The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-11-29
Perkins, Root, Thornton and
Stephenson of Old Timers
Missed When Upper House
Opens Next Week.
LODGE RETAINS SEAT
Underwood of Alabama, Ex-
pected to Be One of the
Democratic Leaders in
Party Battles.

WASHINGTON. Nov. %. - TtV
Cherokee Strip" returns to the SEN
ate chamber with the opening of the
new session OF congress. The strip is
that part of the minority side Of the
chamber occupied by majority men,
bers crowded out of their natural ter
ritory. There are 96 members in the
senate, and not more than So desks
can be placed on either side OF the cen
trail isle without serious crowding
When either party grows to more than
So In number, its excess must be ac-
commodated on the minority side of
the house..
This year the Democrats have IS
members in the senate. to 10 who are
Republican. Three Democrats have
been assigned to the Strip. In &C
c0rdanOe with immeuorial Custom, the
three are chosen from among the new
senators, and their seats are placed at
the extreme corner Of the chamber, SO
that the minority shall have the ad-
vantage Of position.
Paul o. Husting of Wisconsin,
Democrat who received the vote OF La
Toilette Republicans in the election
last year. has taken the desk at the
extreme corner on the Republican side
In front Of him will be seated Robert
F. Broussard OF Louisiana, a high
tariff Democrat who made a notable
fight In the house against the reduc-
tion Of the duty on sugar. At Hust-
ing's left will sit Ed. S. johnson of
South Dakota, who succeeds Coe I.
Crawford. progressive Republican
Both Husting and johnson are count
ed progressive" and Broussard a
conservative" in the Democratic list.
Changes In Senate.
There are other changes in the SEN
ate. no less significant than the ar
rival of Democratic "Cherokees." Sen
ator Perkins Of California is gone from
his accustomed place on the Republi.
can side. after more than a score of
years Of service there. Elihu Root is
gone. Theodore Burton OF Ohio.
champion Of fillibusters and terror of
"pork-barrel" legislators. has retired.
California has sent James ID. Phelan.
an original Wilson Democrat and four
times mayor Of San Francisco. to re-
place the aged Forty-niner. while for
mer Rep. James Wadsworth. Jr, and
Warren G. Harding respectively will
answer to roll call in place of Root
and Burton.
Husting replaces Isaac Stephenson
Of Wisconsin-the last of the lumber
kings from that state to sit in the up
per house. Stephenson's flowing grey
locks, his incessant chewing of old
American plug tobacco. and
his withdrawal from any activity be-
yond voting on rollcalls. marked one
OF the picturesque personalities that
will be missed.
Underwood In Senate.
So on the Democratic side there viii
be missed staunch old-fashioned
Democrat in the person of John r.
Thornton of Louisiana, to whose toga
Broussard has succeed
ed.
or the men just entering the upper
house none will compare in immediate
influence with Oscar Underwood of
Alabama. The leader of his party In
the house for the past four years, Un-
derwood still retains a remarkable de-
gree of influence in that body. II Is
expected that the administration WILL
find him quite as effective during his
daily visits 10 the house lobby as dur
ing the hours when he occupies his
seat in the senate chamber. indeed.
Presidential possibilities on the Re-
publican side are scattered over four
rows. from Sherman of Illinois and La
of Wisconsin in the end seats
of the front row to Weeks Of Massa-
chusetts in the middle of the group
near the cloakroom door. Borah of
Idaho and Smith Of Michigan are In
the third row, while Cummins OF Iowa
and Lodge of Massachusetts are In the
second.
Holds Historic Seat. :
Lodge by the way. retains the desk
once used by Daniel Webster. and SO
great Is his attachment to the histori-
cal tradition that he proposed In the
last congress that desks be marked
with small silver plates, telling the
names Of men who had used them
Next to Lodge. In the seat formerly
Tcontipusd On psoa ai,-l