The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-17
REPUBLICANS
Continued from Page Cne.)

loyalty, | will not begin making those
apologies to a Massachusetts Repub-
lican.
Tincher Amazed.
Il know that it is popular, when up
in New York making speech tn
condemn the American farmer, and
it is generally popular anywhere TO
condemn the American congress.
suppose | have the company of all
the other members of congress in my
amaZement at the attack made upon
congress by the secretary of war"
Unfortunately, from the point Of
view of being convincing, or of cre2.-
! ing clear issue, Congressman finch.
er made the mistake of introducing a
personal issue. He said that Secre-
tary Weeks criticism of congress was
inspired by the fact that congress had
reduced the size of the army. That
charge is merely grotesque. Secre-
tary Weeks was moved by no sucn
! petty pride of office as that. His crit
! iciSm of congress was really more
/ serious than that, and more objection
/ able from the point of view of those
! he criticized. He went after congress
/ because he believed that body, chiefly
because of the farmer bloc, had failed
/ TO function as he thinks a congress
ought to function when it has Il Re
publican majority.
Also Makes Mistake
Congressman Luce, of MaSSachu
sets, defended Secretary Weeks. He
also made a mistake. He made a de
Tense which was intended to bring
laughter upon the Kansas congress
man, rather than to go to the heart OF
the question at issue. At the end o.
his defense of Secretary Weeks, Con
T gresham Luce made an admission de
lightful for the Democrats to hear
He said:
! I'VE approach the next campaign
under sorry circumstances. We are
20 be held responsible for acts in {
large measure perpetrated by the gen
tlemen on the Democratic side. Ant
yet it is impossible for us to make
the people understand where the vote:
came from"
This particular episode ended will
the Republican leader in the house
Congressman Mondell, of Wyoming
joining in the expression of resent
ment against Secretary Weeks.
Sensational Episode
The two things, criticism of a Re
publican congress by a member of tbs
cabinet, and a heated reply to tina
criticism by the Republican leader 0
congress, constitute a sensational cpl
sode.
The fact is the situation is sensa
! tional, and would be more widely rec
ognized as much if the public atten
ton were not diverted from domestic
politics by the armament conference
This schism between the Republi
can administration and the farme
bloc is going to compose the most i'm
portant aspect of politics in Washing
ton until it ends one way or the other
There can be no denying the powe
of the farmers. 1t is true the bloc i
not large enough to dominate the Re
publican party. in congress, but it i
large enough to unite with the Demo
Gratis at any time, and by that uniol
to dictate legislation. That is wha
is happening with increasing momer
tum. When the Republican leader
criticize the Republican members il
= the farmer bloc for uniting with tn
, | Democrats, the members of the fal
mer bloc just laugh. They feel tina
they are secure in their offices and il
> their franchise from their constituent
; at home. They are not subject to dis
: cipline by the Republican leaders.
l Popular Issues.
} Stated broadly, the positions whicI
] they usually take are the popula
l issues. They are the beneficiaries O
2 that latent feeling, always considers
l.. BILE in American politics, which take
kindly to insurgents.
2 They are the beneficiaries also G
4 much of what is left of the old spiri
: that expressed itself in the progressiv
/ movement. All in all, the farme
. bloc is a formidable institution.
!, Whether Harding and the other az
: ministration leaders shall try to ovel
i come it, or on the other hand, sha-
J., bow to it and let it dominate tn
!. party action in congress, is the ques
j. ton that will form the most intel
!. esting aspect of the immediate futur
of affairs at Washington. 1t is goin
!. to come to the front on every subjec
/. of legislation, but perhaps most col
' spicuously of all on the tariff.
! What the Republicans are going t
\ do, or can do about the tariff is
:. question to which there is no answe
: now apparent except chaotic confu
4 ion.
Copyright 1921 by the New Yor
Evening Post, Inc.)