New-York tribune., 1922-12-09
Pepper Assails
Sons of Wealth
AS Little SnObs
Senator Calls SciOns of Priv
ilegc Men Holding Selves
Too Good for Politics in
Address To Insurance Men
Fault Finders Criticized
DepIores Habit Of Rapping
Officials and Then Refus-
ing to Vote or Hold Office


Senator George Wharton Pepper Of
pennsylvania. defended the United
states senate and The procedure Of
that body and denounced the habit Of
rriticizing the public men Of the eoun-
Try in an address delivered yesterday
at the second days session Of the six
tcenth annual convention Of the As
,ocistion Of Life Insurance Presidents.
The convention Is being held At tho
Hotel Astor.
Senator Pepper was the principal
speaker before the life insurance men.
In his defense Of the Senate he took
occasion 70 attack the sons Of Amer
ica's well.to-do men. saying that "the
sons Of privilege in America are be-
coming little snobs, too good FOR poll.
ties.o He said e mas become the Gus
tom for "yoa men 10 at in the COM
portable ehsirs Of your clubs and find
fault with the laws that are passed
and the judges that hand down deei-
sions affecting your insurance COM
panies, but you don't 90 to the pri-
maries. and you don't want to hold pub
lie Office"
Ignorance Among Critics
Discussing ways Of bridging "the gap
between a citizenship that Is purely
theoretical and that which is also
practical" the Pennsylvania Senator
declared much Of the uncomplimentary
discussion Of the Senate was due 90
widespread ignorance among critics
respecting what the Senate Is snt what
& does
"The Senate as a body has two fune-
tions," he continued. ut IL the upper
chamber Of a legislative body. II also
flts as a council q ambassadors from
bovereign states. In the former capac@
.ty 10 unites with the House IN enact
!ng appropriation bills. revenue biiis
and miscellaneous legislation. In the
latter capacity n confirms or rejects
nominations made by the President
tnd Il ratfes or rejects treaties wblcn
he has negotiated.
"Many of the Senate usages con
dsmned as wasteful are Characteristic
II conferences between ambassadors.
ln the early days. when the Federal
Gle WAS slender, 10 would ill become
the ambassador from New York TO tell
tho ambassador froi Virginia he was
not speaking TO the point; or a major
tty OF ambassador 70 insist that the
minority was talking too long and must
stop. On the other hand II is hard 70
sustify the extension Of these prinei-
fies 20 ordinary legislative business.
a question Of practical citizenship is
whether Senate rules should be 80
amended In their application 70 purely
legislative business az 20 conhne
speaker 70 the pending question and 70
prevent such unlimited debate as may
enable q minority 70 prevent tho ma
5ority from functioning.
''I call this a practical question, and
a is. But in pondering over u bear
"a mind this ultra-practical considera-
fion, namely, that these changes IN
usaVe cannot come without changing
che Senate rules, and that 1t is entirely
feasible 20 filibgster against cnange
An the rules and 80 prevent any change
vrhatever from being made.
aBest Paid University Head
Other speakers yesterday were DR..
Marion Leroy Burton, president OF the
Ijniversity Of Michigan. who was in
troduced by the chairman, Darwin L.
Kingsley. as the "best paid university
president in the United States; Platt
Whitman, president OF the National
Convention Of Insurance Commission
ers: John d. Sage, president OF the
Union Central Life Insurance Com
pany, OF Cincinnati; John y. Miller,
president Of the Southern California
Edison Company and member Of the
executive committee o. the Pacific Mu-
tual Life Insurance Company, Of Los
Angeles; Frederick l.. Allen, general
solIcitor Of the Mutual Life Insurance
Company, Of New York; Samuel Ne
Cune Lindsay, vlce-president Of the
Arbitration Society Of America, and
William H. Kingsley, yiee-president OF
the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Com
SAny, Of Philadelphia.
Before ending Its two-day meeting
the convention adopted six resolutions,
ihe most importsnt Of which was one
urging systematic and determined
measures for "the extirpation Of the
prevalent epidemic waste Of human life
through habits OF personal careless
ncts due TO motor vehicle accidents"
The resolution held that more
tearching tests for the qualification Of
drivers be inaugurated, that there
should be the exercise Of more yigi-
lance and caution by pedestrians, and
recommends the rigorous enforcement
Of "salutarv safety regulations"