The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-16

first appeared in public office as e member of the common council in the city of Providence. He was elected to the Rhode Island assembly in 1875, and four years later sent to Congress. Af- ter two sessions he was elevated to the Senate. as successor of General Ambrose B. Burnside.
 Having begun his career as a bus mess man. Senator Aldrich continued throughout his public service to dis play business-hke methods and extra ordinary capacity for organization. Upon his election to the Senate, he was immediately made chairman of the Committee on Rules, and a mem Der of the Committee on Finance and Interstate Commerce. Later as chair man of the Finance Committee he was called upon to assume large share of the responsibility for all tariff and financial legislation before the Senate. He participated in the preparation of no fewer than six revisions of the tar if and bore the burden of labor incl dent to them The Payne Aldrich tar if act was engineered through the Senate by him after many weeks of skiIlful manoeuvr4ng and hard fight ing.
 seize upon any trend Of public bus mess to advance legislative causes in which he was interested. The thank CTS panic of 1907 enabled him to give impetus to his plan to bring about
 monetary reforms. lThe first fruit of his labors in this direction was the VreeIal1d Aldrich Emergency Currency law of 1908, put through the Senate by AIdrich after an historic fiIibuster di- rected by Mir. La Toilette, the Pro- gressive Republican from Wisconsin, who was aided by MT. Stone of Mis- souri, a Denaocrat Sharp parIianent- ary tactics enabled Mr. A1drich to bring the bill to final vote, but in taRing Mir. La Toilette off his feet NIT. Aldrich made an enemy who was re- Ientless in his opposition during many subsequent legislative contests.
 The emergency currency law was regarded by MT. A1drich as the best remedy possible of speedy enactment, but he did not stop there. He began work immediately upon a more per ing most of his time to the work of the national monetary commission. He was about to devote his time unre- servedly1 to his work because in 1911 he declined to be candidate for re- election. giving ill-health as a reason.
 Mr.lAldrich's friends acontended that his effort to revise the currency sys- tenn of the country was approached in an absolute partisan way. He was exceed dingly anxious that his work should stand up as monument to his public service. His disappoint- menu was keen when 1S1l ms party lost control of the house and took from the Republicans the. credit of putting through this far-reaching legislation Before the political com pIexion Of Congress changed MT. Aid rich was compelled to admit that his efforts were being frustrated by an tagonistic sentiment in the central west. Then he realized that the at tacl<s he had scorned to answer had taken root. SHe could not understand that the course he followed through his public career of Judging what was best for the state itself was not ap- proved by the people themselves.
 A4r- Aldrich then undertook speech-Inaking trip in the middle west with avowed intention of eradicating hostility to himself and his project He desired especially to convert the people to believe his declaration that he had no purpose save to devise a system of national finance sound in principle. safeguarding all legitimate interests. and enbodying the best wisdom Of the sentire country. AL though he had5 large audiences of bankers and business men his nis- sion was far from successful.
 tsyVhy is not out plan taken at face value ?,' he asked a friend He re-