The Colorado statesman., 1923-11-03
ONLY FIFTEEN NoMINALLY AND
SOME OF THESE ARE LIKELY
TO STRAY FROM FOLD.
WHIP WILL HAVE HARD TASK
President Coolidge Evidently Trying
to Satisfy the Desires Of Those Re-
Publicans Whose Loyalty to the
Party ls Rather Shaky.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

cember proves that the Republican
leaders must walk wary" lest they
undo the party. Is the house in real
ity Republican house? 1t would take
a test vote on some strictly partisan
measure to supply the answer.
On paper the number fifteen will
represent the majority of the Repub-
licans in the next house. This is a
small margin and as some so-called
Republicans are likely to leave the
reservation on the slightest excuse for
removing themselves, the majority of
fifteen may go the way Of early day
mist.
The following figures tell the story:
There will be 225 Republicans of the
name In the house; 207 Democrats
one Socialist; one Independent, what
ever that means, and one who was
elected as a Farmer-Laborite. Special
elections to come are certain to bring
the Republican majority down to tif-
teen.
Some of the members who were
elected as Republicans think along La
Toilette -BroOkhart lines. Conservative
legislation, such as it is presumed Cal
win Coolidge, If he should follow the
bent of his mind, would be likely to
suggest for enactment, would have
hard time Of 1t in securing the sane
tion of the Republicans acting as
body. When the table of membership
Is looked at and there is realization
of the unsteadiness of the Republican
ism of some of the Republicans, 1t is
easy enough to understand why what
ordinarily is considered conservative
Republican doctrine probably will be
looked upon as something else by some
of the progresslves who constitute no
inconsiderable part of the house body.
Hard Task for the Whip.
The Republican "whip" of the next
house, if he shall succeed in holding
the unruly in bounds, will deserve well
of his Republican comrades and of the
administration. There was time
when the party whip had little to do,
but those were the days of overwhelm-
ing majorities, when the party leaders
could look with equanimity on a revolt
of thirty to forty Of their followers,
knowing that there were enough left
to do the voting job well and surely.
There are some vacancies in the
house, but it is virtually foregone
conclusion that six of the seats will be
won by the Democrats and three by
the Republicans, and this result has
been taken into consideration in giving
the membership figures set down
above.
A Democratic victory where Repub-
lican victory was expected, or the re-
verse, would be of small moment when
the general situation is considered.
Whether the majority is fourteen, fif-
teen or sixteen makes little or no diff
ference. The road to the goal of party
accomplishment through the house of
representatives will be rough in any
event.
Coolidge Tries to Please Them.
Everything that has been done by
the President up to the present time
shows that he is trying to satisfy the
wishes, if not the requests, of those
Republicans who, it is feared, might
lump the fences unless heed is given
to their pleadings, which on more than
one occasion have taken on the form
of demands. An inquiry into the wheat
situation in the Northwest, now in
progress, is case in point.
An attempt Is to be made this win
ter by minority of the majority to
secure changes in the transportation
act. The West and Northwest partic-
ularly do not like that part of the act
which virtually guarantees the rail
roads a certain return. There are
good many out-and-out government
ownership advocates in the lower
house and there are some in the upper
house. If legislation which some per-
sons look upon as being radical once
shall get started in the house, no one
can tell what may happen, because
there are radical Democrats just as
there are radical Republicans.
publican leaders will attempt to do
Is TO placate their brethren In some
way SO that they will remain with the
conservatives on matters considered
crucial to party success in the coming
election.
1t will be trifle easier to hold the
Republicans together because the cleo
tion is to come on next year. Even
those who seemingly only call them
selves Republicans realize that the
party name will mean something to
them in a general election and that if
the nominee for the presidency goes
down to defeat he is likely to carry
with him the Republican candidates
for the house, even If at heart they
are opposed to the general administra-
tive endeavor.
The thing that the conservative Re
Huqhes Complains Of Time Waste.
Secretary of State Hughes delivered
himself of the following in speech
1t Providence. r. l.:
public officers are forced to give