Evening star., 1922-01-04
M'CUMbER IN LINE
FOR SENATE POWER
Brought Into Prominence on
i Finance Committee by
) Death of Penr0Se.
FARM BLOC INTERESTED
Senator's Coming Battle in North
Dakota for Reelection Involved
! ! in Present Situation.
I ny DAVID LAWRENCE.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


! by DAVID LAWRENCE.
/ The emphasis has turned again
I from international 10 national ques-
!, tions-or rather from external to in
ternal matters.
President Harding has started the
new year with his mind fixed on
strengthening out, as far as possible,
1rhe economic situation which con-
fronts his administration, in the hope
/ that the next few months will pro-
/. vide some cure which will help the
I republicans retain control of Con-
gress in the fall elections.
I Although the cabinet spent the
greater part of Tuesdays session us
cussing the part America should play
in the world economic conference, ne
(, ing talked about in Europe, the policy
in the minds of all. no matter now
! divergent the suggestion made. was
that the United States should not
assume the leadership or take the
initiative but should examine care
: fully any proposals made to 1t Dy
foreign countries.
OvershadOws Conference.
. Meanwhile the calling of an agri-
cultural conference by Secretary Wal
lace, the consideration of Il new
tariff act which shall give the Presi-
dent plenty of discretion to NIX rates
as conditions change. pressure 10 get
power from Congress to arrange Tor
a refunding of the allied war dept
and the unique situation which mas
: arisen in the Senate finance commit
tee through the death of Senator zen,
rose have brought about general
situation which for the moment far
overshadows the arms conference.
Within two or three weeks the con-
ference will have passed into history
In keeping with his policy from the
beginning Mr.. Harding has let Secre-
tary Hughes wreStle with the inter-
national questions. and now is con-
central ting more than ever on the STU
alton in Congress.
Z When IL became apparent that Sena-
tor McCumber of North Dakota was
next in line to Senator Penrose as
chairman of the all-important finance
Committee, there were no loud cheers
from the White House. Much has been
written from Washington about the
meaning of MIR. McCumberS ascend
tancy 1t has been described as the
transfer of political power from the
east to the west, the triumph OF the
agricultural bloc. But the significance
of Mr.. McCumbers sudden leap INTO
the most powerful place in the Senate
is broader than that, for the North
Dakota senator is not owned body and
soul by the agricultural bloc-he Is
not one of its prime movers, although
he has gone along with that group on
many questions in the Senate.
Supported League of Nations.
Mr.. McCumber has a fight for re-
election in North Dakota next autumn
which has more of a relationship to
his position on national matters than
appears on the surface. In his day
Mr.. McCumber has been a straight
republican, something of stand
friend of President Taft. Later he
espoused the Wilson cause On the
league of nations. and stood alone
on the republican side.
His colleague in the Senate, Mr..
Gronna. was defeated because he was
not radical enough to suit the Nom
Partisan League. which supported the
new senator. Ladd. Now Mr.. Gronna
has turned som ewhat to the cOnServa-
tive side of things and looks for sup
port mostly from the elements which
are apparently on top in North
Non-Partisan League in state cleo
tionS would indicate.
Mr.. McCumber. originally n regular
and a conservative, f1irted bit with
the Non-Partisan League six years
ago, and was elected by a comfortable
majority. His dilemma today is
therefore this: Shall he lean toward
the radical side, stick closer to the
agricultural bloc and make a bid for
the Non-Partisan League vote in
North Dakota, or shall he follow the
trend of the recent elections and cut
the ground, so to speak, from his
opponent, Mr.. Gronna. by. showing
himself to be a conservative repub-
lican?
If Mr.. McCumber adopts the latter
course, he is more than likely to have
behind him the full weight of the
Harding administration in his cam
paign for reelection. His chairman
ship of the finance committee would
in those circum stances help win him
prestige and support in his home
state. If he goes along with the
administration. he will then be able
senator's as to their special value
to a state because of an important
Craftsmanship.
Friend of Soldier Bonus.
1t is fact that thus far Mr.. Nc
Cumber has been somewhat of a
thorn in the side of the Harding
administration. He Joined hands
with the agricultural bloc last sum-
mer and tried to force the soldier
bonus to the front. Notwithstanding
a request from the executive that the
matter be pigeonholed, and it was on
account of Mr.. McCumber's per-
sistence that President Harding
found it necessary to address the
Senate in person on the bonus
question.
If Mr.. McCumber gets the chairman
ship of the finance committee and
doesn't really become an administra-
tion spokesman and supporter, but an
opponent, the chances will be
against his getting administration
support in North Dakota. Should he
be defeated, Senator Smoot of Utah,
admittedly one of the most capable
men in the Senate in this generation,
would automatically become chair
man of the finance committee.
If it did not disturb the whole
scheme of seniority of committees,
MIR. Smoot would get the job now, for
he is the real choice of the admin
istration. The disposition Of the ad-
ministration, however. is not to an
tagonize Mr.. McCumber at this TIME.
but to assume that he will play
ball" The test will come at once on
the permanent tariff bill, which will
be considered and passed in the next
few months. To the extent that Mr..
McCumber co-operates with the ad-
ministration on that task will de-
pend not only his own seat in the
Senate, but reconciliation of the
agricultural bloc of the west and the