Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-11
SENATOR ROBINSON
To BE NEW LEADER
OF PARTY IN SENATE
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Leased Wire Service to The JOURNAL
(Copyripht 1909

kLedS6Q wire service 10 Inc J0uf0al.J
Copyright, 1929
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-Senator
Joseph B. Robinson, of Arkansas,
will probably be elected leader of the
Democratic party in the United
States senate to succeed Oscar I'm
derwood, of Alabama.
This is the outlook today after
many weeks of maneuvering on" the
part of the Democratic leaders who
have. been in constant communica-
ton with some of the new senators
who were elected last autumn, but
who will not take their seats until
the session that is called after March
4. next.
Senator Simmons, of North Caro-
lima, has been put forward by many
of his friends as the logical success
sor to Mr.. Underwood because of
his length of service, but without
the slightest reflection on the ability
of Mr.. Simmons, the Democrats who
are behind Mr.. Robinson are anx-
ious to see him chosen because they
want more aggressive personality
to make the fight in the allim-
portant session of congress which
will precede the presidential cam
paign of 1924.
Mr.. Simmons was originally class
ed as a conservative when the Viii
son administration came into power
on a wave of progressiveisDl, but
while there was a furry at the time
about changing the seniority rule
so as to give committee chairman
ships to those who were supposed
to be more friendly to the progress
sivo doctrines of Woodrow Wilson,
it was finally decided by the latter
not to have any changes made at all.
In fact, nobody in the senate gave
better cooperation to the Wilson ad-
mirlistration than did Senator Sim
mons, of North Carolina, to whose
tact the passage, not only of the I'm
derwood- Simmons tariff law was due,
but many other measures of which
the Wilson. administration later
boasted.
The difference between Mr.. Rob
inson and Mr.. Simmons, therefore,
is not a question of progressiveism
or conservatism. 1t is really an eff
fort to get Mr.. Robinson in the sad
die because he is a younger man and
much more belligerent than Mr.. Sim
mons, in fact he is the type the
militant Democrats think will give
their political opponents all the po-
litical fight they need. If the sit
uations were reversed and the Dem
ocrats had the majority the Sim
mons type would probably be pre-
{ rred by the Democrats because he
is one of the best helmsmen the par
ty could wish for in steering legis-
lation through the senate.
But the business of minority lead
ers nowadays is to fight tooth and
nail and expose TIL flaws of the
majority program every minute of
the day. 1t is his job to keep his
party stirrt up too and voting solid
ly against party measures of the
other side.
There is another phase, however,
to the leadership contest. Mr.. SIM
mons halls from North Carolina and
Mr.. Robinson comes from state
west of the Mississippi river. The
Democrats in. presidential years
have often been chided in northern
states by the statement that the
north and west has little to say
about the Democratic party and that
it's committee chairmanships and
leadership are always southern. The
leaders of the Democatic party in
the last few years in congress have
hailed from southern states-the
late Senator Martin, Of Virginia,
Representative Claud Kitchen, of
North Carolina; Representative Car
rett, of Tennessee; Senator Under
wood, of Alabama, being prominent
among them. E