OF SNUFF, SIN AND THE SENATE

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

There is nothing quite like this in print. The 17th Amendment to the Constitution took the election of U.S. Senators away from the state legislatures and made it a matter of popular vote. Between the Civil War and the passing of the Amendment by the Senate itself in 1911, the Senate had gradually garnered for its members gross privileges often grossly misused. The authors have sifted a staggering record of corruption by railroad money, honesty by special definition and lawmaking directed by bosses. The era was rich in political personalities and the anecdotal record alone would make for amazing browsing. They use a sophisticated muckrake to pull out the details of Boss Platt and his manipulations against Teddy Roosevelt; La Follette's energetic and outspoken moves to reform his Senatorial colleagues; and they reveal a host of the minor names in between who erected major barriers against the rehabilitation of the Senatorial function. This throws a strong light on one of the darkest sections in the Senate's history.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Follett

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1965

Categories: NONFICTION