The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-09-08

Dillingham; on Page

NO HldH Ill Oulteu States SENATE
has been more regular in attendance,
more devoted to his work and more
painstaking in the discharge of his du-
ties, than Senator Page. He has
brought to the Senate all of those
characteristic activities of mind and
temperament which gave him leader
ship in the business and political cir
cles OF Vermont.
His general characteristics can best
be described, perhaps, by referring to
recent conversation had with a dis
tinguished Democratic Senator who
has been that the Senate is made up Of
two classes of men, those who feel it
their duty to speak on every question
but who are quite frequently wrong
both in their premises and conclu-
sions, and secondly those who speak
less frequently, and never unless they
have something of value to say, but
who by reason of careful study and
patient investigation are almost in
variably right in their action Senat-
or Page belongs in the class last men
toned.
Those who have watched the course
of the two great parties as represent
ed in the Senate must have observed
that the Republican party has been
composed of men who have done their
own thinking and maintained self
respecting independence. Caucus act
ion is not tolerated among them.
On the other hand, the caucus ,sys-
TEN has lang been in vogue in the Dem
ocratic party. and its binding authority
upon its members has been declared
superior to their individual conscience
and judgment. That party since
coming into power has devoted itself
almost exclusively to the work of Sc
curing the adoption of purely admin
istration measures, dictated at the
| White House, approved by the caucus.
| and pushed through the Senate by
sheer force of numbers.
In the meantime, a vast volume Of
business, less spectacular in charact-
/ vi DAl NlNullf lltllOl NeiliA " Viz Niltil =
OF the nation, has been under-consider-
| alton by the appropriate committees,
at the meetings of which the Republi-
| can members, trained to the import
ance OF this work, have been faithful
| in their attendance while, to lament
able degree, the Democratic members
| have been conspicuous by their alb
| sence. When 1t is remembered that
| the character Of the work done by the
| Senate committees Is so fully recog-
nized by that body that more than so
percent CT the measures iavofably con-
sidered are adopted upon their recon.
mendations, and without debate, the
importance of individual attention to
| committee work cannot be overesti-
| mated
| These observations are preliminary
| to, and intended TO give force to the
| statement that no Senator OF my ac-
| quaintance has more consistently at
tended meetings of committees of
| which he is a member than Senator
Page, and no senator has given more
serious, laborious investigation a,d
thought to the problems under consid-
GRAFTON than has he
In a single term of service Senator
Page has, in addition to less import
ant committees. been assigned to agri-
| culture and forestry, banking and cur
rency, education and labor, Indian
affairs. and naval affairs, all of which
rank high in Importance, and on each
of which he has done exceptional
come republican, he would mdoubted-
| ly become chairman of the committee
on agriculture and forestry, one of
vast importance both to the nation
| and to the individual state, and posi-.
tion which was held by Senator Proct-
or at the time of his death. In this
connection want also to say, what is
not generally known. that the commit.
tee on Indian affairs demands more
time aud attention, presents more
| complex problems 10 be solved. Is
| more eXacting in its demands upon
| the time and patience and intcgri;y
| of its members. than almost any Other
one of the Senate committees. lt
has been customary to assign one New
| England senator TO this committee
with the thought that. as representa-.
| tive of state unaffected by Indian
legislation, perhaps his service would
be of special value in protecting both
the nation and the indian wards of the
nation against frauds and loss. The
late Senator platt of Connecticut stood
for years as a rock of defence against
| entertainments upon the rights of
both. When he. by reason OF other
public duties. was compelled to reln.
qush that work | was. at his request
assigned to the vacancy thus created.
.ater my time was demanded In other
directions aud Senator Page took the
laboring oar and has spent nights as
we'll as days of faithful but mconspic.
uous work In perlecting Indian lcgis,
laticT
But ! want to call special attention
to his work as a member OF the com.
mittee on education and labor. He
early gave attention to the subject OF
vocational education and, as some
question has been raised as to the de
gree Of credit to which he is entitled
and ! do not hesitate to say that when
that measure becomes law. as Il
surely will. he will be as much entitled
to credit In connection with the estab
lishment of the Land Grant colleges
Senator Page Worked substantially
alone upon this measure for n period