Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1922-06-01
Washington Correspondence.
BY WALLACE RAssroRp.

w AonlN01VNs -. os3 u1oy Eo-I iOu
ably no President of the United States
has ever had occasion to view with
dismay greater revolt within his
own party than that which confronts
Mr.. Harding. The result in Indiana
was sufficient to give alarm, but the
bloody defeat of the most powerful
Republican machine in the United
States, that in Pennsylvania, is aim most
tragic in its forecasts and portents.
The machine has gone down to de-
feat before one of the mcstpronounc-
ed leaders OF the Progressive move-
ment of 1910 .12, Clifford Pinchot, the
friend OF Roosevelt. Probably in all
the history of machine politics there
has never been an organization more
unscrupulous in its methods or more
saturated with graft. Only a few
years ago it was shown that one ward
!. organization in Philadelphia, in the
insolence of its power, had register
ed saloonkeeper's bulldog, thinking,
doubtless, that it was fine jest at
representative government. But the
dog probably cast as patriotic vote
as the ward boss himself was capable
of. 1t also came out in the same in
vestigation that the ward leaders, in
order to return certain majorites
which they we're expected to main
tain, copied names from the tomb
stones In the city cemeteries in order
to get lists of fictitious voters. Boss
Penrose, whose last act was to force
Harding's nomination, is dead. 1t
looks like his Pennsylvania machine
is also ready to be coffined.
The defeat of Senator New, the
Presidents buddy, in the Indiana
primaries, has left some sore spots.
The Vincennes Sun, a Democratic pa
per, takes some pleasure in quoting
what the Vincennes Commercial had
to say about Beveridge before he was
nominated. The Commercial is a
leading Republican organ of Will H.
Hays neighborhood and under his
influence. Its editor charged Beve-
ridge with being a "demagogue, trait
or, atheist, Stacker, and mischief
making agitator." He declared that
Beveridge was the only maA no knew.
who had not answered the country's
call during the war, and that Presi-
dent Wilson did not have his support.
incidentally it appears that Chair
man Hays would not, in 1918, allow a
Republican campaign speaker to mem
ton President Wilson's name in his
speeches. The Commercial had rich
field to explore, going SO far as to tell
. how Beveridge's book on the Kaiser
"was used as German propaganda"
until the Government threw it out of
the mails. The editor did not tell,
however, of the time when Beveridge
nagged Senator Joe Bailey to such a
point of irritation that the Texan
slapped his face and pulled his collar
off. Washingtonians were much
amused. at the indignation of Bev-
{ eridge's friends at what they called a
''brutal attack" while Beveridge ex-
cused his non-resistance by claiming
that Bailey "never touched me-"
Those familiar with the case thought
Beveridge produced a very weak alibi
and would have thought better of
him had he used his knuckles as free
ly as be had always used his vocal
cords.
Under the recent ruling by Attor-
ney General Daugherty candidates
for the United States Senate may
spend, to secure seats in the Senate,
any amount of money which they or
their friends, personal or corporate,
can dig up. Daugherty held that the
decision Of the Supreme Court in the
Newberry scandal had invalidated the
corrupt practices act in 80 far as
Senatorial elections are concerned.
Now it will be necessary for Congress
to enact new legislation if it desires
to interfere, or pretend to interfere,
with the wholesale purchase OF
seats in the Senate this fall. just how
the present Senate can have the face
to pass such a bill after voting to seat
Newberry, who was shown by court
evidence to have bought his seat,
would be hard to understand. Yet it
has done other things as shameful
without batting an eye. For instance,
Nat Goldstein's appointment as Col
lector Of Internal Revenue had al
ready been @. KID by the Committee
before Harding withdrew his name.
And it is worth noting that the name
was not withdrawn because the
President was impressed by the
fact thai Goldstein had handled the
money sent to Missouri to buy dele
gates for Lowden. The President
seems impervious to public sentimen,
on such delicate points of persona