Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-04
JOHNSON AND BoRAHlSM CAN
NOW BE PUT ON THE SKiDS
Republican Control Of the Senate 10 No
Longer at the Mercy Of Radicals
and klckera

clency OF tne democrats as revealed Dy
the election returns Is much more emphatic
than the Endorsement of Republican legis-
lative competence.
The electoral majority for Senator Hard
ing is one of the largest on record in year
when there was contest between the two
parties uncomplicated by bolting candidates !;
but an increase in the Republican majority
in the House Of Representatives from forty
one to ffty-f or sixty is much smaller
than the precedents would warrant. 1t Is 80
small that it ought to give the Republican
leaders pause when they consider their legis-
lative plans. They have not been 40 over
whelminsly Endorsed as the figures of the
presidential vote would lead the unthinking
to assume.
The situation, however, is much better
than that by which Cleveland was confronted
at the beginning of his second term. Pres-
dent Harrison entered Office with friendly
majority Of seven in the House Of Repre-
sentatives. This was turned into hostile
majority of las at the election in the mid
die of his term. Two years later Cleveland
was elected, but the Democratic majority in
the House fell from 14S to ninety four.
Two years later there was the same kind
OF an Overturn as occurred under Harrison.
The Democratic ma ajority of ninety four was
changed to Republican majority Of 142.
President Wilson began his second term
with the control Of the House and the Senate
in the hands of the Democrats. In 1918
the Democratic majority of eleven in the
Senate was changed to n Republican ma
jority Of two, and in the House the Demo
cratic majority of six disappeared and was
replaced by Republican majority of forty
seven. At the election last Tuesday the
Republican strength in the Senate has been
increased by from five to ten. and in the
House thirty additional Republicans have
been elected
The net result Of the change in the char
acter Of the representation is to free the
hands Of the Republican Senate leaders and
to enable them to go ahead with their legis-
lative program without being compelled, for
reasons of cxpcdiency to consider the sus-
capabilities of the small, extreme and ire
conci'able element of the party.
After next March neither Borah, nor
Johnson, nor La Toilette will have power to
make serious trouble. They may try to talk
to death measures to which they are op-
posed. but the Senate rules have been so
modified as to enable a majority to bring a
bill to vote whenever that ma ajority chooses.
The best thing that can happen to the coun-
try will be the forcing of these men into OBJ
scurity and the dismissal Of them from the
councils OF the Senate majority. They have
attempted too long to dictate to the rest
Senator johnson has been talking about
becoming free lance dedicated to the bust
ness of hitting heads regardless of party.
Let us hope that lie carries out this threat.
IL he does. he will entertain those who like
that sort of thing. but he will cease to have
any influence on the thought of the nation.
The strong arm method used on Senator
Borah is likely to produce a different re-
suit. He has been talking boldly. for in
view of the narrow Republican majority in
the Senate no one has dared to talk back to
him. But as soon az he perceives that his
colleagues are planning to ignore him he is
likely to begin to roar as gently as suck
ing dove. Borah is that kind Of politician.
The Senate will. fortunately. be free to
consider the League Of Nations covenant
and business legislation unhampered by the
objections either of men with a parochial
intellect or of men who froth at the mouth
as soon as the business interests of the coun-
try are mentioned. The majority in the
House is also big enough for the party in
power to deal with the issues on their merits
without the necessity of conciliating n few
kickers and radicals on pain Of losing con
troll of its organization.
The national result indicates that there
has been IN unprecedented amount of indie
pendent voting, That voting, however. has
not been confined to candidates for national
office.
In New York, where Harding has a ma
jority of 900. 900 more or less. Judge Miller
and Governor Smith ran neck and neck for
the governorship. Judge Millcr's plurality
will be in the neighborhood Of 80, 900. How
much Of this condition is due to the women
vote 1t is too early to estimate, but there IL
no doubt, that the adult women, with no
previous party feeling, arrived at indepcn-
dent conclusions before they entered the
polling booth.
The women vote, however. is not enough
to explain the great discrepancy between the
majority OF Senator Harding and the still
uncomputed majority for the successful can =
didate for the governorship. large NUN =
Der of electors distinguished between state
issues and national issues. No national issue
was involved in the governorshp in New
York.
Mr.. Smith has been an excellent executive
was argued aguinst his election in the first
| place, but in Office he has been a governor
| seeking constructive legislation for the ben =
| eft of the whole state. His course has so
| far strengthened him and his party in the
state that but for it the astounding ma =
| iority for the Republican presidential candi-
date would have pulled the whole Republi-
can state ticket through 80 successfully that
| the result would not have remained in doubt
We have had n similar exhibition Of indie
| pendent voting in this state. Senator Hard
ing has majority of 600 900 or more, but
Senator Penrose, running for re election
fell far behind the presidential candidate.
II It had not been for the fear of many
voters that their ballot would not have been
counted IL they scratched the senator, he
would have fallen still further behind He
may console himself with the thought tha,
| many Democrats, weary of their party iead