The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-07-28
LODGE FAILS
TO PLACE AS
SENATE HEAD
Call for Constructive Action
Finds Massachusetts, Sena-
tor Indifferent to Chance
for Power.
NEED FORCEFUL LEADER
by MARK SULLIVAN

WASHINGTON, D. c., July 2S.-The
greatest single cause for President
Harding's present dominance of con-
gress lies in the fact that congress,
and especially the senate, failed to
develop any dominant leadership from
within their own number.
Harding didn't want the RESPONSE
bility of leadership of congress. Tenn
permentally and as a matter of policy,
it was the last thing ne sought But
the lack of any other leadership in
the senate compelled him to consider
the legislative program of taxation
and tariff, the interest of the country
generally, and the interest of the Re-
publican party If he failed to do
anything, nothing would be done.
Lodge Nearest to Leader
When you consider why the senate
failed to develop any leadership of its
own, you come close to Lodge OF
Massachusetts. Officially, Lodge is
everything there is in the way of Re
publican senate leadership. He is the
official Republican floor leader. He
is the chairman of the Republican
steering committee and he is the chair
man of the Republican caucus.
With all this official standing, il
Lodge had the aggressive tempera
ment that reaches out for leadership
he most assuredly would have secured
it in this session; and if he had Sc
cured 1t he might have carried the
senate back to its old prestige and
power and might almost have eclipseC
the executice in the public eye.
Indifferent to Power
But Senator Lodge did not have the
aggressiveness to seize the opening
He did not care for it. He was indif
ferent to the power He preferred tt
go his own way.
Quite possibly he was unwilling oI
unable to pay the price of leadership
in the shape of the ruthlessness that
usually goes with successful leader
ship of the kind that Aldrich had II
the senate. 1t would be incorrect to
say that Lodge lacks all the quail
ties OF leadership.
Lodge was the leader OF the Repub
licans in the senate, when they were
in the minority during the 18 month:
fight over the League of Nations
That this fight was successfully con
Quoted. from the point of view of th'
Republican opposition to the league
history permits no doubt
Involved Compromise.
From one point of view. that lead
ership is Lodges great monument AM
Is equal to anything of the kind in tn,
history of the senate. OF course it in
volved a good deal of compromise OF
Lodges part. 1t involved compromise
made one week which were inconsist
ent with the compromises made tn
preceding week.
But the leadership of the opposition
is very different from the affirmative
leadership of a party when it is in tn
majority and responsible for putin
through program. In this latter kin
of leadership, which has been calle
for since the beginning of the presen
session. Lodge has acted with kin
of bored Indifference. The result ha
been no leadership whatever.
The result of that, in turn, has bee
that any senator or little group @
senators having a pet measure coul
push it forward to point where it en-
barrassed the party. When it reache
that point, those who ought to be tn
responsible leaders in the senate wen
TO the white house wringing thei
hands. and asked Harding to take tn
responsibility.
This is what happened about tn
bonus bill, and this is what happene
about the Norris bill for farming re
lief. As result of it, Harding is i
the saddle without effort on his par
Copyright 1921 by the New York
Evening Post, Inc)