Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-07
COOLING PULLS
SKELETON FROM
SENATE CLOSET
Solons Not Very Chum-
nv Over Move to In
v~estigate themselves.
PROPOSAL Buried Under:
Won't Bob Up Again
for Long, Long Time.
Ry ROBERT T. SMALL
seecia. CORRESPONDENT OF Great Falls TribuHs
Convripht 1929. By The Great Falls Tribune.

"
has Just had it's touch of mid summer
madness. 1t was supposed the senate
investigated itself. No one ever
thought the senate would do such a
thing-it wouldn't be clubby--but the
proposition took up two days of de-
bate and delayed action on the tariff
bill by just that long. Anything is
welcome in Washington that delays
action on the tariff bill.
The investigation was symptomatic.
Senators are getting peevish. They
have been together too long. Ihey
need a vacation. They are beginning
to see things at night. The demo
Gratis have been picking on the re
publicans. who with no great unani-
nifty among themselves. have been
trying to put through the Fordney-
McCumber tariff bill with the highest
protection figures ever written into
such a mesaure.
The republicans expected this demo-
cratic ~worryment, but when some re
publicans began to find fault. it was
the straw which broke the back OF
several of the senatorial camels, al
though rumor has it that there are
very few senator's of the eight-day
variety at that.
Buried Deep, Deep. Deep
Technically. the proposal to investi-
gate senator's to find which interests
they might have which would be favor
ably affected by the new tariff bill. is
still before the senate. Adversely re
ported by the committee To which 1t
was referred, the resolution prepared
by Senator Gooding Of Idaho. has
gone upon the calendar, and there 1t
will stay. for the calendar is long ana
%tortuous and nee a bill or resolu-
ton gets firmly imbedded in it. all
the kings horses and all the kings
men canno pull it out.
Some of the older heads in the sen
ate feel rather badly about ne west
ern im~petuousness of Senator GCod-
ing in proposing the resolution. They
be should have coupled with his de
lnand for a viudication Of the senate
through the fire Of an investigation
that various newspaper men be also
investigated. especially Frank A.
Munsey. owner OF the New York
Herald and other papers. The CON-
mite to which the resolution was re
ferred turned it down wit, scarce a
moments consideration.
The INDECENT progressed far enough,
however. to be ranked IAN issue IN
coming campaign. The democrats
will continue to raise the question as
to whether or not a senator. interested
in a certain product. is entitled TO vote
for a tariff on that product. II was
that Senator Gooding and other
senator's with large investments in
sheep and wool should not have voted
On the wool schedule of the new tariff
bill.
This has naturally brought up the
whole question of the various interests
held by sitting senator's. Mr.. Good
ing said he was willing that all his
be listed. He was willing
also that all other senator's be asked
10 state their various business onnec
tons.
1t is perhaps true that the senate of
today is not so much of a million
aires club as it was Is or 20 years
ago-the direct primary system had
something to do with that despite the
that many opponents of the pri-
mary contend that no one short Of a
millionaire has q chance to win a pri-
nary nomination in a populous state.
However, there still are man. SEN
ators Of wealth and influence and an
to bar them from voting on the
arjff if they were directly or indirectly
Interested in or afflicted would cause
many complications.
Offensive to Senators
The suggestion that senator's be
called up and compelled to tell all Of
heir business associations was very
offensive to members of the body gen
orally and there was no choice from the
that any such investigation would
,e ordered. The democrats realized
his full well-even some democratic
are wealthy-but they quickly |
seized upon the situation to make par
ocular capital out of it and they have
succeeded to a large extent. The re-
,ublicans have been unanswered virtu-
lily into the position of having sup !
,ressed" the proposed inquiry.
All along it has been realized in !
Washington that there are certain |
WOOL senator's, certain sugar senator's,
METAL senators, cotton senator's. lemon
senator's. olive senator's. powder sena- /,
ors, textile senator's. boot and shoe
,enators. steel senator's, and an infinite
.,r;o+r of othors IT, c,,0gapt +b,t 49,