Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-16
Republicans Divided in Both
House and Senate.
ABSENCE OF TEAMWORK
Lack of Harmonious Accord With
the President.
I'LL PREPARED FOR AN ATTACK
Not in the Confidence of the Admin
istration on the Pending
Mexican Incident.

! Divided in both House and Senate and
lacking unity Of action between Congress
and the executive.
This is the remarkable and unprece.
dented condition in which the republican
party will find itself upon the assembling
of the Sixty-second Congress in eXtraor.
| dinary session, two weeks from mex,
| Tuesday.
| In that crippled situation the admins,
tration is to attempt to put through i'm
portant tariff legislation and to account
| to public opinion for the war maneuvers
On the eve Of the assembling of what
+! may prove to be one of the most impor-
tant sessions of Congress In a decade
the President and his cabinet are scat
tered. the old-time leaders Of the party
power, and those remaining are at odds
with each other and with their party as
sociates
paratively compact democratic organiza-
ton, controlling the lower branch of Con-
gress and on many issues dominating
the upper house through the progressive
republicans.
And the next presidential campaign will
be in the making year from this spring.
Old-timehs say that the republican party
has not faced a more critical situation
since its organization.
Congress Practically Democratic.
But moments reflection is required
to appreciate the position Of the republic
ans in Congress. In the House the demo-
Gratis have a majority of forty-seven. In
the Senate the republicans will have a
1;v,.,I -..Ax
in every sense, for 1t includes radically
progressive republicans who have not
hesitated in the past to vote with the
democrats.
To all intents and purposes the Sixty
second Congress is practically demo
cratic BY the same token, the President
of the United States. while a republican.
is not regarded by many of his party as
Soc ates as strictly partisan. There is no
balm in Gilead for the old-time party
man.
AS to 1912, we are standing before an
open grave" seid one of the old-hne lead
ers to a Star man today. He was "see-
ing things" with a vengeance. but he was
viewing them WITH the eyes Of thirty
years of experience.
Minority Leader in House.
The republican minority in the House
will be In quandary to find leader.
49, Sohhob VIII iOt ~ tiS OAAiSiSlIJ NSS96~
mated leader, although the force of cir
cumstances, as water seeks its level, will
push him to the front
1t is thought he cannot, In all fairness
and justice to the friends who have stood
by h.m with heads bloody. but unbowed,
push them to a last fruitless sacrifice of
themselves In what is recognized TO be a
vain contest to give him the empty title
OF minority leader.
Ii will be a~man who is aCcptable to
both republican factions and whose ap-
pearance IN behalf of a measure on the
moor of the House will not at the outset
alienatc a group OF republicans.
Loss of Republican Leaders.
The republican majority" in the Sem
ate has lost many leaders Of experience
and personal force through the depletion
of the ranks of the stalwarts.
The progressive republicans must be
taken into account; they are republicans
and, what is more, they are very mill
tant opponents Of a brand of republican,
ISM which will have its day and its say
IN the Congress.
And there is that numerically strong
group of democrats, matching man for
man, the best brain and capacity on the
republican side. vigiant and aggressive
The little feud over Bailey is not to be a
republican asset; Bailey himself will see
to that. He does not value an empty til
tie of leadership; he has refused it when
IL meant nothing.
Big politics Will be played in the SEN
ate, having in view the presidential cam
paign to come, and the democrats promise
to be united, with the republicans divd-
ed. Ii IL is suggested that there is
division of opinion among the democrats
on the tariff question, one has only to
consider for an instant the chasm separat-
ing the republicans.
Lack of Accord With President.
The republicans in Congress feel keenly
the lack of harmonious accord with the
President. Team work" they declare to
be essential to party success, and there is
not the remotest indication of 1t.
1t has been told before how the re-
publicans In Congress felt the Presidents S
ignoring of them in the presentation of
the Canadian reciprocity agreement. With
the sole exception of Mr. Mccall of Mas
sachusetts, the republicans in the House
of those negotiations from the daily
press, and the Senate, except Mr. Lodge.
did the same
In this pending Mexican incident the
republicans of prominence, who will be
supposed to defend the administration
against the certain attacks of the oppo-
sition, have Yet. it is said, to be taken
INTO the confidence of the executive.
And they cannot find out. they COM
plain, from the members Of the cabinet
either, for. with the exception of Attorney
General Wickersham and Secretary Dick
inson, the cabinet does not seem to know
much about the Mexican incident. And
these two have been out OF town most Of
the time since the movement began.