The New York herald., 1922-12-05


judgment the shipping bill will take
the place OF the discredited bonus raid
on the taxpayers of the country as the
chief irritant in the Senatorial situa-
ton.
AS long as the Presi lent insists that
Z the shipping measure must be put TO a
vote Senator Lodge viii keep the
measure before the Senate. But more
than One of the other leaders privately
expressed the opinion that Presidential
insistence on the shipping bill unques-
tionably would tie up the appropria-
ton and other measures vital to the
welfare OF the public service.
Injection OF Schemes.
Meantime the agricultural and other
blocs. including that called into ex-
istence by the La Toilette conference.
will add to the gayeties and annoy
ances of the situation by dumping into
the Senate all sorts of schemes. which
will add to the confusion, and possibly
bring about a serious break In the Re-
publican ranks.
The President and his advisers do
not appear 10 be particularly con-
cerned over the purely political as
poets of the La Toilette venture. Their
appraisal of results is that there will
be. no serious detection from the over
whelming majority in both houses
during the present session. The Pres
ident and his friends are also con-
yinced that the La Toilette enterprise
will not result in any permanent
alignment on an extreme radical basis
because Of the wide divergence OF
! policies and opinions favored by par
ticipants in the conference called by
the Wisconsin Senator.
But The President and his advisers
do expect that Mr.. La Toilette and
such of the Senators as he can hold
together temporarily will constitute
themselves into bloc whose ambition
viii be to pun down the President
from the leadership of his party and
possibly drive him from the field OF
contenders in the next Presidential
contest.
The national capital. preparing for
O.. brilliant social season. expects the
utmost turmoil as a result of this de-
termination on the part of Mr. Har-
ding's critics in hts own party. There
Is yet TO be developed the exact line
UP in the two houses over the Admin
istration program which the President
Is soon to submit to Congress.
Lessons of the Election.
\ None of the leaders OF either party
appears to have correctly interpreted
the lessons implied by the recent cleo
tions. The professional Washington
view is entirely at variance with the
general understanding Of those re-
suits AS far as can be determined
the Republican leaders in Congress
have not moved to the formulation OF
u definite program 10 remove the
causes which prompted the voters TO
rebuke the Republican party by using
the Democratic party as a club rather
/, than because of any admiration for
democratic pretensions.
IN this respect the situation has not
clinhged since the second session. of
tht Sixty-seventh Congress adjourned
In September after enacting the tariff
bill and defeating the bonus raid by
narrow margin.
Senator'S and Representatives ap-
pearing for the final bout have brought
along just as many pork barrels snd
raids on the Treasury as they took
away with them. The admonitions of
the President and the Secretary OF
tho Treasury against any legislative
projects that will add to the stagger-
ing deficit now confronting the Gov
ernment have not apparently had the
slightest effect
The budget for 1924 submitted to-
day and calling for s31SG,S43,234-
about $500 000.0 less than last year
ATTRACTED little attention. The warn
ing OF Secretary Weeks that the
"meager strength" OF the army at
present is fraught with dangers TO
the national interest was passed over
indifferently The same attitude was
reflected toward the declaration Of the
naval Secretary that the personnel
provided at the last session is too
small for efficiency"
The pacifst elements which at the
last session ignored the wise counsel
of the President and the heads OF the
armed establishments have already in
dicated their purpose TO oppose the
Increases that are deemed vitality nee
essary by the executive authorities 10
place the country on a sound military
and naval footing. The malority of
Senators and Representative defying
leadership think only I'm political tc rms
Supporters OF the Administration poll
cies figure but little at present in their
plans for not only the present but for
the next session of Congress.