Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-04-19
OVERMAN BILL IN CRAVE
DANGER IN THE SENATE
Death of Senators Stone and.
BrouSSard Places Admins
tration in Uneasy Position
BY THEODORE TILLER.

years. has arisen in the senate. follow
ing the death of Senators William Brous
sard' of Louisiana, and W. J. Stone. o.
Missouri.
The death Of two Democratic senator's
reduces the party majority to six. While
there is little doubt that either by ap-
pointment or election two Democrats
will soon replace Messrs. Stone and
BrouSSard, their loss at the moment is
disconcerting to the administration. Be
cause of his prominence as chairman of
the foreign relations comnnittee, the
passing of Senator Stone is particularly
interesting from a wartime standpoint.
Despite Senator Stones earlier recalci-
trancy, resulting in the president listing
him aomng the ''willful twelve" the
Missouri senator has made attempts
within the past few months to make
amends. He climbed back on the adj
ministration band wagon ana to de-
gree had returned to the good graces
of the White House.
Senator Hitchcock, of Nebraska, who
is slated to succeed to the Craftsmanship
of this committee, is pro-administra-
ton in most things, but has been
critic of the war department and it's con-
duct of the war and has demanded mora
publicity than Secretary Baker and his
associates have vouchsafed
Altogether it is hoped chairman
more accountable to the administration
might ready be picked among the SEN
ate membership.
However the more immediate concern
of the administration is the Overman
bill empowering the president to CO.
ordinate the work of the executive de-
partments, combine their functions and
re-organize them without reference to
the statutes creating them. There is
! considerable Democratic opposition to
this bill and the death of Senators
Stone and Broussard Goes not improve
matters from the administration stand
point.
While the bill will get some Republi-
can support the narrow Democratic ma
jority and a spit in the party ranks
makes it impossible to hurry the Dill
through. In fact, there TO serious doubts
that the bill can pass at all without
material amendment.
A number of Democrats, including
Senators Hoke Smith, oscar Underwood
and Gilbert Hitchcock would support
the bill if amended but are opposed to
il in it's present form.
The Democratic opponents of the DILL
| on the whole, want the presidents pow
er limited to coordination of the work
| of the departments actually conducting
the war, and not taking in independent
/ bureaus such as the Interstate COM
merce Commission, the Trade Commits
sion and the Farm Loan Board
Afraid to Force Vote.
Some of the administration leaders
are afraid to force a vote at this time
on the Overman bill, while others even
nropose that 1t be laid aside for time
as an administration defeat must De
! avoided. At any rate il seems the over
/ man bill will go through in modified
form and will be hardly recognizable
after the senate amends it.
A second trouble to the admlnlstra-
ton occasioned by the removal from
senate activities of Senator Stone is
found in the committee on foreign re-
lations. BY the unbeatable rule or
seniority in senate matters Senator
stones successor on the foreign rela-
lions committee will be Senator Hitch
cock. Senator Hitchcock In the pc
Rod before the war threw MINI
self into the breach vacated by
Senator Stone when President Wilson
wanted the armed ship resolution pass
ed. Also it was Senator Hitchcock who
engineered the declaration of war
against Germany through the senate
/ lust twelve months ago, obtaining
/ tremendous majority. Senator Hitch
cock has rendered cordial support to
every war measure enacted by the pres
ent congress with the exception OF the
Overman bill, which he, too, opposes
along with such Democratic leaders as
Senators Underwood, Hoke Smith and
senator Reed CMissourD. But where
the administration is likely to be dis
appointed in the certain elevation of
Senator Hitchcock in the chairmanshtp
of the foreign relations committee is In
the fact that the Nebraskan has re-
fused consistently to stand for the opti-
mistic utterances of Secretary of War
Baker. He has urged publicity with re-
gard to the shortcomings of the war
department and has been a sharp critic
of the weaknesses revealed.
Hot Fight Certain
! The situation created in Missouri
state politics is only less a matter of
concern to the national Democratic
party than is the situation in the SEN
ate. 1t is regarded as likely that Jo-
seph w Folk once governor of the
state and successfully solicitor for the
state department, counsellor of the in
| terstate commerce commission, and
now general counsel for the St. Louis
| chamber of commerce, will be the gov
ernor's appointee for the interim be-
! tween Senator Stones death and the
next election. But there will be a hot
| fight for the senatorship and intra-
/
compromise candidate like Speaker
Champ Clark can be drafted to make
| the race.
Missouri is normally Democratic, but
not safely Democratic. Within the past
dozen years she has had one Republican
senator, a Republican governor and
| cast her electoral vote for Theodore
Roosevelt in 1904. II is a good battle
ground for the Republicans at all times,
and with a bitter factional fight waging
| among the Democrats anything might
| happen there.
Chance For Bitterness
| Out in Missouri the present governor
is regarded a political enemy of the re-
naming senator, James A. Reed, of
Kansas City. The governor. Frederick
! d. Gardner, has senatorial ambitions
and will, with hardly a doubt, be a can
didate for the senatorial nomination of
| the Democrats. Senator Reed will OPP
pose his nomination beyond a doubt.
and that precipitates another chance for
bitterness which may help a Republican.
| The suggestion of running Champ
Clark as a compromise candidate would
help the Democrats to win. There is
little or no opposition to the Sage of
Pike County in his own state, and de-
/ spite the reiterated statements of Mr. g.
Clark that he preferred the eminence
of the speakers chair to a rosewood
desk in the senate chamber, IL is pointed
out that the next house of representa-
| tives might not be Democratic and to