Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-27
RADICALS TO ORGANIZE

RADICALS TO ORGANIZE
cENATOR LAFOLLETTE and
~ Congressman Huddleston of
Alabama have issued a call for a
conference of the national leaders
Of the radicals at Washington on
December 1 and 2. All the differ
ent groups are asked to participate.
Washington newspaper gossip is to
the effect that Senator LaFollette
wants to organize a new bloc in
congress, like the farmers bloc, to
back radical legislation in con-
gress; rather than to form a new
third party as some suspected. In
cidentally he wants it to join with
the agricultural bloc in fighting
the ship subsidy bill. Most of the
radical members of congress are
members of the agricultural bloc,
but many of these latter are not
radicals at all. Senator LaFollette
wants to control a radical bloc in
both parties who will vote for rad
ical measures and radical princi-
pies regardless of party. Both the
republican party and the democrat
ic party is split between conserva-
tives and radicals, but there is no
doubt that there are more radical
members of congress in the demo
cratic party than in the republi-
can party. Senator LaFollette
claims to be a republican. It is
doubtful if he would be accepted
as a leader by the radical demo
Gratis.
The ship subsidy bill will be
opposed by a nearly solid demo
cratic vote. A few stray demo
Gratis nay act with the republicans
on this bill, but they will be far
more than offset by the republi-
cans who will join the democrats.
Every radical in congress be he re-
publican nor derlocraat will vote
.against the bill. AS one r~epubli-
can pointed out in the house de-
bate the other day. The tell would
give about five million dollars an
nually to the Standard Oil com
pany for carrying it's own goods in
it's own vessels, and a million to
the United Fruit company, Both
these ship owning corporations pay
great dividends and have large sur
plus funds. Yet they would not
only be entitled to share in the
bonus taken from the taxpayers
pockets, but they would be entitl-
ed to borrow money from the gov
eminent at 2 per cent per anuunl
and be relieved of some portion Of
their taxes also.
Containing such provisions as
these it is not strange that all the
radical votes in congress are OPP
posed to the bill, and that the ag-
ricultural bloc also opposes it. A
man might be a strong conserva-
tive in his general temper and yet
refuse to support this bill, and il
is a fact that many conservative
democrats and some conservative
republicans are opposing it. The
dope at Washington now is that
LaFollette and other radicals are
preparing to wage a flllbuster
against the ship subsidy bill in the
senate. as a last resort in order to
put the bill over to the mex CON
gress, which is equivalent to its fin.
al defeat, as it would have no
chance with the new congress. Sen
ator LaFoIIette has some reputa-
ton as a fiiibuster in the senate.
He has talked for days at a time
single handed to defeat legislation
by time Limitation. Of course, they
now have a cloture rule in the
senate to shut off such deliberate
ly obstructive debate, but to oper,
ate it one must first get the sup
port of a majority of the senate,
and it is at least doubtful if the
administration can command such d
majority on this issue. We will
soon know more about that phase OF
the matter.
hANRE ROTARIANS MEET