The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-02-20

more than minated that President
Harding IN his speech before the agri,
cultural conference hit y verbal blow,
at this bloc. Nobody knows definitely,
of course, what the President had in.
mind, but in all fairness 1T must be,
said that his words We're directed ut
all biocss of whatever$ kind In other,
words. the PRESIDENT declared in fef'.
feet thatheadid not like sectional Leg
iSiatiun. K W. III. 4 - .t'H
:, 1T is not the sntentton Hereto go into
the merits and the dement's Of the
s,ts,: ::s;for. or ngainststhe so-called az
,ricultural bloc, but itwouid seem that
the M::;!!;;!!!e Mesta and Nest ought 9to,
:be able to- take care Of themselves; In
Congress * sthr men ssxhom they haze
.clt6sen, 70 represent tiiam shall do the
representing as their constituents
want it done. 81" ssy&%s'E2 .-'S go
it is true that the speaker OF the
house Of representatives is an eastern
er, and that the vice president Ut the
United States, who presides over the
senate, also Is an easterner; but the
vice president never had any legisla-
tive, economic or political influence
and today tile speaker Of the house Is
in u state which is neighbor to nuliify.
SO much for these two presiding gen.
uemen. %E", fit- &>.... 49,.
: Westerners in leading Places.
Boies Penrose of Pennsylvania was
the chairman OF the finance commit
tee of the senate, and OF course was
a power III shaping financial legisla-
ton. Pcnrose is dead and 4 North
Dakotan sits in his seat.
! The leader of the Republican major
.ity in the house offepresentatives Is
Frank W. Mondell % Wyoming. Wyo-
ming is of The West, unless geography
has been turned upside down over
night. Frances f. Warren, also of
Wyoming. is the chairman of the SEN
ute committee on appropriations. Wyo-
ming and North Dakota have seats in
the saddles of Legislative power and
OF political and Legislative influence.
Z Representative Philip p. Campbell
of Kansas Is the. chairman Of the
house committee, on rules, a most
powerful body. He has with him as
majority members of that committee
AiinnesOtan, Il South Dnkotan, an
OhiOan and an Illinoisan. II we grant
that Ohio Is a middle western state,
Mr.. Campbell has majority with
western affiliations with him. The
chairman of the senate committee on
rules is Charles Curtis Of Kansas.
With him in majority membership are
Knute Nelson of Minnesota, Medill Nc
Cormick of Illinois and James Il. Wat
son OF Indiana. The only two east
ern Republicans are Hale Of Maine and
Moses of New Hampshire.
Representative Martin b. Madden of
Illinois is chairman of the house com
mlttee on appropriations Joseph w.
Fordney of Michigan is the chairman
of the house ways ana means commit
tee. The country west, of the Ale
,ghanies has. 50 TO speak, In its hands
the direction Of virtually 'allethe lesis-
ldtlou "IlStI NNu Aua&NC Va
these United States of. America. 1t has
been said that the West hasn't n look
Inland yet hasn't it, Il look in?
Men Count, Not Geography.
b, Now it must be said that In matters
of this kind 1t Is not 50 MUCH geog-
raphy as the man that counts. The sch
utors who arc supposed to represent
the agricultural interests in the form
OF what is called the bloc are with one
exception lawyers, and the exception
is not Il farmer. or course lawyers
are used to represent clients, and SO
IL the agricultural interests are not
represented by farmers, the bloc Is
composed of men who hold retainer
votes from farmers, or ut least in con-
siderable part from farmers.
1t must be said, however, that things
happen frequently to bring out latent
conservatism in men who have entered
upon Il course which may be called pro
gressive or radical. according to the
viewpoint. 1t ,uust be admitted that
in the farmers' bloc In the senate there
Is a great deal OF conservatism. The
agricultural interests, Of course. are in
no danger from their representatives,
provided their representatives con-
tinuc to represent their constituents
and do not break away from constitu-
ent influence. &.
Now rs for western and middle west
ern men who hold positions OF power
in congress rs chairmen Of committees,
it must be said that many Of
them are known as having held
through the years views TINT are more
like those Of the East than. those OF
the West, from which they spring.
Therefore, there is peculiar, situation
The West dominates. so. far as the
holding of places OF political, eco
nolnic and financial Influence Is con-
cerncd, and vet the East looks to some
Of these wcsterners for sympathy for
some of its proposals which are conn
ter to those which come from the ag-
ricultural interests.
- ;,Jestina, Out the Public.