The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-06-17
LOSS OF CONTROL
 OF SENATE FEAR OF REPUBLICANS
Majority Party None Too Sure That They Can Hold
 Strength In Election
By RAYMOND CHAPTER (Lensed Wire To Age-HeraId.)

(LenSed wire To AEe-Aer1ld.)
 WASHINGTON. June 16.-Repub- licans are beginning to fear they may lose control of the Senate in the 1924 election. At present they are rather insecure in the upper house as their margin of ten votes includes such uncertain quantities as LaFollette. Brookhart and Ladd, who vote against the administration party as often as they vote with 1t.
 A survey of the states that elect new senators next year sends chills down the spines of the republican chieftains here and they are none too certain that they can hold even the nominal majority they now have in the Senate.
 In the first place, the republicans stand little chance to pick up any seats now held by democrats be- cause all except three of the minority members up for reelection come from the solid south where no re- publican has show. The three northern democrats whose terms ex- pire are Walsh of Massachusetts. Walsh of Montana, and Adams of Colorado, recently appointed to sue ceed the late Senator Nicholson. In view of Lodges close escape from defeat in Massachusetts last Novem-
 
 lar among the large Irish popula- tion, Is conceded good chance against any republican that may be nominated. In Montana. a democrat. Burton K Wheeler, was elected last November. Walsh has served two terms and his re-ele&tion is likely unless some candidate of unusual strength should appear against him. Colorado elects two senators in 1924, as the regular term of Phipps eX- pires then and the vacancy created by Nicholson's death must be filled manently The state went demo- cratic in the gubernatorial election last November. The democrats be- lieve they should hold at least one of the two seats next year.
 So. that the chances of republicans capturing any seats from the demo- crats are slight.
 Hope To Hold Ranks.
 The question, then, becomes one of the republicans holding what they have. In view of republican losses, last November , the administration party must expect hard fighting to keep Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois. New Hampshire. West Vir- ginia, New Jersey and Delaware.
 Republican senators already have made known their fears to Presid ent Harding. The real purpose of the visit of Senator Moses. chairman of the republican, senatorial campaign. to the Waite House this week was to impress upon the President the danger that Is ahead and to urge him to lend all possible local assistance through his western speeches on the trip beginning Wednesday.
 The immediate danger spot is Min neso, where the farmer-laborites are conceded good chance of sending their own man down to Washington to succeed the late Knute Nelson Democrats. having little hope of electlng their own candidate, are ex- pected to throw their support to the farmer-laborite in order to defeat tho republican candidate. If the repuo- lican is beaten and Minnesota has two farmer-la3or candidates, the ad- ministration may as well count Min nesota lost In 1924.
 Fear Third Party.
 Incidentally, the nucleus of real third party movement will move onto the national political landscape if the independents carry this election While the movement may be too young to get much of start In 1924, the organization will spread to favor able states and the framework of a real national party, built on liberal policies, will be laid This organiza- tion may be a powerful machine by 1928 and then may come the real po- litical upheaval with new division of parties on conserva- tive basis that has been quadreniaily predicted for many years.
 So the President and his advisers regard it as imperative that the far merlaborite be fel]ed with q hard blow now before they grow too strong.