he was Interested. The ..bankers'
panic OF 1907 enabled him to give inn
patis to his plan To bring about mon
etar.' reforms. The first fruit of his
iabors in this direction was the Vree-
ianG-Aldrlch emergency currency law
Of 1908. pat through the Senate by AL
drlch after an historic filibuster direct
ed by Mr.. La Toilette. the progressive
republican from Wisconsin. who was
aided by Mr.. Stone. OF Missouri. a dem
ocrat. Sharp parliamentary tactics en-.
ablcd Mr.. Aldrich to bring the bill to a
final vote. but in taking Mr.. La Fol
!ette off his feet MIR. Aldrich made an
enemy who was relentless In his oppo.
sition during many subsequent legis.
lative contests.