New-York tribune., 1922-01-28
The Bloc That Isn't

To Tire Review of Reviews" Jud-
son c. Welliyer Contributes TIC fol-
lowing:
what is the agricultural bloc':7
asked Senator Kenyon, Of Iowa, eho
is regarded Is its leader.
"lt isn't" he replied.
Then how did 4. harrcN -
y, didn't A rev espapcr man IN
vented the name for something that
wasn't. ard il sounded so vel! that
the thing has been assumed to cyis st.
An astronomer once calculated that
;ne1e must be another planet. and
where. They turned the telescopes
there, and. sure enough, found the
new planet. and they named it Ncp-
tune. Well, the discovery OF the
agricultural bloc wos Just the re-
they hunted for ev.denccs that it
must be there: finally some people
started looking for it--and it wasn't
there at all. That's the difference.
and SO sticks, despite the fact that
there's no bloc or anything else en-
titled 90 name even suggesting
such an organization"
Of course, Senator Kenyon has
discovered that, having placed a
young and spirited horse in the
shafts and turned his head into an
open road, it is necessary TO saw on
the bits. He may cxclair, as did
the man who hitched himself in har-
ness beside a lusty calf and was
swept along: "ni, there. Won't
somebody heads US two fools off,"
AS d person Of orderly mind, who
would keep the movement sensible,
the Senator finds wild men Of all
sorts forcing themselves into his
company. The calamity howlers are
bowling. The tiat money maniacs,
with Henry Ford leading the van,
arc re sowing the heresies Of green
backery and silverism. The whls-
kcred and socilless Populists are in
eruption, and the large number
whose main business it is to farm the
farmers look forward to a time Of
personal pros perity.
sympathy may properly go out to
Senator Kenyon as he labors to keep
the bloc sane, on the theory tha;
only sane things endure and that
1t Is preposterous for tho widespread
agricultural interests TO find an po
ICY good for them which is no. good
tor the whole country.
And sympathy may also 60 to hin,
at nc watches attempts Of Demo.
cratic politicians, in whom hone
springs eternal, to turn the rumors
OF alleged Republican disaffection to
partisan advantage. Our nciehhor
1.-The World" for example, is lyrical
IN Joy over the prospect Of driving a
wedg. into Republican ranks Il
= clinSs TO the old-fashioned Demo
cratic tradition that the member.
OF third parties, soon or late, turr
Their steps toward the Democratic
fo.d. SO, win all eager wish fathe,
TO ITS thought, it would be a chee,
leader Of discomfort.
Is the bloc to stick 10 a praise
worthy program whose main item!
are tho promotion Of co-opera
tive marketing and the making i
easier for farmer with credit t,
borrow to meet his needs, rs do othe,
business men, Or is it to be cap
tanned b. political faddists? On til,
answer depends whether the move
lnent Is to do good to the farmers Q,
to any enc else. If the wild men &c,
IN control they will add merely an
other 10 the long list of false starts
made. it was pretended, in the in
terest of farmers or wage workers
The history Of American politics is
full Of sad stories Of the wrecks
which came when groups thought
they could play selfish game and
prosper at the expense OF the ma
joriiy.