fore the committee
have embraced almost every subject of contact between two independent
Nations. Numerous treaties involving extradition, boundaries,
naturalization, claims, sanitation, trade-marks, consular and
diplomatic friendship, and commerce, and many other subjects, have
been before the committee and have been acted upon and ratified by
the Senate. During the period of which I am now writing, I believe
that we have ratified treaties with almost every independent Nation
of the world. The many important matters now pending, or of more
recent date, I am not at liberty to refer to, the injunction of
secrecy not yet having been removed.

The Foreign Relations Committee will continue in the future, as it
has in the past, one of the Senate's foremost committees.

CHAPTER XXXI
CONGRESS UNDER THE TAFT ADMINISTRATION

It had been my intention to close these recollections with the
beginning of the Taft Administration, but their publication has
been deferred until the Administration extended so far that it
seems proper to bring my observations up to date. I am especially
impelled to this course by the fact that the present era has
developed a very marked change in the character of the Senate, and,
to a limited extent at least, in the trend of political thought in
the country at large--a change which should be noted in any permanent
writing dealing with the period. Still, I have no intention of
entering upon a detailed consideration of men or of conditions.
My only purpose is to make brief mention of these conditions and
to refer in very general terms to some who have given direction to
recent public affairs.

Observers of public events and students of political questions
probably were given their first insight into the tendency of the
times through the resignation from the Senate of Honorable John C.
Spooner, of Wisconsin, which was tendered March 30, 1907. I have
made frequent reference to Mr. Spooner's connection with the Senate,
and I do not intend to say more of him here than that he stood for
conservatism and the old traditions. Sensitive to a degree to the
promptings of his conscience, and still desirous of representing
the sentiment of his constituents, apparently he found himself
embarrassed by the growth in his State of what, without intending
any disrespect, I may designate as "La Follette-ism."

Gradually Hon. Robert M. La Follette, who previously had served
several terms in the House of Represen