The Washington times., 1922-12-24
Progressive Bloc May Throw
speakership to Democrats
syT Splitting Vote -of' Party
NUMEROUS RuMoRs AFLoAT
Probable Scraps In Ranks OF
Both Majority and Minority
Held Certain Of Development
ty WINDER r. HARRIS.
Universsl Service.

II Vu1v0tU01 0oxvbCDs .E q
r. Reorranization Of the House. In
the Sixty-eighth Congress again
became ! live topic around the
Capitol this week when . report
gained circulation that the. Pro-
.gressive bloc would support Rep
sresentative Henry Allen Cooper,
Progressive Republican. !, Of Wis
eouSin. for Speaker - y
sponsors OF the Cooper boom.
according to tho report. claimed
he would have the support Of the
entire Wisconsin Progressive Re-
publican. delegation Of ten membsrs
4 and D number Of Progressive Re
I publicans and independents from
other States.
) MIGHT CHANGE MAJORITY.
The significance- Of this situation
lis that II might mean that the.
d Democrats would name the Speaker.
51ehe Republicans have . majority
Z of only eighteen over the Demo
9crats In the next House and but
fifteen over all. A plurality 10 suffi-
4cient under the rules to elect the
Speaker. Therefore. sixteen defec-
tions from the @. o. p. ranks. along
! with the three independents. would
ieave the Democrats with q bare
majority.
Democrats are not taking much
stock in talk of q Republican split.
But Democratic leaders say that
there Will be no deal between
the Democrats and the Progressive
House or on q Legislative program.
Gv,rA -o0Yo~vnont USon AoClQ rod
out Of the question. and II the
Democrats should get the Speaker
ship or accomplish any other re-
saults, 1t must be by the voluntary
action of the ProEressives.
MIGHT MAKE TROUBLE.
The reason advanced for this at.
titude is that IL the Democrats were
to enter into q plan Of definite CO.
operation with the Progressives,
there would como times when II
would prove embarrassing. Some of
the ultra-progressive measures ex-
pected to be demanded by the bloc
VIII not be supported by the Demo
crats, II Is declared. Moreover,
with an eyesto 1924, the Democrats
want to staAd on their own feet.
The Den16eFatic plan ID to formu.
lAte at the very outset OF the new
Congress Definite program Of their
own. This program viii embrace
the measures the minority believes
the people demand. Leaders land
out of Congress are now engaged in
drafting it. When completed and
approved by the Democratic eau
c,Ises of the Senate and House. 1t
WIN be made public. -
LOOK TO 1924. 80
Added to from time to time, as
0onditions warrant. tho Democratic
program will be constantly pressed
upon the two houses As one mi
nority leader said, they will put Il
up to the Republicans and force
them to translate Il into legislation
or face the issues involved In the
Presidential election" This plan, Il
n. stated. was followed by, the Demo
which was followed by q Democratic
Immediate interest on the Demo
hfatic side Of the House now IL cen.
tered in tho fight over the leader
ship. Supporters OF Representative
Finis J. Garrett, Of Tennessee. the
present acting leader, and Repre-
sentative John N. Garner, of Texas,
acting leader TOR Tho party on the
Ways and Mems Committee. are
actively campaigning on the pre-
sumption that Representative Claude
Ntchin, Of North Carolina, the pres
ent titular leader, IN out Of the
face on account Of his health. Mr..
Kitchin has not announced hts re-
tirement ~ yet, II his health I'm
proves he may come back and heave
his sombrero into tho ring again.
HOT SCRAPS PROMISED.
The Garrett Garner campaign
promises to develop into q red hot
scrap by the time Of the caucus.
Intensive missionary work among