The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1922-07-13
NEWS SUMMARY
OF THE CAPITAL
Campaign Launched to Abrogate
Seniority Rule; Move Aimed :
at La Toilette.
FAIL TO INVOKE CLOTURE
Miners and Operators Reach Deadlock
President Harding Submits
Arbitration Plan.

The attempt of the republican lead
ers to invoke the cloture rule on the
Fordnev tariff bill failed
The petition for the cloture was signed
bv 81 republicans but it was opposed
bv five obstreperous members of that
party, including La Toilette and
Borah, and all the democrats. Sena-
tor Lodge stated that since the cloture
rule has failed it may be necessary for
the senate to return to night sessions
or Law aside the tariff bill temporarily
and make an effort to change the rules
so as to make cloture in the case OF
a tariff bill possible by majority
vote. 1t is his opinion that the worst
tariff bill ever written would not be
so detrimental as to leave business IN
suspense by dragging out considera-
ton of the bill all summer. The tariff
unquestionably is giving the president
and the republican leaders considera-
BILE grief. Vigorous protests are
heard against the extreme protection
for which the bill provides, but the
party is committed to new tariff law
and the president will insist that the
senate carry out platform pledges.
Senator La Toilette maintains that
when the pending bill was written
business was depressed and the manu-
facturers asked for the highest posi-
BILE rates in the hope that high pro-
lection would remove depression. He
states that the world economic condi-
tons are so disturbed that it is almost
impossible to gather definite data to
construct tariff so that the bill would
not be out of date before it could be
placed on the statutes.
Secretary Hoover protests against
the increasing tendency to "let Uncle
Sam do it," In discussing the atti-
tude of some of the states in regard
to the child labor situation, Mr..
Hoover stated that the policy, of sub
shutting national for local selfgovern-
ment threatens to become a national
peril. Every we'll wisher of children
must feel deeply the failure of the last
effort in national prevention Of child
labor, Mr. Hoover said. "A study of
the situation as it now stands will
show that majority of the states
have forward looking and effective
laws in child protection; that some
others have enacted legislation that at
least goes part way. But there is a
minority that are still in the middle
ages in their attitude to childhood.
However if it is impossible to secure the
necessary safeguard to our people by
local government, I am one of those
who consider the losses in our sense
of local responsibility are less than
the loss to the nationa as whole; and
if all else fails, I stand for amendment
to the federal constitution that will
give the necessary power and authori-
ty to compel action in those states
which are negligent of their response
bilities."
Senator Medill Mccormick of ILL
nois has inaugurated campaign to
abrogate the seniority rule, under
which senators of the longest continu-
Gus service are given the chairman
ships of committees without regard to
ability for the positions Of vital i'm
portance in legislation. Working in
conjunction with the Illinois senator
is a group Of republicans who aim to
smash the seniority rule in the house.
Enlisted in the campaign also are a
number of northern democrats, who
have grown FESTIVE under the opera
ton of the seniority rule, which, when
the democratic party is in the MAORI
ty, places the solid south in the sad
die. Senator R. M. La Toilette Of
Wisconsin is likely to be the first VIC
tim if the move to abolish the seniori-
ty rule succeeds. With Senator Nc
Cumber Of North Dakota defeated
there is only Senator Reed Smoot of
Utah, ranking La Toilette in the fl
nance committee. Rumors that Sena-
tor Smoot will retire from the senate
to become head of the Mormon church
have alarmed numerous republicans
who cannot endure the thought of La
Toilette as chairman Of finance.
President Harding has before him
for immediate solution the biggest and
toughest problems that have confront
ed the republican administration since
it came into power sixteen months
ago. There are now more than 1,000,-
900 men and women in the United
States out on strikes protesting
against wage reductions. It is esti-
mated that approximately 100000
hours of work a day are being lost be-
cause of walkouts. Labor department
figures show a total of 100000 men
on strike, including 100000 railway ]
men. The railroad strike situation
has evidently reached a point where
the government must act and in the
end the responsibility rests with the