Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-11-20
PROGRESSIVES MAKE PLANS
nv j. Frederic Haskin

WA NONs HO.-IiO-
gressive leaders now in Washington
are preparing for a series OF
conferences that will be held the
last of the month to work out a
legislative program for which the
so-called progressive bloc will fight
during the session of congress that
convenes the first week in December.
AT the same time plans will be made
for the contest over organization
matters which the progressives will
make in the House.
Representative John M. Nelson,
IF Wisconsin, chairman of the House
bloc, has said that this latter is the
matter of first Importance to the
group over which he presides. I'm
less the progressives are able to
secure sufficient places on the big
committees of the House to make
their strength felt they can not hope
to accomplish a great deal in the
way of legislation. That they will
land any of the more important
chairmanships is scarcely to be ex-
pected, but they are hopeful of Sc
curing recognition commensurate
with their real strength, which they
say is greater than is indicated by
the mere number of votes they can
muster.
Headed by a solid delegation of
ten Republican Representatives
from Wisconsin the 1progressives
claim that they will have a voting
strength of from thirty to fifty MEM
bers. This is but a fraction of the
number needed to control the or
ganization of the mouse, but IL a bloc
of that size can be held together 1t
will constitute q balance of power
between the regular Republicans and
the Democrats. AS such 1t can
force concessions for the very good
reason that the regulars will need
those votes in order to retain con-
troll of the machinery of the House.
The speakership, the chairmanshlps
of all the committees, a majority
membership on each of h commit
tees and all the House patronage
are at stake, SO it is regarded as
probable that compromise rather
than open warfare will be the order
of the day when congress meets.
The progressive leaders are not
i%ndulging in threats and insist that
they will be entirely reasonable m
their demands. They are not asking
assurances that any of thei Iegls-
lative proposals will be put through.
All they are asking is that they be
given committee representation that
will make it certain that what they
bring forward in the way of legisla-
ton will be fairly and adequately
considered n brought before the
House. They will take the chance
that what they propose will win on
it's merits, or by reason of an
public sentiment which congress will
not care to antagonize on the eve
of a national campaign.
The -progressives, if they are o
hesive and aggressive, will WELD
more influence and power in the
than in the House. The mar
gin of control is much narrower IN
the upper branch of congress than
in the lower, and the procedure In
the senate is such that a determined
minority can just about get what 1t
wants or make it impossible for
any other group to get what 1t
wants.
Twelve or thirteen senators are
said to be lined up with the pro-
21eSSlN6 DiOC. 1Ity iHSiuoSt NAhCiHo
the Republicans, LaFollette, of Wis
consin: Frazier, of North Dakota;
Brookhart, of Iowa, and Norris and
possibly Howell, of Nebraska; Ladd,
OF North Dakota; and Norbeck, of
South Dakota. In some matters of
legislation it is said that Borah, of
Idaho, and Couzens. of Michigan,
will also line up with this group.
Among the Democrats claimed for
the bloc are Adams, of Colorado;
Wheeler, of Montana; Dill, of Wash
ington; and possibly Maytield, OF
Texas. Thentwo Farmer-Labor SEN
ators from Minnesota-Shipstead
and Magnus Johnson-are of course
included in the bloc.
Senator LaFollette is generally re-
garded as the leader of this minor
ity, but leadership is an exceedingly
delicate matter among men of that
temperament. To assert it would be
to lose it, almost inevitably, for pro-
gressives are essentially radical and
every true radical is a leader. In
fact. the bloc has been likened to
a small army made up entirely oil
major generals, with not a private IN
the outfit, or to a band composed OF
drum majors.
The comparisons may be q bit eX-
treme, but the progressives them
selves admit that their weakness as
a group lies in the strong indiVld-
ualities of its members.
= y y
Perhaps the real reason for the
get together conferences is not SO
much the desirability of agreeing up
on a program as it is the recognized
difficulty of bringing about such an
agreement. Nearly every member
of the bloc has a pet measure or re-
form proposal which to him Is the
most important matter that could
be brought before congress and the
country. He doesn't merely think
that it is-he knows 1t! therefore,
il will take some comforting to per-
suade him to agree to a program
that does not give precedence to his
own hobby.
Similarly it can be seen h a a
progressive may regard his assign
ment to a certain committee as or
more Importance than all other
questions of committee representa-
ton put together and be disposed
to lose interest in the | move
ment unless he is to get what ne
wants. -
Thus a legislative program that
embodies all the ideas of all the
~progressives, and an organization
plan that covers the individual am
| billions of all the members, are hkely
to be rather large UNCERTAINTIES
| large, in fact, as greatly to mini
mize the chances of any real accom-
plishment.
Leaders of the regular or ortno-
| dox groups of both the major parties
-. ;f tba proqrasSiVeS as