The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-07-01
MAY ABOI|SH
SENATE IULE
OF SENDRITY
Mccormick Propal Would
Give Younger in Chance
to Gain Positios Of Power
and Use Energy
CABINET INNvATION
NJ MApK sr1uvAN

y tons in our mechanics government
during the past wee aaVe not en-
gagged greater public Asnllon.
1t is true that thsaoIc ana the
newspapers probablyaaVe come 10
look unon such nrorsals as rot al !
ways meaning any 81 OF complete
fulflment
Proposals for changln lne govern
ment or for changes % government
procedure appear freasnuy ana Win /
almost as much freaacy disappear
The rule is for susstlon 70 come
out to make a sensal Tor a d9y ana
then to be forgotten IFeqlent repetl-
ffon of this process NJ nave Ied some /
commentators to a g44t "neFe they !
do not readily dis1Euish between
serious proposals ID those that
amount to little, noreognize -eadliy
those suggestions with are likely TO
go through
About six months p, for example,
there was a suggEon originating
with President Hartg that the con-
stitution shall be Gsnged so as to I
make state and citybnds subject TO
federal taxation Atle time A good
deal was said about Hearings were
begun by a committs0f con gress, and |
thereafter the idea Remed to go in
to abeyance.
But the two suggfions made dur |
ing the past week n in class by
themselves. They sFe an amount of
vitality and are baGsd by sufficient
urge of interest antRcessity to make
it certain that the will be pushed.
Whether they will haiy come into be-
ing can only be kngn later
McCorniss Plan
The suggestion b the abolition of
the seniority rule the selection of
chairman and mcmMs of senate COM
mittees comes fronFithin the senate
itself The propont of it IS Sen
ator Medill McCorr.k. of Illinois, and
he Is a man of naer extraordinary
energy. Probably aere is no senator
with so small rnber of years of
service who has pahis back into and
has successfully baght to fruit so
large number Important inIova.
tions. One exampis enough to men
ton. The adoptiosf the budget sys-
tenn was largelyyh to Senator Nc
Cormicks initiatiwand persistence.
Senator McCoTr.S's present pro-
posal might be suPsed to have in it
considerable deee of self-interest.
, He is one of tina large number of
younger senators 10 are derived of
the opportunity tgive tn, IT energy
full swing becausAe important COM
mittee chairmansss and member
ships are, underhe seniority rule.
monopolized by th9lder senators. But
while Senator Mi0rmick is one of
this group of yolRer senators. he is
also an exceptior,o it. His energy
is such, and certallines of his ability
are SO clearly ragnizable, that he
\ has been able, ID ate of the fact that
he is only in his0urth year of SEN
Rtorial service, tochieve a degree of
5power and to entnch himself in i'm
portant places inae senate to a de-
gree hardly apprHhed by any other
senator of equal nth.
Subject Criticism.
The seniority lie which Senator
Mccormick now proposes shall be
abolished, is sutrt to criticism for
more than one ason In the first
place, it brings to the citadels of
power, such as thehairmanship of the
finance committe the foreign affairs
committee, the ,mmittee on COM
merce, the judie'y committee, and
the like, senatorsho, under the work
ing of the senioF rule, come into
those positions comatically, merely
by virtue OF the longer duration of
their experiences the senate.
Now 1t is notF any means to be
asserted that th senators who come
into these positie by virtue of length
of service are ina cases not the men
best fitted tor e positions. Quite
the contrary is te.
In many casedt is conceded that
the older men 70 now hold these
positions are theest fitted for them.
If Senator Hen Cabot Lodge. of
Massachusetts We not the chairman
oI 3ne committebn foreign relations
virtue OF seArity of service, he
lld De given lat position by vir-
OF his supefr knowledge within
field.
here are peens esnecially for
mple, among hose who favor the
que OF nation who would like to
senator Locs deprived of his po-
pm. But the ct is that an unpre-
GEO person oking over the SEN
ate for the best han for this particu-
lar position, wpe undoubtedly select
Senator Lodge.
Would 6sSame Place.
II the senldFa rule is abolished.
senator Lodget der any rule that is
substituted foE Aiority, undoubtedly
VIII De given N'same position.
The same tnln is true of the com
m1ttee on comnce. This committee
has charge of sSping and of all the
matters, whien &c the proposed sub
sidy, affect the Nted States shipping
board.
Inc presentS Airnlan of that COM
nlittee, Wesley Jones. of Washing
ton, has come tqthe position through
the working of Z seniority rule. Blu,
everyone can se that Senator Jones
has unique degse of knowledge and
experience in tk field, and that his
energy and VlIsty are adequate for
the immense hSunt OF work it en-
tails.
But the finah committee. on the
other hand, ilstrates the dissatis-
faction with tnsseniority rule. The
present chairu1s McCumber came to
the position Dramatically, through
the working Of he seniority system
Senator McCurer is a fairly able