The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-04-23
HARDING PROVES HIMSELF LEADER;
NO SERIOUS OPPOSITION FOR PRESTIGE
He Has Twice Laid Down the Law to the Senae-Ground
Now Cleared for Constructive Work By the New
Admins ratlon

VIII fro" hand un"mbHrrds>"d hH an
such jealous inslstenrC on II" part Of
Tie scnat" as created the deadlock OF
the past two years.
The second field in which the work of
IN present session Will express itself
is ihat OF governmental hnusc.cl"an.nG.
Here. too. there has been Il contest for
leadership between tn" White House
and tn" capitol. The reorganization Of
tn" government which is just now IN
process Of beginning is primarily u
function Of congress. y" bureau can
hc lifted out Of on" Department into an
other except by act "f congress-
Control Important to Congress
Moreover ordinarily congress is cx-
ceptinnally unwilling IL make such
changes. They always involve personal
consequences to government employees
and when they are proposed IN" en-
ploycs affected hurry with alarmed COM
plant To the members OF congress or to
the senator's from their states. For
this and for broader reasons congress
started out by taking the job of govern
mcnt reorganization into their hands.
\ degree Of tenSeneSS arose and Pres
ident Harding has made an cNtraurdln-
AIRY demonstration Of his leadership by
insisting that he shall have Il represent
: tatirc appointed by him working with
the congressional committee which :
Il matter OF form must do the work. The
reorganization Ur the government will
be dominated by President Harding and
the cabinet
The other two fields in which the
work ot the present session Will lie are
tariff and taxation. The work in these
fields Is all ahead Of us and Will begin
during the coming week. What has been
done so far around the emergency tarlh
hill is in the nature OF clearing the
ground. The emergency tariff bill is
merely to cover the period during which
4 permanent tariff is TO be made.
In looking forward to the making
, OF this permanent bill. tn" most oh
vious feature is the fact that the bulk
Of the work. and the best Of the dcbat-
ing will take place IN the Senate. In
the House. the leadership Of both par
ties is not such as will be likely to
compare with the leadership in the
Senate.
As respects tho Democrats IN the
House both the leadership and the
rank and file were sadly weakened by
the landslide Of the last election. The
Democrats have barely over fourth
OF the membership. and their leader
, ship was deprived OF several mon who
failed Of reelection. the best known OF
whom and perhaps tho ahl"St as wei!
was Henry T Rainey Of Illinois.
Ntchin In Poor Health
, Among tho Democrats who remain
, in the House. tho official leader Will be
p Claude kuchin OF North Carolina. But
. kitchin's health is such that he can
not possibly endure the Gruell:nS OF 4
session which is both tariff one anu
a summer one. Last week. whe' III"
emergency tariff was under cons:dcra-
!. ton. kitchin was unable 10 be present.
II was intended. because OF NN-
Chin'S ill-health. that he should turn
the leadership over to another. out the
man who was under discussion Ms his
successor made the mis-Stcp IN Decen!-
Der Of supporting the original cmer-
gency tariff bill, and that heresay dis
qualified him.
As things stand. even though that
richly Vocal veteran. Bourke Cochran
Of New York. is back in the House after
many wears Of absence. the Democrats
OF the Lower House can hardly be cS-
pccled 10 make much appeal 10 the
public.
The Republicans o. IN" Lowe House
are also for the purpose OF lAFin de-
bate, relatively weaker than when any
previous tar. n was under way. ON the
Republican membership Of the Ways
and Means Committee there arc but two
members vino have served through any
former tariff debate Ono Is Fordncy.
the chairman OF tn" committee, who Will
be officially in charge Of the work.
Fordnry IS an old-faShioned high pro-
tection!st who Is serving his twenty
third year in Congress. His weakness
for his present responsibility lies in the
unyicld!ng simplicity Of his mind. which
refuses to acknowledge that anything
has happened to alter in tho faintcSt
degree what was the most simple and
orthodox Republican view Of the tar!n
twenty years ago.
In the diSappnintmen; which many
Republicans fel, about Fordnny there is
a Splendid opening for I'll" only other
Republican Of the ways and means com
mittcc who has had experience IN Il tarlil
night. Lungworth Of Ohio. l-onHworlh' $
experience in congress - practically a.
adeQuatc as Fordncy'S. sine" he has had
nftrrn years of service. l.unCGorth Is
much younger and has. IN IN" opinion
of his associates. more clastl" mind
than FOrdncy.
l.ongworth has n golden opportunity
In tho present situation.
In the senate the Republicans arc none
To-" well equipped for the coming tariff
hight. Tn" Official floor leader of the
Republicans il Lodge OF Massachusetts.
but in !. tarifr contest the actiV" work
Of leadership is supposed 10 fall on the
chairman of tho finanr" committee.
The chairman Of this committee IN
the present instance is pcnroSr Of
Pennsylvania. and while Pcnrose'S health
has improved. he is Still far from the
state whore he can safely attempt the
severe burden az standing UP TO the OPP
position and defending III" multitudnouS
details OF complete tariff bill.
The next man 10 P"nroS" on the
finance committee is Smoot Of Utah. and
in any default OF physical strength on