Ste lilepilciit
GEORGE W. BERGE, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
folume 18
Lincoln, Nebraska, February 1, 1906
Number 37
Degradation of United States Senate
Is a National Scandal
Tint 1'ui led States senate is now under the microscope. It
i i-l ix:fl,, in f iiiiat liv vr i i roiii 11 1 t tl -
cine examined witu more mail satuutn. ..vou v r.v.,v,..
s of various publications that are striving to suit the popular
p. The record of every senator is being investigated. Already
L intending articles have appeared ana more are promised.
Interest in the senate has been revived tor two reasons, xis
i l ,- . nnnwa.iofnil til nil I'VfV. fllld
fcer over legislation is uioie awimj bjii, ..
iv of members, are now known to he corrupt. In other days
uiihlic was quite as-well aware as at present unit, gomuauy,
' . i .i i xl. i",..,-. t ,..,.,.;.! Intiiviictj In it sort.
fctnrs are elected tlii'ougn me iavui ui "I'l1-"" , " "
iuumv sr luekv spirit, however, the people, it tltey t nougat aoouc
matter at all, concluded that a senator might represent special
i i l j. . 1 1.1.. l,.,.n(, Tf -ix-n on illno-i-
k-rests 111 congress ana yet oe loieraui uunum. xu "
,..! ,;.. l.t It PxUtaA and held its own until senators, in
,e ef favor and protection, began to get into jail ami info public
la!.-. . ...
The n.rrimlioii and degradation of the senate is really the most
1 . .... i -ii ii . i ..:.)..
m-sting phase of what might be ttescnoeu as me personal mm
....,.(,.,,'., iw,i;t5,. Thfi dishonestv of corporations is rather
tract despite the fact that ' "guilt is always personal. Ihe
lioiHsty of United States senators has in it nmcu 01 concieu nu-
i intwwUJUiat is why the newspapers ami magazines are teuing
that lla v can find out about senatorial" short-comings and posi-
wrong-doing. It is likely, indeed, that most 01 us take a ramui
ich.ib satisfaction in seeing the baseness of senators exposed,
e tlie taiiiotis de fenders of the national honor" they are found
:e as whitcd sepulchres. ,
lint along with tins mere human curiosity ana ignonie Miisi.it-
tli.... w m iloclwi trt ana tlio eon a to rnmnprated. for Oil that CVeiit
Lends the safetv of our institutions and the welfare of the people.
I . , ii i. : l .
senate hloeks every real effort to legislate against tno giant eviis.
' - , IT P A
fprfsentniir special interests and not the public, it tavois even w
ha
the point of countenancing dishonesty such legislation as will help
the corporations, and it is superfluous to say that it combats all
legislation that is designed to restrict the corporations. How this
is done is tlie subject matter of the nowspajicr and magazine exposes.
Take a single, and by no means the worst, illustration, of pandering
to special interests:
Senator llansbrough, of South Dakota, was a "free silver" re
publican. This was much in his disfavor from the corporation point -of
view, but Ilanna understood and liked llansbrough and persuaded
the political leaders of South Dakota to forgive him. lie went to
the United Stales senate as "a rabid anti-corporation man." In the
fifty -.seventh congress Senator llansbrough pressed upon .the !n
sideration'of the'scnate a lull granting to the Central Arizona Kail
road company a right of way across the San Francisco mountains
forest reserve. The bill passed the house and senate, but was con
demned by the secretary of the interior ami vetoed Jy President
Roosevelt, who said:
"There is no reason why this railroad should be singled out to
be favored beyond all other railroads by being excepted from the
necessity of complying with the departmental regulations with which
. all. other railroads arc forced to comply."
Tlie coi-poralion record of Senator llansbrough has not been
- nearly so offensive as the record of some avowed corporation senators
like Senator Piatt, Depew, Aldricli," Elkins or Foralcer, but:ifcis,
a particular moral. Sometimes the railways and corporations put
forward "a rabid anti-corporation man" for the purpose of deceiv
ing the voters. That has been done more than once in Nebraska;
noh political party being free from the taint. It is not always pos
sible to "scotch" "the man, but the fact that such trickery is common
should teach the people to be vigilant, to remain awake, and to use
every honest means of sending to the United States senate men -who
Avillbe loyal to public interests rather than to special interests.
Hotf Booms are Manufactured
The fame of many politicians and actors has been made by the
sreat man through
e medium of newspaper puffs, but after many years the bubble
ms reputation burst agamsj the rutle spears 01 a u-giwaun; j
tiiialhig committee.
At tlie nivsent time Xebraska is en toying the excitement of a
pvss hiirean boom. The casual reader, picking up at random re-
fciMiean iieu-i,;ii,ir niih1i1i-.1 in Tfflln'aska. finds that most of them
J. ..., - .
xxniii nu a certain Xorris Brown for United States senator, and
Mantlv concludes that thpvp exists within republican ranks a niu-
l seni im, nt in favor of Mr. Brown s election. There is nothing
t. i . . .i i i , ,- i i . ( .i lii.t.l
r uiese lauuatory notices nave neen pit-pan-u
r Lincoln, Xd,., and sent out to republican newspapers. The casual
VI. i'l. nil. ciine iiz-.thiurr tn ovfuwo ll W 1 1S11HM01IS. .L lit. Ifflllll
... V .T ILMUIIll MIWUV .... -
inspired by a generous enthusiasm which he thinks is
d to him from the minds and hearts of his fellow repub
paris of the state, lie does not know that the stimulus
professional manufacturers of enthusiasm and booms,
i'.rown is attorney general of Xebraska. At the request
ty counties in the state he defended the tax cases against
In those cases the state was interested to the extent of
inds of ,l,.1l Iniitlv tl ttnrnov general could
t refuse to lake charge of the cases, being impelled thereto by his
ll,v as d. i'mcd ;,, t)ie statutes and by public demand. If ho had
"I'lH-ar in the suits he would" have been neglecting his duty
unit tic i-
Nmuinieai
Fins in all
h'fs from
"'lit tlii
' vailwiivr
paiiy thou.
li al
ami inviting jmblie indignation. Had he failed to win it
would have been a matter of intense surprise. Consequently there
was not much reason for a paen of praise in honor of the attorney
o-eneral. And when it is discovered that the chief singers in thiJ
anvil chorus are literary blacksmiths who manufacture booms on de
mand the true status of the present boom will le better understood.
About ten months ago The Independent called upon Attorney
General Brown to enforce the maximum rate law of the state. Tho
law was not dead. Its operation had lieen suspended temporarily by
the United States supreme qourt on the ground that its schedules
Ave re confiscatory in the years of commercial depression. Had the
attomev general reopened the case the chances are he Avovibl have
been aide to convince the court that in prosperous times the Xewberry
rates are just and reasonable. But the railways feared the maximum
rate law because, if made operative, it Avould have deprived them
of much rich plunder.
To keep down taxation the railways brought the tax suits, and
there Avas no escape for Xorris BroAvn. lie was forced to fight the
cases, which, by the way, have not been Avon, although it seems certain
that the United States supreme court; must affirm the decision of
Judge Plunger. But the maximum rate case was not in court. The
onlv wav it could get into court was by the action of the attorney
general, and the attorney general refused to act.
The attorney general also refused to enforce the anti-pass law
of the state and he surrendered his rti!vay passes only Avben com-
