Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-27
REPUBLICANS LINING
UP FOR NEXT SESSION
Continued from Page One,

vetoed it. But the sufficient answer
to this is that the Republican house
and senate ought to have passed the
bill before the last ten days of the ses-
sion. II they had done that they would
then have had time to repass the bill
over the Presidents veto.
Moreover. there were serious defects
in the work of the recent session which
had nothing whatever to do with Mr..
Wilson's vetoes. The recent session
did not even pass all the Appropriation
bills which Mr.. Harding had begged
them to pass in order to have the
ground clear for the new regime.
The truth is that in the recent ses-
sion there was objectionable dilatori-
ness.
Having their majority of twenty -one,
the Republican leaders are now getting
ready to achieve compactness and
speed. They have reorganized their
steering committee. This is not an Of
fetal committee of the Senate, but re-
ally u committee of the Republican
party. 1t will be responsible for the
program. 1t will fix the order in which
legislation shall come up. and it Will
be responsible for the speed with which
legislation is pushed thru.
The chairman of the committee is to
be Lodge, of Massachusetts. Since
Lodge is also chairman of the Repub-
lican caucus and in addition chairman
OF the extremely important foreign
relations committee, 1t is obvious that
the senior senator from Massachusetts,
is going to have an extremely arduous
job of work on his hands the coming
summer.
No one need envy Senator Lodge his
honors when you consider the price he
must pay in hard work. He is seventy
one years old. While he is one of the
wiriest men of his age that ever sat
in the Senate, friends of his can not
help being conscious that the job OF
leadership during n hot summer ses-
sion, dealing with the tariff, has fire.
Quently laid younger and stronger men
on their backs.
Whether Lodge. even with the COM
Portable majority OF twenty-five be-
hind him, will develop the personal
qualities of leadership necessary re-
mains to be seen. Lodge was never
cut out to be the boss in the senate
that Aldrich was or Cannon was. His
personality does not include the kind
of ruthless driving power that makes a
dictator. Lodge will be the trading.
type OF leader. He Will go
with the waves rather than try TO mas
ter them.
Normally. Lodge ought TO be able I
10 expect strong assistance from Sem
itor Penrose, who as chairman OF the |
inance committee should have much |
% do with leading his party in the 1
and tariff nights. But PEN
'ose is an obviously sick man.
Lodge undoubtedly will have. OF
curse. n good deal OF aid from Pres
dent Harding. This aid can hardly
je overestimated. for the circumstances
ire such, and Mr.. HariinR's adapta-
ion OF himself to the circumstances Is
'uch. that he has strong hold. That
,old will to n degree be a steadily di.
quantity in proportion as
he offices are filled and the Senators |
ease to be under obligations to the |
President for patronage.
Curiously enough President Harding, !
with all his talent for harmony. has 4
,lready made about tho only bad start |
he could conccivably have made
all the issues that he Nigh. /,
have chosen as the iirst to put his per-
sonal shoulder behind. some whim OF |
tate led him to choose the Colombian !
treaty. Some OF the Republican Sen. |
itors. whom President Harding has |
and lngratiatingly asked as a
favor to him to vote for this treaty. !
have formally refused. and when Il
comes up on April there Will be some |
thing approaching serious split In |
the Republican strength.
Copyright. 1921. by the New York
Evening opst. Incl