Evening star., 1921-10-06
C. 0. P. SOLIDARITY
HANGS IN BALANCE
Senator Lodge Forced by
Farm Bloc to Seek Peace
After Tax Split.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LA "HENCf.
The solidarity of the republican
party hangs in the balance. Tempo
rarily, at least. the administration
leaders have achieved a truce. The
agricultural bloc. as the group OF
western republicans are called, has
succeeded in making such show OF
insurgency as to alarm the eastern
leaders. with the result that peace
overtures have been made by the
latter.
Senator Lodge. administration lead
er. spent an hour with President
Harding Immediately after the con-
ference at the home of Senator Cap
per of Kansas, at which the agricul-
tural senators were petltloned TO
keep in mind the future of the re-
publican party. Mr.. Lodge appeared
in the role of peacemaker and avoided
committing himself to any definite
program. but carried word that Sena-
tor Watson of Indiana, Senator Pen
rose of Pennsylvania and the other
administration republicans were will
ling to make concessions to meet the
western senators half way.
Concessions Uncertain.
Just what price the eastern repub-
licans will have to pay for party
solidarity has not yet developed.
Some of the agricultural bloc were
of the opinion that the surtaxes on
the higher incomes would have to be
restored. and that immediate repeal
of the transportation taxes would
have to be agreed to before there
would be any break in their ranks.
AS for a sales tax or manufacturers
tax. the agricultural senators made
plain their unalterable opposition
Some of them are more favorable to
the manufacturers tax as proposed
by Senator Smoot than any of the
earlier plans for sales tax. but the
majority of the western republicans
viii not accept ever that form of
taxation.
President Harding is plainly wor-
ried. He has been conferring with
individual senators in the hope of
getting harmony. His administration
s"okesmen are working night and
day IN an effort TO prevent a break
between the eastern and western
senators. 1t looked for time as IL
the agricultural republicans would
form coalition with certain demo-
Gratis who feel as they do and bring
about the passage of amendments to
the House bill which would greatly
embarrass the republican program.
Watson Pleads for Unity.
Senator Watson appealed to his re-
thrash things out on one side of the
aisle in the Senate and forego the
humiliation of party division on the
first great issue of the Harding ad-
ministration. His appeals were heed
ed. however. only when he signified
a Willingness to surrender to the
western republicans on some essential
points.
The western republicans indicated
today that they were very much en-
coura ged by the results of Senator
Capper's conference and the informal
Meanwhile the democrats are playing
their usual shrewd tactics. AS a mi
nority party they always have man
aged to get along better than as
majority. Senator Simmons of North
Carolina, democrat. who knows a
whole lot about taxation, is framing
some plausible tax amenments, which
it will be difficult for some repub-
licans to vote against All the
troubles of tariff-making in the old
days have been revived only with
ever so many more complications ana
combinations.
The crisis means more to the re-
publican party at this moment than
the democrats for the former have
the responsibility of power. The nght
between the republicans representing
agricultural states and those coming
from the populous eastern constitu-
encies. where big business and man
ufacturing enterprises reside is only
in it's infancy. The same lines OF
cleavage are also apparent In the
controversy over the railroad funding
bill.
must come down before they will hep
the railroads.
Railroad Bill Involved.
IF President Harding and Senator
Lodge can preserve the solidarity of
the party. however. in the Senate on
tax issues they will have achieved a
great moral victory and their pros
poets of getting the railroad bill
through will be correspondlngiy
brighter. But it looks today as if
the agricultural republicans were
converting the fasteners to their
viewpoint and that the true leader
shin of the republican party is COM
ing out of the west even though the
titular leadership may be vested in
the eastern group.
Copyright. 1921