Evening star., 1922-12-02
BATTLE IS OPENED
TO CONTROL G. 0..P.
Radical Wing Meets as Pres
ent Leaders Make Bid
to Farmers.
THIRD PARTY NO MENACE
Progressives Uncertain, However.
as to Direction in Which
They May Be Carried.
THIRD PARTY NO MENACE
RY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID l.ANNEN(E.
The presidential campaign of 1924
might we'll be said to begin today
An intense struggle for control OF
the republican party-in fact, an
undermining of its present conserVa-
tive leadership from the east-is di-
rectly involved in the conference OF
"progressives' called by Senator La
Toilette and meeting here yesterday and
today.
Ostensibly the movement is BIZ
partisan. Some democrats have been
drawn into the progressive group
OstensibIy its motive is merely leg
islative. Some major issues will be
discussed and ideas exchanged with
the vague purpose of persuadlns
pro.reSsiv.s to act i'll concert
Something deeper and more far,
reaching than the attitude OF i small
group of fifteen senators ana Nitech
repre Sentatives on current issues is
meant hy the progressive confer
.nCe. Perhaps none oil the c0nitfteS
can tell at the outset just what the
objective is. for there are internal
jeaiouSieS and presidential aspirations
and sectional interests all entangieu
and interviewer.
La Toilette Seeks Leadership.
But the one certain thing about which
there can be no dispute is the avoWed
confession Of Il lack of confidence
party Senator La Toilette is strik-
ing out for the leadership of his
group because he feels more can
be obtained that way than by ham,
1nering at the unyieiding conserva-
tives who run things Tor the admin
lStratlon in Congress.
The object then IS revolt. The
'progressives' argue that they are
merely banding themselves together to
secure advancement OF progressive
measures. They deny a third party is
III the make. The truth is they don't
know any more about it than anybody
Csc on the outside. They have BY their
cali of Il conference, however. broken
away from the regular republican lead
"lship and essayed 10 take things into
their own hanCs. They are trusting To
circumstances and opportunity to ell
them the next move.
As q counter move President Hard
Ing and his lieutenantS in Congress have
determined to steal the thunder of the
progressive group.
certain things which the more radi-
cal of the progressive" coalition may
advocate. such as a restoration of eN-
cess profits taxes. will be. ignored fv
the administration. but those meas
GreS which have been the basis not
only for the strength of the farm
bloc. but have tempted some of the
newly elected senators TO fall in with
the plans of the progressive" con-
ference, will be made part and parcel
C1 the administration program
IL was no mere coincidence that the
plans of the Harding administration
To take up in earnest legislation for
the relief of the farmers woes should
he announced at Il White House con-
ference on the very day when the
new progressive" group is meeting
In the National Capital
Wallace Aids Harding.
Secretary Wallace of the Depart
ment of Agriculture. upon whom Mr..
Harding has leaned from The. bepin .
ming for advice on matters aericuI-
Iural. and Harry NJ. Dausherty. At
forney General and political mentor
OF the President, have been in con
terence with the chief executive off
something positive and forceful at
once to make the farmer undersrand
that his IS. o. s. calls are not GO
ing unheeded in Washington
,,rn6s,,on mnGse who have been laying the
conference frankly admit they were
stimulated to act because of the
last elections. They Interpreted III.
results in the various states as
meaning dissatisfaction with the Hard
n
gress of the last two years and as q de-
sire for progressivism.
IN a broad sense. the insurgents 6
know the relative value Of a we'll
established political party with or
ganization and machinery, as com
pared with new party. There will
therefore. be constant denials of any
attempt to make third. party.
Threats and intir:ations will, of
course. be made repeatedly. as was
the case in the campaign which pre-
ceded the presidential election of
1912. but the .'progressives'' think
the republican party has experienced
revolution inside which will make
It easy for the aggressive republic
cans from the west to capture the
party. 1t is considered better to ''bore
from within" than TO hammer from
without.
liberalization Is Sought.
From now until the next national
convention of the republican party.
in June, 1924, the effort will be to
1iberalize and make progressive" the
present republican party. Failing
that, a third party may be developed
but the prospects are far from bright.
Many of the men who are meeting
with the ''progressives'' today ask for
election on the regular republican
ticket in their own states They
would rather continue to dominate
State ueiesauonS al national conVen-
tions and pound away at the repub-
1ican party. even defeating it at the
polls again as in 1912, to secure recog-
milton of themselves. The sentiment
for a third party is really neubulous
1t isn't menace now. What it may
be year hence is different matter
AS for the constant use of quota
tfon marks to describe the "progres-
sives" the truth is they have not
adopted a program yet and they dc
not know themselves what they want
to accomplish except to stand together
on measures which critics might cal
radical or even socialistic, but which
they insist are simply progressive
and in keeping with the aroused
t,Nk