The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-10-07
WESTERN SENATORS
ARE TROUBLESOME.
Show Enough Insurgency
To Get Concessions
From East
MAY UPSET TAX
.- REVISION SCHEME
UnaIterabIy Opposed To Sages Tax
President Worried BY Party Division
Democrats Enjoying Position of Mi
nOrity-Real Leadership Is In West.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Especial Dispatch to The Reformerl
Copyright 1921

(Spectal DlSpdIcn TO Il ne heGOrmer.]
Copyright 1921
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-The solidar-
ity of the Republican party hangs in
the balance. Temporarily, at least, the
administration leaders have achieved a.
truce. The agricultural bloc, as the
group of western Republicans are called,
has succeeded in making such show of
insurgency as TO alarm the eastern lead
ers with the result that peace over
lures have been made BY the latter
Senator Lodge, administration leader,
spent an. hour with President Harding
after the conference at
the home of senator Capper of Kansas,
at which the Agricultural senators were
| petitloned to keep. IN mind the future OF
| the Republican, party. Mr.. Lodge APP
peared In the role OF peace maker and
avoided committing himself to any def
| inlte program but carried word that
| Senator JIM Watson of Indiana, SEN
ator Penrose of Pennsylvania and the
other administration Republicans, were
| wiling TO make concessions to meet the
western senators half way.
Price Not Revealed
just what price the eastern Repub
leans VIII have to pay for party solid
arlty has not yet developed. Some of
the agricultural bloc were of the opin-
ion that the surtaXes on the higher in
comes would have to be restored and
that immediate repeal of the tramspor-
tation taxes would have to be agreed
to before there would be any break in
their ranks As for a safes tax or man
utaeturers tax, the agricultural sena
tors made plain their unalterable OPP
position. Some of them are more ia
Evorable to the manufacturers tax as
proposed by Senator Smoot than any of
the earlier plans for a sales tax but the
majority of the western Republicans
viii not accept even that form of taxa
tion.
President Harding is plainly worried,
He has been comforting with individual
senators IN the hope of getting harmony.
His administration Spokesman are
working night and day In an effort to
prevent a break between the eastern
and western senators. Ii looked for a
time as if the agricultural Republicans
would form a coalition with certain
Democrats who feel as they do and
bring about the passage of amendments
tGg Ties house bill which would greatly
embarass the Republican program.
Appeals For Harmony
Senator Watson appealed to his Re
publican colleagues from the West to-
aisle in the senate and foTego the hui
initiation aof party division on the first
great issue of the Harding administers
tiUn. His appeals were heard. however,
only when he signiged a Willingness to
surrender To the western Republicans on
some essential points.
The western Republicans indicated to-
day that they were very much cncour-
aged by the results of Senator Camper 5
conference and the informal statements
of administration leaders. Meanwhile
the Democrats are playing their usual
shTewd tactics. As a minority party
they always have managed 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 amend
ments which it will be difficult for some
Republicans to vote against. All the
troubles of tariff making in the old
fdays have been revived only with ever
so many more complications and combi-
nations.
Westerners After Freight Rates
! The crisis means more to the Repub-
licaus at this moment than the Demo-
Gratis for the former have the response
bility of power The fight between the
Republicans representing agricultural
states and those coming from the pop
ulous eastern Constituencies where big
business and manufacturing enterprises
reside is only in its infancy. The same
/ lines of cleavage are also apparent IN
the controversy over the railroad fund.
ing bill The westerners say freight
rates must come down before they will
thelp the ra@~~rds. If President Hard
| ing and Senator Lodge can preserve the
solidarity of the party, however. IN. the
senate on tax issues, they will have
achieved a great moral victory and their
prospects of getting the railroad bill
| through will be correspondingly brighter.
! But it looks today as if the agricultural
Republicans were converting the east
crners to their viewpoint and that the
true leadership of the Republican party
| is coming out of the West even though
1919. Ian.lnr..I,i,a hn ,nat cd in