New-York tribune., 1922-07-05
Next Congress
May See End Of
Party System
eklev-Down Anticipated ON
continuance of the Pres
/ ent Political Lines as
Radical Strength Gains
Bloc Began Movement
Many Old Leaders Getting
()u, and Others Face
Hard Fight This Fall
By Carter Field

w.sHfNGToN, July "A show
-. an the further continuance of
!. p.cublican and Democratic parties
!. .xpeeted in the next Congress by
-,,v shrewd observers here. Indeed,
-. o; them 90 so far as to say that
:. rs. viii be IS to whether the party
.r.,.m Of government, for the time be-
=, It least. is to be sidctracked.
Th;. showdown, which so many ex-
- will be hurried to q climax be-
..... ., the .ery heavy casualty list
.n,sc the old and tried leaders in
r.rress OF both parties, many of
man have exerted great influence in
,,.;r own political camps for genera
noa.
Gradually forcing change is the
s,.4 sysscn,, which has been weakening
..,tv discipline ana party responsi-
sIay to q greater and greater degree
.isee its first appearance.
Many old-timers here place the
.1sin Of the present movement with
shs Ant-Ssloon League, which built
no dry "bloc" caring nothing, when
i, liquor question was involved,
sbout party lines or party authority.
EVEN Woodrow Wilson, czar of his
n,rty as he was when in the White
House. could not force the suspension
Il wartime prohibition so as to keep
fa,h with the holders of large. dis
,;Iler7 warehouse stocks. The drys
Ind the votes to keep these liquor sup
sli,s in the warehouse, and they sue
s,eded so far as legal Withdrawals are
,saeerned.
More Blocs Springing Up
rhe agricultural bloc since the ad-
"a. of Harding in the White House
kss heen the most spectacular, but 9TH
srs are springing up all the time.
The Versailles peace treaty fight,
ike several other fights provoked by
wilson, also went long way in
crumbling the already weak party
lines. Both parties split wide open on
the League Of Nations, as they had
done few years before on the Panama
Canal tolls issue.
The truth is that for some years the
line between the two parties in the
Senate and House has not been ascer-
tainable BY many record votes or tests
Of strength On the tariff the old say
ing that 1t is local issue might lead
one to expect curious splits, when the
products OF various committees were
affected. but on most of the big ques-
tions which are confronting the country
at this time the similarity of the posi-
tions held by men like Lodge, Wads-
worth, Calder, Mclean. Frelinghuysen
and others sharing their views are
much more similar to the positions OF
Senators Underwood, Swanson, Sim
mons and Shields on the Democratic
side thar they are to those held by such
espublicans in name asia Toilette,
lAad and Norris.
The great majority on the Demo
cratic side, on these new issues, are
se,ualy in their views in between the
two groups of Republicans cited, but
much nearer to the first group of Re
publicans than what might be called
tbs radicals.
Radicals Reinforced
In the next Congress the radicals
viii be strongly reinforced by such
men as Colonel Smith Brcokhart, OF
Iowa, and L. j. Frazier, of North Da-
kota. Indeed. the number of changes
already assured for the next Congress
Is far above the normal casualty rate.
The election itself always provides a
few surprises in the way of elimination
Of spectacular figures, but the present
list Of changes has occurred with the
primaries only half over.
The most spectacular figure which
will pass out of public life on March 4
next is Uncle Joe Cannon. Actually.
however, the former car of the Heuse,
While his passing is political land
Yark. has not played any great part in
directing his party activities since his
return to the House after his defeat
In 1912.
Four Of the leading figures of the
House, however, already have with
erawn Voluntarily, as did Uncle Joe,
!,om the possibility Of continuing in
thsls present positions. These are Re-
publican Floor Leader Mondell, Chair
man tordney of the Ways and Means
committee, Chairman Fess of the Con-
g,essional Committee and Pat Kelly,
sno handles the naval estimates on the
appropriations Committee.
.,:f ,i:fofaney is retiring from public life,
snlle Mondell, Fess and Kelly are seek