The daily times., 1921-10-07
REPUBLICANS IN
EARNEST EFFORT
TO SECURE PEACE
FOR HARMONY
Harding Has Been Conferring
With Individual Senators
in an Effort to Secure Har-
mony, Endeavor to Prevent
Break Between Eastern and
Western Senator's.
(By David Lawrence.O
Copyright, 1921, by The Daily
Times

Copyright, 1921, by The Daily
Times.)
Washington, Oct. 6.-The solidar-
ity of the Republican party hangs in
the balance. Temporarily, at least,
the Administration leaders have ach-
ieved a truce. The agricultural bloc.
as the group of western Republicans
are called, has succeeded in making
such a show of insurgency as to alarm
the Eastern leaders with the result
that peace Overtures have been made
by the latter.
Senator Lodge, Administration
leader, 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 petitioned to keep
in mind the future of the Republi-
can party. Mr.. Lodge appeared in the
committing himself to any definite
program but carried word that Sen
ator Jim Watson of Indiana, Senator
Penrose of Pennsylvania and the h
er Administration Republicans, were
willing to make concessions to meet
the western senators half way.
Just what price the eastern repub-
licans will have to pay for party soli-
darity has not yet developed. Some
of the agricultural bloc were of the
opinion that the surtaxes on the
higher incomes would have to be re-
stored and that immediate repeal of
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 manufac-
turers tax as proposed by Senator
Smoot than any of the earlier plans
for sales tax but the majority of
the western Republicans will not ac-
cept even that form of taxation
President Harding is plainly wor-
Tried He has been comforting with in
tdividual senators in the hope of get
ting harmony. His administration
jspokesmen are working night and
day in an effort to prevent break
between the eastern and western SEN
.ators. 1t looked for a time as if the
agricultural republicans would form
a coalition with certain Democrats
y1-hn RI hrin oh
the passage of amendments to the
House bill which would greatly en-
barass the Republican program.
J Senator Watson appealed to his Re-
. publican colleagues from the west to
| thresh 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 west
ern republicans on some essential
: points.
The western Republicans indicated
today that they were very much en-
Capper's conference and the informal
statements of Administration leaders
Meanwhile the Democrats are playing
, their usual shrewd tactics. AS mi
. nority party they always have man
aged to get along better than as a
majority. Senator Simmons of North
, Carolina, Democrat, who knows a
, whole lot about taxation is framing
some plausible tax amendments
which it will be difficult for some Re-
publicans to vote against. All the
troubles of tariff-making in the old
days have been revived only with
| ever so many more complications and
, combinations.
The crisis means more to the Re-
. publican party at this moment than
Continued on page 81