Evening star., 1919-03-17
LEAGUE S0[|D|F|ES
c. 0. P. SENATORS.
Opposition to Covenant Pre-
vents Threatened Break
in Organization.
PROGREsSIVES TO YIELD

One result of the fight over the
the solidifying of the republican
members of the Senate, so far as or
ganization purposes is concerned. a
few months ago there were threats
on the part of progressive republican
senators to kick over the traces If
some of the old standpat variety
of republicans were given important
committee chairmanships. notably, if
Senator Penrose of Pennsylvania We're
given the chairmanship of the finance
committee. which handles all the rev.
enue legislation.
But the proposed constitution of
the league of nations, to which the
republicans have strenuously object
ed. on the ground that it Will COM
pei the United States to yield some
of it's sovereign rights, has given
them a new rallying point.
Will Make Fight in Caucus.
Republicans who were willing to
fight to any length so they said. even
to the defeat of the republican or
ganization of the Senate. If Senator
Penrose was insisted upon. for chair
they will still make their fight in the
republican caucus. will vote for the
nominations of the caucus for COM
mittee chairmen. They do not want
the democrats to have control or the
foreign relations committee while the
peace treaty and the proposed league
of nations compact are under con-
sideration, and will yield their OBJ
iections to the Standpat republicans
rather than bring about that sltua-
ton.
According to the latest reports.
therefore, the prospects of republican
unity in the Senate are much more
favorable than they have been Tor
some time past The democrats lost
their fight to. prevent Senator.eiec
Truman H. Newberry from ing
sworn in and taking his seat during
the last session. Mr.. Newberry will be
seated, making the membership OF
the Senate forty-nine republicans and
forty-seven democrats. and in virtue
of this slender majority will organ
ize the Senate. elect a president pro
tempore and the standing commit
tees.
the democrats will continue their
fight to have Henry Ford represent
Michigan in the Senate instead OF
Newberry, but after the Senate is
ever, that they will be successful ac-
cording to predictions of men who
have followed the case. A tangible
evidence that the republicans are ex-
pected to organize the Senate is con-
tained in the moving of an extra
desk or two from the democratic side
of the chamber to the republican side.
which has already been done by the
Senate employees.
Although the progressives Will join
with the old line republicans in Or
ganlzing the Senate, they intend to
make a fight for representation when
it comes to handing out the important
committee chairmanships and assign
ments. 1t is said that they will get
recognition, too.
The narrow margin by which the
republicans will control the Senate
and put through it's organization
| makes it imperative that all of the
republican senators be on hand when
the new Congress is called into ses-
sion by the President. For that rea-
son the word has gone out that they
must be close to Washington, or
within call. Some of the senators who
desired to go to Europe or to the
Philippine Islands and Hawaii have
had to change their plans. The talk
about the Capitol now is that the
extra session will come somewhere
between May 1 and May Is, depending
upon how strong the pressure for an
early session of Congress becomes.