Evening star., 1923-07-24
Nv FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

OMAHA, Neb. July 24.-Amid the
encirclinE gloom of western radical
ism. keep an eye on Robert Beecher
Howell. the new republican senator
from Nebra ska-six feet of rugged
progressivism, and all of 1t on the
ground: a man with the idealism OF
La Toilette and the engineering mind
of Hoover swept into Congress on
the tidal wave of rural discomfort.
but with no fanatic schemes for re-
moving it. Howell is destined to NIL
the place in the Senate left vacant
by the retirement of Kenyon. He
comes at a psychological moment,
and unless all signs are misleading,
will be healthy influence on Capt.
tol Hill when so-caIled fellow-pro-
gressives start rainbow chasing.
The country will soon know Howell
for what he is. Il constructive, coura-
geous character, filled to the brim
with sympathetic knowledge of
what's wrong with the west and
forceful advocate of sane remedies.
Nebraska, with Nom Partisan League
and farmer-labor radicaliSm ready to
flood it from MsneSota on the north
and Iowa and Wisconsin on the east.
counts itself fortunate to have SEN
ator of the Howell breed: He yields
nothing to his colleague, Senator Nor
ris in progreSSiviSm, as distinguished
from stalwartiSm, but when La Fol-
lette leads the progressive bloc at
Washington into the clouds. Howell
will not follow. He has made no eN-
travagant promises to Nebraska and
entered no entangling alliances at
Washington.
Conditions Governing Election.
The conditions which permitted
Howell to defeat Senator Hitchcocks s
ambition for reelection in 1922 are
Identical with those which have pitch
forked Magnus Johnson into the
Senate from Minnesota. Distress and
depression among the farmers else
where In the west find their com
plete counterpart in Nebraska.
Howell was elected as regular re-
publican; for years he has been the
republican national committeeman
from this state and a member or the
'G o. p executive committee. But 1t
was not essentially republican
strength. that stood Howell in stead
last November. He was solldly packed
by the Partisan League and farm
er-labor element, which saw in MIN
less of republican organlzationlst
than an aggressive exponent OF pop
ular rights as against special inter-
eSts.
the celebrated balance of power
principle set up by A. c. Townley,
founder of the non-partisan move
ment, was typically eXemplineot. t
Townley's original idea was that
non-partisan- leaguers could best eH-
press themselves at the polls by Sc
lecting men from among regular
party nominees and then hurting their
full strength, like thunae1Trpbois' 1rbns
i'll Nebraska last year, the non-paru
san element voted for Howell. repup,,
lican for United States senator. and
for Bryan, democrat Tor sosert1i tI
Both were elected. thanks to the
Townley scheme of furnishing enc
mics" and "rewarding friends lts
advocates still exist and contend llat
this effectual obliteration, OF s pases
lines better serves radlcal pufpose
than any other method.
Others Who PrOfted by Method.
Half a dozen western men recently
elevated to high office achieved II
in that way. Senator wheeler, uen.
ecrat, of Montana; Senator ns3nr bro3n
Frazier. republican, of North pa
kota: Senator Dill. democrat, OF
Washington, and democratic COWS.
Davis 9kanssso; Swees are 'G9.eesuG cases in
point. Each of these was nom
mated as republican or temperate
regular. All owed tneir e,eoslp,. ewer''
idea. moblized on their behalf. The
newly organized federated farmer
labor party threatens to break with
that principle-to put labeled candi-
dates of it's own in the field in 1924,
i'll state and nation. But 1t remains
TO be seen whether the practice that
80 far has worked so potently will
not be maintained.
Harding Speeches DIsappOint.
President Harding's expedition into
= TO N"Ir""s'la Hardly any major
issue raised by him is without def
i..,u ami Immediate interest to this
great wheat t-growing, corn raising.
dered by the Missouri and pierced by
the Platte. One gathers in Omaha.
Lincoln. Grand Island and other CEN
ters of Nebraska the thought that
on the whole, vague and a little un-
inspiring. They did not seem to hold
out enough categorical promise of
relief to arouse enthusiasm. Ne
braskans apparently considered the
Presidents utterances good enough
as far as they went, but felt they
did not go far enough. They missed
in them anything around which the
stricken west could rally, either
hopefully or emotionally. COM
mon comment is that Mr.. Harding
covered a lot of ground in the alb
stract and nothing very much in the
concrete.
/ His advocacy of the world court
pleased. for Nebraskanas are for
.laW, not war, ana, looking upon
the league of nations as no longer
within the scope of practical Ameri-
can politics. they like the gesture
howard International peace that ad-
hesion to the world court suggests
I Approve Prohibition Utterances
I Nebraska likes the Presidents
strong prohibitions views, too. 1t
thinks he took bold ground in advo-
eating cooperative marketing Yet
though voicing general approval of
Mr Harding's western utterances,
Nebraskans were not immensely
stirred by them. He carried the state
handsomely in 1920. Ask the average
well-informed Nebraskan whether
Harding could do SO in 1924. and the
almost universal answer is: Not
Rgainst man like Henry Ford 4"
Nhat seems to indicate that there is
Tothing in "Hardingism" which
promises better days to the Nebras-
ka farmer. Ford to him incarnates
the hope and the prospect of the
squarer deal the farmer demands.
Favor Ford for President
Nebraska may be one of the first
western states to organize a definite
rord-for-President movement along