The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-11-14
YOUNG BLOODS
SEEK TO GAIN
C. 0. P. REINS
Expect Senator Borah
to Oppose Move
BY MARK SULLIVAN

IiSS dlOu6 Id0iCdA A4hCo IAC1O ID OOAAO
substance, but not so much as appears
on the surface. For example, Senator
McCormick's most graciously polite
note to Senator Lodge, asking the eld-
erly gentleman to edge over little
on the upper bench and make room
for some young fellows, has no rela-
ton to the radical successes in the re-
cent election.
This idea of abofishing the seniority
method of selecting committee chair
men was first brought up several
months ago. Probably the deferring
of the public letter to Lodge until aft
er the election was due to the wish not
to cause even the faintest seeming of
embarrassment to Lodge in his cam
paign- 1t is true that Senator McCor-
mick was one of the high priests of
the old Progressive party.
1t is also true that recently in the
senate he is one of those whose oc-
casional excursions into insurgency are
most disturbing to the old guard, for
McCormick's Scotch-Irish tempera-
ment is such that he doesn't insurge
until he has a good case, but when he
does insurge he goes all the way
through.
Both Senators Friends
But between Mccormick and Lodge
there is the best of good feeling. The
Illinois senator's letter is not all a
case of a radical against standpat-
ter. II is wholly a case of June
against December, of as against 72.
Mccormick is speaking not exclusive
ly, nor even primarily, on behalf of
the radicals and progressives. He is
talking up for the senators in the for
ties against those in the seventies.
It's a case of the young Turks against
the old sultan, the young Chinese
against the Manchu dynasty.
Among the beneficiaries of McCor-
mick's move would be such perfectly
good and regular Republicans as Hale,
of Maine; Wadsworth, of New York
Fess, of Ohio; Reed and Pepper, of
Pennsylvania-all the young men and
all the new ones. 1t is a case of
youth insisting on being served, clam
oring for its place in the sun.
Some of the hardest opposition to
Senator McCormick's proposal will
come from the strongest progressives.
There is good reason to anticipate
that Senator Borah, when he gets
back from Idaho, will have something
acutely and personally adverse to say.
After waiting around all these years
under the seniority rule, until he Is
within one-and that one the elderly
Lodge-of being chairman of the for
eign relations committee, Borah Is
not going to have any consuming en-
thusiasm for last minute change II
the rules of the game which would
throw his chances of a most desired
chairmanship into the pool with al
the others
LaFoIlette in Same Boat.
The same is true of LaFollette, who
is now within one of the top OF the
other of the two most powerful com
mittees, the one on finance.
McCormick's argument is primarily
against age. and it is undoubtedly
true that the work of the senate Is
impeded by the fact that important
committees which bave huge burder
of work. including daily hearings fol
weeks at a stretch are headed Dy mel
TO whom such immense and detailed
work is a real physical burden. If yol
take the 10 most important senate
committees YOU will find that Warren
chairman of appropriations, is 1S
Iodeg of Foreign Relations, IS 1z
Cummins. OF Interstate Commerce, Il
70. Colt of immigration, is rs; Nelson
of Judiciary, is rs; Page, OF Naval Al
fairs. is 70; Dillingham;, of Privileges
and Elections, is 10.
And so on. The only real younl
senator who has a strongly importan
Craftsmanship is Wadsworth o NeY
York who at As is head of militar
affairs. There is plenty of soundnes
in the argument that these older ser
ators should be freed from burdensom
detail work so that their experienc
and wisdom can be utilized in NOR
general ways.
Made Change Tactics
} put aside from this specific matte
g. of The seniority rule, there is some dis
position on the part of the regular Rt
publicans TO take account of the rae
ical successes in the recent election:
The old crowd won't hesitate If tn
need is clear to fall back on rule on
of the code of practical politics
"When YOU can't beat 'em, join EN-.
There is some talk of inviting JohI
son of California into the mystic ci
Gle and giving him franchise I
bore from within. AS Billy Hart
express it, the old guard having
the past looked upon Johnson as IN
fire are now disposed 10 looA uPo
him as the fire engine.
OF course, the outstanding progre
siye is Borah But as between Bora
and Johnson, they recall that Johnso
swallowed the tariff-swallowed 1t an
told the people of this state il sat we
on his stomach. whereas Borah vote
against it. Borah will be the last
the Progressives to be invited to CON
in and have a place at the head tabl
Borah has established too firm a re
utation as one who goes his own ga
at all times and under all circuu
stances. Borah will never saerifie
even the least of his personal ideas Il
the sake of teamwork.
May Ask Leadership.
II the hard-pressed Republican sen
.urs should come to such point I
desperation as to ask Borah to be the
leader, Borah would merely say
Sure: fall in and follow" That's II
only kind of leader Borah will ever b
He will make no personal concession
for the sake of organization leade
ship of the orthodox kind.
There is plenty of evidence tbs
partly because they can't help 1t, ar
please Turn to Page Ten)