The New York herald., 1921-09-14
HARDING OPENS WAR
ON BLOCS TO HALT
CLASS LEGISLATION
Strikes Blow at Sectional
Organization in Appoint
ments to Coming Con-
ferences.
COALITIONS GROW BOLD
Activities of Agricultural
Group Arouses Strong !.
Sentiment Against the
Growing Tendency.
LOG ROLLING A PERIL
President Emphasizes Need of
Legislation Considering We'll
fare Of the Nation as
a Whole.
LOG ROLLING A PERIL
Special Despatch 10 TIM Nnw YoaK HERALD.

Spscsdi despatch TO THp NEW YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Burcan,
Washington, ID. C., sepI. I3.
President Harding, in his efforts to
discourage sectional and class organ.
ization in the American Govern.
ment. has struck at tendency which
has become increasingly manifest in
the bloc system in Congress during
the last few years, and which came
boldly to the front in the organiza-
ton OF farmers bloc only a few
months ago.
It is the United States as a whole,
the best interests of all the people,
that the President wants Congress
and the Cabinet to keep always in
mind. He has made his opposition
to class or sectional representation
clear in his selection of the Ameri-
can delegates to the conference on
armament, and he purposes to follow
the same rule In selecting the dele
gates to the conference on unem-
ployment. There will be no group
or class representation in either of
these delegations.
In Congress this movement for
group and sectional organization
seems to be increasing. The Presi-
dent, therefore, has struck at sit
vation that is ripe for action. If the
tendency is to be corrected the Pres
ident has chosen the right time to do
IL, in the opinion OF many Senators
and Representatives who have de.
plored this un-American system,
which increases the opportunities for
trading or log rolling in the House
and Senate, and often enables a
strong minority to overcome the de.
sires of less thoroughly organized
majority.
The Agricultural Group.
The more recently organized Con-
sress'onal blocs abandoned the old
methods OF private understandings
They held meetings and chose leaders
and openly adopted platforms OF prin-
ciplc and policy and advocated spe-
cific legislative measures, looking. to-
ward selfish advancement of the in
terests of their own sections or cliques,
often at the expense of other sections
or classes and OF the majority OF the
people Of the country. IL that were es-
sential to their ends.
The most pronounced example Of the
tendency in legislation to assemble a
group is the so-called agricultural bloc.
That group was made up originally of
Sehators from the middle West. Among
the Senator's interested in this ooali-
tion were Capper of Kansas, Kenyon
OF Iowa, La Toilette OF Wisconsin,
Sterling of South Dakota, Norris of
Nebraska Smith OF South Carolina and
Watson Of Georgia The bloc extended
into the House where. regardless of
politics, members gravitated to this
system, which was for the purpose OF
procuring legislation of special inter-
est to the farmer.
The influence OF the farmers bloc
was far reaching at the outset and
little time had elapsed before q senti-
ment against this sort Of coalition was
discovered. 1t is notable that Repre-
sentative Sidney Anderson of Mime
sofa, representing an agricultural dis
trict and an agricultural State, issued
n statement branding farmers organi-
zations for political purposes as un-
sound. He said economic organizations
were correctly framed. but organiza-
tions to obtain relief for the agricul-
tural classes through political methods
could not be defended and would not
obtain results.
Representative Anderson's word car
ried the greater weight because he Ia
chairman of the Joint commission
named to discover what is the matter
with agriculture.
origin I'm North Dakota.
what Mr.. Anderson had in mind was
that farmers as a class could not differ
entiato themselves from the rest Of
American citizenship: that while their
industry might be basic. there could be
no prosperity for the farming class un-
less all classes prospered. and that a
political union was In opposition to the
genius OF American institutions.
The organization OF the farmers bloc
6sr political purposes probably had It's
origin In North Dakota where a radical
movement started. frankly advertised az
political. and which succeeded In captur-
ing the political machinery of tho State
Tile result has been disastrous for that
state. and efforts TO extend tho system
70 Minnesota. Kansas. Nebraska, south
Dakota and other States have failed.
Preliminary TO this organization farm
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