The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-07-09
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
| Especial Dispatch to The Reformer)
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON, July 9-President
Harding has at last thrust himself into
the congressional situation in the hope of
leading his party from the aimless paths
| it has been travelling into roads that viii
mean party accomplishment, instead OF
personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
Mr.. Hardings visit to the senate is the
| big tonic of conversation in the national
capital today. He did not offend his
| former colleagues. He did not kindle the
| fires of sensitiveneSs about executive en-
lcroachment as sometimes was the case
with his predecessor. He made it more
of a fraternaI vist-an appeal to the sem
ate to help the executive keep his pledge
of economy and retrenchment.
/ Mr. Hardings words spoken in the in
formality of the capitol atmosphere can
do much more good than formal confer
lenceS at the White House. The Presi-
ident went to the senate principally to
urge that action on the bonus bill be de
lferred. He has for some days been I'M
l easy about it. believing that such meas
ure would at one fell stroke undo all the
general good the budget bureau can do
in five years.
No Leadership in Sight.
But the significant and outstanding
fact about Mr. Harding's trip to the CAPT
tol is that it was necessary at all. Why
was the bonus bill ever presented to a
committee? Much embarrassment would
have been saved Mr.. Harding If the
measure had been ordered to repose in
committee. Certain members of the sen
ate up for reelection next time couldn't
see it that way They felt they had to
make a gesture even though some other
force actually defeated the proposal later
on. It's another case of one or two men
| who are 50 eager to be reelected that
they would not hesitate to saddle the
country with an extra billion dollars of
i debt at the wrong time.
II Senate leadership is not what Mr..
| Harding had Il right to expect. Senator
Ipenrose used to WELD considerable intiu-
euce in handling legislation. He wasn't
on the job when the bonus bill was in
committee. Conferences between Mr..
| Penrose and the treasury department
would have ended discussion of the bonus
at this time. Mr.. Penrose. as chairman
| Of the senate finance committee. has been
looked upon as the spokesman of the adj
ADMINISTRATION on all matters relating to
asserted himself and assumed the leader
ship, but his health is not what it used
/ to be.
Insurgents Beat Lodge.
Senator Lodge. Republican leader, has
Iendeavered .conScientiouSly TO bring the
various elements in the party into line.
But it is satisfactory to note that his re-
quest for a thrce-week recess concurred in
by Senator Underwood. the Democratic
leader. wax turned down by an insurgent
element which pushed both the bonus
proposition and the farm finance bill to
the fore. Mr.. Lodge had to get help
from the White House. President Hard
ing announced himself as favOring the re-
IceSs. The point is that the senate. while
Iwaiting for the house to get through with
the tariff bill. may pass too many bills
upon the inSiStencc of individual mem
berS which would embarrass the admins
tration and put the responsibility for fail
urc of those same measures on members
of the house. The purpose of the recess is
to keep the senate from legislating on ex-
traneOus issues and getting all tangled up
80 that when the big tariff and tax pro
posals come before the upper house there
shall not be the opportunity for trading
that there might otherwise be.
May Start Party Caucus.
Mr.. Harding has at last applied exec
utive influence to the situation. He has
tbegun with informal talks in the senate
cloak rooms where the personal equation
4 is all powerful. There is still another
step in prospect namely. the party caucus.
Its been talked of as the only thing that
Will bring party harmony and iron not
the various kinks in the senate situation.
The tendency of senator's to form groups
and to act in a bloc has made the prob
lem of leadership an abnormal one Ii
ISn simply a job of finding dominant
personality to sway the senate. 1t means
| finding dominant influence to squelch
the tendency toward class legislation. a
tendency that has grown stronger since
the war than ever before in the last 81
years of congressional history. The presi-
dent has practically decided to use the
party caucus to combat individualism
Measures will be voted on at the
caucus and the insurgents will find them
selves at pains to satisfy the Republican
organizations everywhere that. they did
support the Republican party program
1t Will cause many a senator or member
OF the house to hesitate whether he will
be an insurgcnt or join the caucus and
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