The New York herald., 1922-12-19
BROOKHART, RADICAL,
FIGHTS ship BILL IN
Mild SENATE DEBUT
Fire Eating Iowan Reads
Maiden Speech That
Fails to Alarm.
PLACES FARMER FIRST
Williams Attacks Norris
Rural Credits Measure as
Worse Than Subsidy.
BORAH In FILIBUSTER
Says Shipping Can Wait I'm
til Relief Has Been Given
to Farmer.
BoRAH IN FILIBUsTER
BY LOUIS sEIBOLD.
Special Dispatch to THE NEW YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington. ID. c., Dec. 18.


New York Herald Bureau.
y Washington. ID. c., Dec. 1s.
The most interesting contribution
to the fight in the Senate against
President Harding's ship subsidy bill
was furnished to-day by Smith w.
Brookhart, Iowa radical elected as
Republican.
Mr.. Brookhart, who was heralded
as the successor of Roosevelt" by his
adherents in the region of the Misss-
sippi, made his debut as the most
ardent champion of the farmers
elected to Congress in many years.
He fully qualified to the role, but he
did not live up to the advance notices
which described him as fire eater"
of the Jack Cade or Cromwell type or
the coming chieftain on which the
mantle of Hiram Johnson was to fall.
Mr. Brookhart did provide a most
instructive view of the ambitions of
the new radical school. of which he
is the most conspicuous example yet
to come to the Senate He did so in
the 1900 word speech he read to the
Senate much after the manner OF
college sophomore delivering an ora
ton Here is one paragraph:
1T is q strange Psychology when
the mind refuses to see before its very
eyes the flag nailed to the masthead
of every ship by the hand Of the Gov
ernment itself. 1t is more strange and
more weird IL our patriotism shall not
become genuine until it is garnished
and supported by unfurling the yell,w
flag of Wall Street above the Stars
and Stripes"
Believe Bark Worse Than Bite.
This and other bizarre gems of
metaphor aroused the farmers OF
Iowa to an exalted state of mind dur
ing the recent campaign and let loose
surcharged emotions which spurred
them to send Mr.. Brookhart to the
Senate with a margin of 10000 votes
over his Democratic adversary.
After listening to the maiden effort
of the Iowa radical" who was sched-
uled TO become the Moses TO lead the
way through the lean agrarjan wilder
ness to the promised land a full and
attentive audience of Senators decided
that Mr.. Brookhart's Nark was worse
than his bite. No revolutionary chief
tain could have been less alarming; no
statesman responding to the advance
thought" Of the discontented less
blatant. demagogic or orally ferocious.
The fact is.. after listening to the
first chapter of his maiden effort, yet
70 be completed, most of Mr.. Brook
larts Senatorial associates voted him
as mild hammered crusader as ever
cameJ out of the wheat belt with
message and warning calculated -
make ne reactionary politicians of
the country tremble in their boots.
only Casual Attention.
His meticulously phrased address
which revealed studious and accurate
research. lacked the fire that reflects
unusual forensic skill. While never
dreary or boresome, the message that
Mr.. BrooShart delivered held only
casual attention after the first five
minutes. Perhaps Mr.. Brookhart will
do better when he gets the feel of TIE
Senate. as II were. and under the urge
Of controversial combat
Holding the center of the stage with
out interruption Mr.. Brookhart read
and at times droned-his carefully pre-
pared denunciation of political methods
and economic conditions with intense
earnestness II was n complete re-
Election of the dominant thought of the
agricultural regions. IT was the sort OF
speech long familiar to the sponsors
and followers Of the Nom Partisan
League in the Dakotas.
Mr. Brookhnrt was at n disadvantage
in following Senator Borah. who was at
his best. and John Sharp Williams
v-ro~e viewpoint is always logical and
v hose conclusions are sound and in
s'rictive. Pitted against two such es-
tablished aristocrats of intellectual
technic Mr.. Brookhart neither "set fire
10 the Senate" nor gave cause for ap-
prehension TO those who jealousy
guard their hard won regulations for
legislative polemics.
FInttcring Interest at First.
. The Senate displayed hattering in
terest I'm Mr.. Broothart for many peril
nent reasons. The most important OF
these was his victory in the face Of
the opposition Of the more conservative
and reasonably liberal minded leaders
of~his own party. the next his open
opposition TO the policies Of the Har-
ding Administration. and, finally. his
expressed declaration of war against
every element and influence in ma
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