Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-23
MR.. PENROSE TO BE-
FINANCE CHAIRMAN
Fight Among Senate Repub-
Iicans CoI|apses in Inter-
est of Party.
LOOK TO SUCCESS IN 1920
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

between pfOgreSSlVeS ana cOnSerVa-
tives in the republican party has COL
lapsed. Senator Penrose of Pennsyl-
vania will be chairman of the finance
committee after all. And the reason
for the collapse is simply mathemati-
cal. There are more conservatives
than progressives. Ergo, any fight at
this time would simply divide the par
ty and play into the hands of the
common enemy-the democrats.
Senators Borah and johnson have
been leading the fight and when it
comes to a showdown they may not
vote for Mr.. Penrose, but that would
not affect the final tally because, while
the republicans have only fajority
of two with which to organize the
Senate. there will be enough demo-
cratic senators away from Washington
to give the republicans a clear field to
do as they please with committee Sc
lections.
Mr.. Penrose "Suits" Democrats.
And, besides. the democrats have no
wish to spoil the plan to make Mr.
Penrose chairman of anything. They
believe Mr.. Penrose constitutes the
best issue they can possibly have for
the charge they intend making in the
next campaign concerning the inf1u-
ences in control of the republican
party.
The republican leaders have taken
all that into consideration. but they
would rather take their chances on
the impression which united party
can make by putting through needed
legislation than on satisfying de-
mand which is based on the past, not
the present
In other words. the men who are
most anxious for republican success
In 1920, and who recognize that. po-
litically speaking, Mr.. Penrose might
be something of a handicap, are not
at all ungrateful to the progressives
gard It as admonitory; indeed as a
kind of tonic to the party itself.
The republican party draws it's
strength from all sections of the
country, and the leaders here know
full well that both Senators Borah
and Johnson reflect considerable
public sentiment in their demand for
choice of liberals and not con-
servatives in important committees.
But whether that same public senti-
ment is strong enough to warrant a
clean break inside the republican
party and endanger the party's
chances of success in 1920 is quite
another question.
How Issue Shapes Up.
The problem as it would be put up
to the average weSterner is this:
Eastern republicans want Penrose
and mean to stick by him. AS a
divided party. We have no chance in
1920. United we can win, and there is
plenty of time to liberalize the party
when we get possession of all branches.
of the government.
The above is virtually the argument
which eastern republicans have put up
to their senatorial colleagues from the
west in the private conferences which
have been going on in the last few
DAYS in an effort to bring about har-
mony. Do the western progreSSives
want to provoke a controversy that
will interfere with the smooth working
of the party in both houses of Con-
gresS?
and confessions and regeneration.
Under the surface a kind of assur-
ance of good behavior is being given.
1t is contended that the days of Aid
rich are past and that Senator Pen
rose today and Senator Penrose of
eight wears ago are different persons,
because their power to control the
republican party is not the same. The
very fight made on Mr.. Penrose is
held to be an indication of the amount
able to exhibit. He will be followed
only in so far as he represents the
sentiment of all geographical fac
tions of the party. He will be de-
serted if he should endeavor to con-
troll the Senate as leaders of bygone
DAYS did AS a substitute for indi-
vidual leadership the Senate repub-
licans believe they can use the party
conference.
The democrats have done so with
considerable success in putting
through tariff and banking legisla-
ton, and the republicans plan to imi-
tate that side of the game.
Look to 1920.
But the fear of defeat in 1920, which
is as important to so many would be
presidential candidates in the Senate,
and the argument of PARTY harmony