The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-02-16
THINK CAPPER
WILL Be FARM
BLOC LEADER
Kansas Senator Said to be
Best Qualified for the Task
Kenyon Wearied of OPP
posing Colleagues, Belief.
PLACE Is UNPLEASANT
by MARK SULLIVAN

w YIN, tD. lO.-I uc uc
parture of Senator Kenyon somewhat
leaves the farm bloc worse off for
leadership. 1t is true Senator Kenyon
was not leader in the usual sense.
The farm bloc hung not upon his per-
sonality, but upon economic conditions
in the home states of the individual
members. Nevertheless it was Senator
Kenyon who presided at their meetings
and who provided focus for them in
the alignment against the regular Re
publican organization.
There are others remaining in the
farm bloc who are as able as Kenyon,
but not many others who command as
much confidence as Kenyon did.
There are several members of it
more radical than Kenyon, but none
who inspire so much dependence on
his judgment.
Leadership is largely an accident of
personality. McNary, of Oregon, is
fully as able as Kenyon. Indeed, Nc
Nary has enough ability to qualify as
an unusual senator, but he has not
the steadily burning ambition that
leadership calls for.
Norris, of Nebraska, is a senator of
long experience, but the rather eX-
treme for Of his radicalism would cause
some members of the farm bloc to
hesitate about accepting him as lead
er. Probably the man who Will come
closest to stepping into Kenyon's shoes
IS Capper of Kansas.
Takes Unusual Qualities
To be the leader of an insurgent
movement against regular party or
ganization takes unusual qualities. 1t
is a disagreeable task in a double
sense. and to carry il through involves
willingness both to be disagreeable
yourself and to endure disagreeable-
Tess from others.
1t is commonly believed that one of
the reasons for Senator Kenyon's will
ingness to quit lay in the fact that he
was tired of being disagreeable. Ken
yon is a friendly and fairly gregarious
person. and the long strain of standing
out against the regular party leaders
got on his nerves.
The leader of an insurgent move
ment is made aware every minute OF
every day in a thousand subtle ways
that he has outIawed himself and that
he is not a part of his party frater-
nifty.
Outside the Lodge
He is outside the lodge, so 10 speak,
and he is made to feel so constantly.
That is the reason it happens occasion
ally that a man who merely starts out
bv leading a temporary rebellion ends
by becoming a solitary and embittered
man. There is. at least, one example
of this in the senate now. 1t was for
this fate that Kenyon did not have the
stomach.
His speech against Newberry, which
was one of the latest and most con
spicuous of his acts of insurgency, car
ried much evidence of how unpleasant
10 himself Kenyon felt his insurgency
to be.
When the case came up Kenyon
said It would be much more agreeable
10 vote to seat Newberry, and that, Il
II was a matter of Newberry's fate
alone. he would probably vote for him
but that it was a matter of principle
and precedent.
His Position Grew Irksome.
There are men who enjoy this klnC
Of rebellion and conspicuous STANDING
out from the crowd, but Kenyon haC
moods when he didn't like it. and i
was IN these moods that he longed TO
the peace and security of fedora
iudgeshfp. Moreover. Senator Kenyon
was friendly with his colleague, thu
senior senator from Iowa, Cummins
and to Kenyon it was unpleasant Il
be continually voting on the othe
side from Cummins By implication
Kenyon was constantly saying in ei
feet that Cummins was wrong. Cum
MINIS and Kenyon could not both b.
right.
To what extent President Harding
and the regular Republican organiza
ton hoped to profit or may profit b,
Kenyons retirement, remains to b
seen Probably not much. If ther
was any expectation that by deprivini
the farm bloc of its leadership
would be possible to destroy or greatl
weaken the bloc, that expectation viii
probably be defeated.
Benefit Is Gone.
The public interested in Kenyon
retirement. which has made it almos
nationwide issue has robbed til
act of most of its possible benefit t
the regular Republican organization
Just how much this motive ma
have figured with President Hardin
no one can tell. 1t is hardly to be be
lieved that Harding made Kenyon
federal judge out of love and affeC
ton solely. Harding does not hav
rove anu dlleCilOH lOf men VINO 1lOu
their party organization as Kenyo
did Harding seems to be a man VIII
feels personally hurt by lack of part
loyalty He had that point of vie'
long before he was president. back i
the days of the progressive party.
On the other hand, it is certain the
Harding and the other party leader
did not invent the idea of offering
federal judgeship TO Kenyon in orde
10 get him out of the senate. Kenyo
has longer for a federal judgshi
for years. At least he had mood
when he wanted it. Most public me
regard it is an odd point of view.
Generally speaking, a senatorshi
is regarded as much more desirab
than a circuit judgeship. There haH
4 been men who left the senate to tal
seat on the supreme court benc
but none that the politicians remer
her who left the senate to take
minor judgeship like Kenyon's.
Copyright 1922, by the New YoI
Evening Post Inc)