THE ROLL CALL: A "ME-TOO" SENATOR
THE ROLL CALL ON MEN AND MEASURES A "Me-Too" Senator SENATOR JOHN KEAN, like the trusts, comes from New Jersey. He was born in New Jersey, bred in New Jersey, and except for a few years spent at...
...We have seen two resolutions offered at the same time in the Senate, proposing senatorial investigations, • referred to the Senate committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate, handed by the clerk to Senator Kean, and have seen Senator Kean arise forthwith and without leaving his desk leport the resolutions to the Senate with "the recommendation sf the committee t© Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate," that one then be passed, and that the other be indefinitely postponed...
...His second term in the Senate will expire a year from next March...
...Kean is a typical "business Senator...
...Because, the "System" did not like the commodity clause...
...In the tariff session Kean's participation in the discussion would not fill a page of the Congressional Record...
...He served two terms in Congress and was elected to the Senate in 1899...
...Of course he voted with Aldrich for the Foraker resolution to suspend the commodity clause of the Interstate Commerce Act...
...Out of the 127 roll calls on the tariff bill in the Senate, Kean missed but 4 votes...
...The greatest financial measure that has been before Congress in recent years was the Aldrich "emergency currency bill" of the 60th Congress...
...Next to Senator Smoot, Senator Kean stood highest in faithfulness to the aldrich management...
...His contributions to the discussion of public measures, aside from mere routine, are sparse and brief...
...Kean is a New Jersey financier, a banker and trust company magnate...
...He is also a member of the important committee on Foreign Relations...
...He is a member of these committees, not because of long service in the Senate, for he has not had long service, and not because of great ability displayed in dealing with the great public questions that come before those committees, for he has not displayed such an ability...
...But he voted with Aldrich on 2 roll calls against the amendments of Senators Stone and Bristow for free hides, free leather and leather products...
...He is a member of those committees because he is "reliable,'—because he is of the "System...
...It is because he Is a representative of New Jersey's "Big Business," and because of his wealth that he is a Senator of the United States...
...To this committee all resolutions for Senate investigation and other resolutions involving the expenditure of money must be formally referred...
...Kean is the ideal "me-too" Senator...
...He brought to the public service, out of his business and financial experience, not one idea...
...Kean, having been in the Senate only about ten years, is comparatively a young Senator in point of service...
...And the rule of seniority of service is really only an excuse for refusing committee recognition to younger Senators who are not regarded as "reliable" by the Aldrich management...
...We say "if Senator Kean thinks" advisedly, for Senator Kean, like a real committee chairman of the Aldrich machine, is not merely chairman of his committee, but is practically the committee...
...Kean's faithfulness to the Aldrich system management of the Senate is equaled by that of few Senators...
...His specialty is that of making timely motions to adjourn or to go into secret session to consider appointments...
...He was for free ore for the New Jersey zinc trust...
...However, he is a careful observer of the Senate proceedings...
...Principally, he devoted himself to proposing or advocating higher duties upon products of New Jersey corporations...
...In all the weeks of debate in the Senate upon this measure, Kean offered not a single suggestion...
...He missed the roll call on the Finance Committee amendment increasing the duty on orange mineral, .a constituent of house paint...
...Senator Smoot of Utah was the only Senator who nevei missed a roll call on the tariff bill and who never vote) against Aldrich...
...But he was for tariff on the product of the trust...
...However, this is a secondary consideration in appointments on the Senate Committee by the Aldrich machine...
...Senator Kean is a member of two Senate committees of the first order of importance, the Committees on Appropriations and on Interstate Commerce...
...He missed 3 roll calls on hides and leather...
...He is president of the National State Bank of Elizabeth, New Jersey, and vice-president of the Manhattan Trust Company of New York...
...He missed but 4 roll calls and on the other roll calls hi voted always with aldrich...
...He was born in New Jersey, bred in New Jersey, and except for a few years spent at college, he has always lived in New Jersey...
...Nor have we heard it contended that his contributions to constructive statesmanship, either in committee or in Senate, would entitle him to preferment...
...He is a typical representative of New Jersey's "Big Business...
...In one conspicuous instance he was for free trade...
...His voice was not heard except on the roll call...
...If Senator Kean thinks the Senate can afford to spend the money for the purpose of a proposed resolution, he reports the resolution for passage...
...And on the 15 roll calls on that measure in the Senate, he voted always with Aldrich—"Aye" with Aldrich, "Nay" with Aldrich...
...Under the rule governing Senate committee appointments by seniority of service, Kean would not be entitled to much recognition in this direction...
...Kean is chairman of the committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate...
...He is not a Senator who delights in speech-making or debates, whether by himself or others...
Vol. 1 • December 1909 • No. 49
