Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-12-13
Five of Lafollette Supporters
Vote for Democrat in Choice
Chairman Interstate Com
merce-Lone Democrat Bolts
and Deadlock Holds-Pact
Made to Defer Vote to
Monday

Washington, Dec. 12.-Sharp shift
ing of lines in the Senate today fail
ed to break the deadlock over the
election of a chairman of the inter-
state commerce committee and after
three ballots the Senate adjourned
until Saturday with an agreement
that further voting will be deferred
until Monday.
Five of the seven senators who
since the beginning of the deadlock
last Monday had supported Senator
Lafollette of Wisconsin, the Repub-
lican insurgent leader, voted today
for Senator Smith of South Caro-
lima, the Democratic candidate, but
he failed by one vote to obtain the
majority necessary for election. One
Democrat, Senator Bruce, of Mary
land, bolted his party ticket, sup
porting Senator Cummings. Repub-
lican, Iowa.
After adjournment, Senator Brook
hart, Republican, Iowa, who started
the inSurgent vote for Smith, said
it looked as though there had been
a secret bipartisan understand
ing because there was a Democrat
who voted for Smith every time until
his vote would have elected him and
then he voted for Senator Cum
mings."
Denying that he had had any I'M
Outstanding with the Republicans lie
fore he changed his vote, Senator
Bruce. in a formal statement, de-
clared he had acted solely upon his
own initiative.
II changed my vote" he said, 90
cause it seemed to me that the
Democratic members of the Senate
had arrived at point in their dead
lock at which they were merely
playing into the hands of the La
toilette Magnus, Johnson Brookhart
radical element which. it soon be-
came apparent, was opposing Senator
Cummings for no reason in the world
but because he is, perhaps, the most
conspicuous representative in Con-
gresS of the sounder and saner pub
lie views relating to the railroads and
the vital popular interests that clus-
ter about them"
Further efforts to break the dead
lock were made after adjournment
of the Senate today and there were
IepOltS lldI the insurgents PROBABLY
would be able to throw an additional
vote Monday to Senator Smith, but
whether this would result in the
breaking of the tie-up remained to be
developed. Some of the insurgents
declared today that their action in
disregarding party lines in the bal
lot1ng was indicative of their deter
mination to have at the head of the
interstate commerce committee some
senator other than Mr.. Cummings
On the first ballot today-the
seventh since the deadlock began
two Republican insurgents, Brook
hart of Iowa Frazier. of North
Dakota. and the two Farmer-Labor
senators from Minnesota. Shipstead
and Johnson, switched from La
toilette to Smith. Senators Norris
and Howell of Nebraska, and Ladd
of North Dakota, continued to vote
for the Wisconsin senator. while
Bruce voted for Cummings. Smith
and Cummings each received 40 votes
and Lafollette three.
Ladd Joined. the insurgents sup
porting Smith on the second and
third ballots. but Norris and Howell
voted for Lafollette to the last, while
Bruce maintained his support of
Cummings. On the second ballot
Smith polled Al votes, one short of
the necessary majority. to 80 for
Cummings and two for Lafollette. On
the third ballot Smith had Al votes,
Cummings 40 and Lafollette two.