The Washington herald., 1921-10-24
CROW AND SPROUL
SUCCEED TO POWER
AS PENROSE LOSES.
Governor Is Believed to
Have Eye on Senior
Senator's Seat.
BY ROBERT J. BENDER.

~ ANO~A - DN<4NA@s
The mountain came to Moham-
med yesterday when Senator PEN
rose. of Pennsylvania motored
down from his spacious apartments
on the eity's outskirts to take Gov.
Sproul and William E. Crow. of
Uniontown. Pa. for a drive.
The incident was interesting, be-
cause Sproul. governor OF Pennsyl-
vania, and Crow. chairman Of the
Republican State committee aad
just appointed to the Senate to I'LL
the unexpired term of the late Sem
ator Knox. have acquired the pow
er in Pennsylvania once uncontest-
edly in the hands of Penrose.
Power wanes With Health.
The coming of Crow, in a sense,
means the passing of Penrose. The
latter. long i'll and still far from
possessing the physical strength he
once had has seen his Senatorial
power wane with his health. Crow
has come here to take his oath of
office, the last link in the chain of
power jointly accumulated between
himself and his friend Sproul, first
by acquiring command of the State
legislative and party machinery
and now extended into the Federal
branch of government.
Crow is 81 years old, married
and has three sons. Penrose Is 81
years old and a bachelor. His rec
ord during the present session of
Congress has sharply testi1 to
his diminishing power. TimsAfter
time his program has been shot full
OF holes by opposition within his
own party-an opposition which in
the old days would never have
dared to lift its head.
Forced to Alter Plans.
Penrose said there would be no
emergency tariff legislation. 1t is
now on the statute books. He salG
there would be a soldier bonus.
This legislation has been indefi-
nitely sidetracked. He declared for
a permanent tariff before tax leg
Islation. The tariff has been shunt-
60 on until the next session. He
disapproved the House tax bill and
said il would be rewritten in the
Senate. The Senate committee was
forced to accept the House provi-
sions almost in toto, and after that
Penrose and his forces were COM
PEELED to accept changes opposed
by the administration but demanded
by the agricultural bloc.
Penrose advocated passage of the
foreign debt funding measure
asked by President Harding = but
was unable to get il through, and
as result of this failure Harding
has now agreed to a compromise
on the measure which may or MAJ
not pass. Penrose said the tax bill
| would pass Congress and be ready
| for the President signature before
| November l - now extremely I'M
| likely.
May Seek Penrose's Seat.
These and numerous other mis-
adventures in the realm of legisla-
tive efforts during this Congress
testify to the collapse of the old
PenrOse power.
There comes now from Pennsyl-
vania a new and younger solon,
| backed by the State governor
whose power in Pennsylvania has
that this is inevitable was given dur
ing the last two years. AS Crow has
succeeded the late Senator Knox. so
SprOul may be expected to have his
eyes on Penrose's seat
Meantime with SprouI in the State
house at Harrisburg and Crow In the
Senate at Washington it is easy TO
see that in the State, even as in the
| Senate, PenrOse must face a declin-
ing influence. Striking evidence
that this inevitable was given dur
ing the last session of the Pennsyl-
vania legislature. The speaker OF
the State legislature, a Penrose man
succeeded in blocking Sprouts Iegis-
latiye program. Three days befor.
the session adjourned. the Sproul-
Crow forces threw out the Penrose
speaker, elected their own man. and
passed the desired legislation before
adjournment.
Crow will be an interesting man
! to watch.