The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-21
Senator Conner Is Amazed
 At Tactics of the Senate
New Alabama Member, Fresh From Fields of Activity Cannot Understand Why Senate Wastes So Much Time-Recent Decision Will Cost the
 Government Heavily
By HUGH ROBERTS

, lie-this for political effect in a politi-
 cal year. To do so. the leaders were compelled repeatedly odeliver political harangues, each of which required an f i=-swer from the opposing camp. 1 AS an illustration of such tactics 1 Wednesday afternoon Senator Borah read letter in which Herbert Hoover declared that there should be no en- tangling alliances, and that the United States at first opportunity should get out of Europe. He consumed an hour l in reading and explaining and apply 1 ing this letter. Then Senator Hitchcock answered by reading an interview in which Hoover explained his letter and his subsequent change of position. MT. Borah. continuing, read at length from William J. Bryan's paper an article in which the Nebraskan assailed the prin- ciples of the league.
 This reading gave Senator King, dem ocrat, an opportunity to read exten- sively from. the works of Theodore Roosevelt iR~ effort to show that the late progressive adhered to the princi- ples of the league. Another hour went up in smoke. Then Senator Lodge was compelled to state that Roosevelt had told him personally, just prior to his
 death, that the league as proposed by
 President Wilson, would not be accep-
 table to the American people and should
 be beaten
 This jockeying for position. this
 "horse-play," irritates the new member of the Senate, who, fresh from a busi- ness world of activity, wants action.
 That grave men," he said to this cor respondent, twill insist on such a course, in such a time, passes my under standing"
 He feels just as do members of the Senate who have served in the House Senator Williams of Mississippi who was democratic leader of the House de- clares unequivocally that the Senate is incompetent Senator Underwood who was democratic leader of the House. has, since his admission to the Senate striven without great success to secure the adoption of cloture rule under Which those rone excessively to talk. might be choked off by rules of order Champ Clark, present democratic leader of the House, has declined to run for the Senate, and he could secure a Sen ate seat by running, chiefly because of the Senate's apparent disinclination to get down to brass tacks'' and do actual work.
 Senator Conner has been amazed. He says so, in the first place. In the sec ond place, he shows his amazement He carefully listened to the majority of speeches this week. He sat as if in- quiring in his own mind just why this man or that man said that; just what object does he seek to gain, and why all this chatter when one might vote and get the immediate business out of hand.
 The next surprise to confront the senator will be tn efact that in ordinary times. nobody attends the sessions of the Senate, not even the senators-ordi- nary times when the number on the floor is no greater than five or six to a side, and when the galleries are emp tied. All men of action chafe under Senate erules and perogatives. But most everybody. judging from the list of candidates in Alabama-wants to serve in the Senate.