Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-10-20
REPUBLICAN MARGIN
. Of CONTROL NARROW
IN NEXT CONGRESS
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN

| w men LlS Sl&Ly-elSHLn COIlSEeSS CON
venes ir December the Republican
party will have q paper majority II
both branches. The margain OF con
troll is not large in either house ant
there s a group Of senators and rep
res9ntatives listed as Republican:
who may not perform when the par
| ty whip is cracked. They hold the
balance of power Of the senate ane
in the house, ard it remains to be
seen, therefore, whether the Repub
lican paper majority will be a work
| ing majority.
! However, as the record no"
stands, the political complexion o.
the new congress is as follows: Sen
| ate-5O Republicans, 43 Democrats
2 Farmer-Laborites and L vacancy
house-222 Republicans, 2O1 Demo
Gratis. 1 Farmer-Laborite, 1 Inde
perdent, 1 Socialist, and 9 vacancies
me vacancies all will be filled be
fore December and it is expected tha'
the Republicans will get the one
| 49, ator and three Of the representa-
tives. This would give the G. y. r
| a. majority of 6 in the senate and o.
| Is in the house.
Since the new congress was eject
ed last November, sixteen members
of the house have died or resigned
and three senators have died. Seven
of the house vacancies and two Of
chose in the senate have already been
filled, and the others will be taken
care of in special elections. There
are four gaps in the New York dele
cation in the house, while Illinois
Kentucky, Arkansas, North Carolina
and Vermont are each short one
member.
The three senators who died We're
Nicholson, of Colorado; Nelson, Of
Minnesota, and Dillingham;, of Yer
mont. The governor of Colorado ap
pointed a Democrat, Alva B. Adams
as successor to Nicholson, while Mag
nus johnson, the picturesque Farm
er-Laborite, won the spectacular
election to fill the vacancy caused by
the death of Knute Nelson. The
Vermont vacancy is still to be filled
but it is regarded as g. foregone con
clusion that a Republican will be
chosen.
The House Changes
The representatives who have died
and their successors so far as
chosen are: John L. Nolan, fifth
California, Republican, succeeded by
his wife, Mae e. Nolan, also Repub-
lican; Samuel Marx, nineteenth New
York, Democrat, succeeded by Sol.
Bloom, Democrat; James r. Mann,
second Illinois, Republican, succeed
ed by Morton d. Hull, Republican;
Henry Y. Osborne, tenth California
succeeded by John D. Fredericks,
Republican; John r. Tyson, second
Alabama, succeeded by Lister XIII,
Democrat; J. M. c. Smith, third
Michigan, Republican, succeeded by
Arthur 3. Williams, Republican,.
Those who have died and whose
successors are yet to be elected are
W. Bourke Cochran, sixteenth New
York, Democrat; Daniel j. Rlordan,
eleventh New York, Democrat; John
w. Rainey. fourth Illinois, Demo
crat; l.. e. Slayer, sixth Alabama,
Democrat; Claude Kitchen SECOND
North Carolina, Democrat; Luther
Mott. thirty-second New York, Re
publican; James c. Cantrill, seventh
kentucky, Democrat; James v
Ganly, twenty-fourth New York
Democrat.
Horace M. Towner, of the Eighth
Iowa district, Republican, resigned
to accept an appointment as gov
ernor of Porto Rico. His successor
Hiram K. Evans, is a Republican
Stanley Webster, of the fifth WASH
| ington, resigned to accept a Judlcla
appointment. He is a Republican
but his recently elected successor
Judge Sam B. Hill, is a Democrat
Porter H. Dale, Of the Second Yer
mont district, resigned to make the
! race for the late Senator DllllnS-
hams seat. His successor is still tc
be chosen.
Being a party whip in the mex
congress will not be a soft snaI
because the margin of control is sc
narrow in both houses, and because
of the uncertainty as to- the per
Torrance of some of the representa-
tives and senators. Party whips are
charged with the responsibility o.
seeing that all their party member
are on hand when an important
vote is to be taken, and when SO
called party measures are unoel
consideration they are supposed Il
see that all their party members
vote in orthodox party fashion.
Whips to Be Busy
| AVhen one party or the other has
an overwhelming majority in the
house or senate the whips have lit
tie to do, for on the one side it !!
certain that there will be sufficien
votes to control all partisan legisla
ton, while on the other side the
minority is so helpless that 1T Il
futile to attempt to accomplish any
thing save illuminate in the record
| But this winter the whips will o'
about the busiest individuals on Cap
| itol Hill National legislators have
q habit OF straying away from Wash
ington during sessions, when the!
are not particularly interested in TIT
bills that are under consideration
and absenteeism will be one h'
source Of trouble to the leaders VIM
WELD the party lash.
| However, the Republican whips
will have the more difficult tasl
| growing out Of the uncertainty as t
| how certain representatives and sen
ators will vote on party questions
! despite their avowed Republican al
| filiations
| A revolt has already Deen threaten
ed. In the house there is a group o
of members who were elected on tn
| Republican ticket but who call them
selves Progresslves and who are de
manding recognition in the matte
of committee assignments over AM
beyond their ordinary seniority
rights They are insistent that thu
element within the party which they
represent is entitled to chairman
ships which they might not secul'
On the old basis of length of service
end if the party organization is no.
willing to concede this to them they
| may kick over the traces and make
it impossible for the Republicans tt
organize the house.
For example, it is said that the en-
| tire delegation from Wisconsin il
the house will follow the leadership
| Of Senator La Toilette in any matter
| EI1of hos VT fo do an1i