The Washington times., 1923-11-21
PR D c RESS|vES
|NCONGRESS
WANT AIR
Their Immediate Object Is
Change in Debate RuIes-Sit-
uation Endangers Tax Cut.
BY WILLIAM HARD.

publicans in the approaching mo-
mentouS session of the House OF
Representatives.
William J. Graham. of Illinois,
IS per cent progressive will be de-
feated by Longworth.
"Then Graham's followers, in
anger and awakened 'progressivism,
will join themselves to the followers
of John M. Nelson, of Wisconsin,
100 per cent progressive and to
the Democrats, and win start in
and revise the rules of the House
so as to make larger and longer
and freer debate possible; and the
Mellon plan for reducing the sur
taxes on the incomes of the large
taxpayers will run into a strong
chance Of being talked into the
grave"
Such is one OF the strong pres
poets now created by the, de-
termination of Graham to run
against Longworth for the position
Of Republican floor leader.
LOngwOrth Is Inactive.
Longworth, as it happens, is not
giving himself the exercise OF run
ming at all. He is standing stock
still while members of the House
COLlc W oAAO pAAA SAACAA S~PROAO
him.
Longworth for years has enjoyed
all the pleasures of being in private
life in the House OF Representatives.
He likes his felloWman and likes
associating with him. He is In the
habit of solving public problems
during working hours but he IS
not in the habit Of supposing that
those hours extend twice all the
way around the clock every day.
He has been an ornament TO
Washington private life and ne
shows positively no enthusiasm at
all for being elevated to the posi-
ton of floor leader and for being
transferred accordingly to public
life all day and night long.
When after I'LL these years in the
House of Representatives he con-
templates plunging from private
life into public life he gets gloomy
and retiring. He has made not the
slightest effort to accumulate sup
port for the floor leadership office.
His sad fate is that almost every
body likes him and that almost two
thirds az the Republican members
of the House Of Representatives
have already stepped forward TO say
that they want tc consfgn him TO
the floor leadership and to unend.
ing drudgery as a slight testimonial
of their affection.
Graham Considered Retirement.
He is conceded 10 have humanity
and also no end of intelligence,
used and unused. His rival, Ora
ham. was at one time inclined TO
! retire altogether from the race
against Longworth. His resump'
ton OF that race has created a new
situation Of which the profit seems
likely to go to the La Toilette pro.
pressive group" which In the
House OF Repre- of Representatives
| is headed by Congressman nelson
Of Wisconsin.
Nelson already has been given a
special committee room in the Capl.
toll. in addition to his own personal
office in the House Office Building
to be the headquarters Of the pro
gressive group in the House. Thc
way to know whether a new move
ment in Washington amounts to any
thing or not is to notice whethe: or
not it gets a special committee room.
Nelson's movement has one.
This movement-the progressive
group''-has really one great I'M
mediate object. This object is rot
the election of anybody in particular
to be floor leader. 1t is not even
the grabbing off of new places for
"progressives" on the committees Of
the House. It is something consider
ably deeper.
PrOgressives Want Air.
The prime object of the ''progres
sive group" as an immediate propo'
sition is to open up the rules Of the
House in such way as to make ii
more difficult for the Republican
conservative majority OF the House
to smother progressive legislation
by preventing the "progressives'
from talking. The "progressives'
want air. That is their very first
aim.
They now welcome the running
of William Graham against Nicholas
Longworth. They do not intend, as
a group, officially, to give Graham
any support. For them Graham rs
at least so per cent politically
Objectionable. They regard "Bili'
as being at the most a half way
progressive" Moreover they al
least personally like Mick" So. as
a group, they intend to let Bill
and Mick" fight it out between
them and they hope that when
"Bill' gets defeated he will see
more clearly than ever the need Of
onening up the rules in such n way
as to give all ''progressives,
whether IS per centers or so pei
centers or 100 per centers, a chance
to talk.
A great many OF the Democrats
feel the same way. They want t.
talk too.
Coalition May Result.
The result may we'll be that g
coalition of Democrats. of Graham
Republicans, and of La Toilette
Nelson Republicans, will force
through revision of the rules and
will expose all administration con
servative legislation, including the
Mellon taxation plan, to a wither
ing fire Of hostile oratory.
In order to put the Mellon plar
through the House there would bt
needed a strong party discipline anc
a strong limitation of debate. M
useful end is served by asserting
any pretense to the contrary. Thu
Graham fight against Longwortl
will tend to divide the Republican
party in the House into three-in
stead of two-factions and 1t will
} lead ultimately toward making !
! more difficult to re-enact the rule
by (which strong limitations of de
bate are enforced.