The Washington times., 1924-01-05
SENATE BAT Tie
Hl|lGES0N
/ VOTE /,
Senator Smith May Be choselb
Monday # Lone Member
Switches Sides.
lContinued from Flrgt PAge.l

Continued from First PAge)
that Couzsns viii not IN any way i'm
pede and may even promote ! trans.
fer Of the progressive" votes from
himself to Smith.
A survey Of the Senate shows in
this matter today the following total
situation:
II al members Of the Senate are
present on Monday, the number Of
them required TO elect Smith will be-
korty-nine. The number Of Demo
cratic votes assured to him has been
forty.two. On Monday. the two
Farmer Iaborite Senators viii be
ready TO vote for him. This win
make fofty.fOur. There win then re-
main five further votes to be secured.
Toilette. Three Of them, 1t Is reason
ably assumed, win be furnished by
BrOOlkhart OF Iowa and by Ladd and
Frazier Of North Dakota, who ale
ready In the course Of this long
struggle have voted incidentally for
Smith.
One VOte Needed.
There remains one final vote to
find. There has been bold enE.
mise that perhaps It might be fur
naahed by Couzens himself. The
logical source for it would be Soma
tor Norris Of Nebraska, who IL one
Of Senator La Follette's closest
friends: but at that point the
strangest fact In this whole pro.
tracted battle begins again TO ap.
pear.
Norris IL opposed to voting for
Smith because he thinks that the
Republican Old Guard would really
like nothing better than TO eeo
Smith elected. In certain degree
there happens to be considerable
truth in Norris suspicious. Many
Old Guard Republicans would bo
charmed IL they could put upon the
Interstate Commerce Committee
Democrats the responsibility Of the
chairmanship.
They cannot very wen vote for
smith themselves but Il would
please them greatly II they could
tire the PrCgressives out into voting
for him.
WouId Shift Burden.
These Republicans calculate that
in the railroad question also.
for that matter. Ii the agricultural
question and IN almost every other
question-the present Congress win
achieve q record OF much cry and
little wool. Thew would have been
perfectly willing, from the very be.
ginning, to let the 'sProgressives''
and Democrats unite to take all the
chaifmanships IN the whole Senate.
They have shared the view Eenar
tor Smoot Of Utah has had regard.
ing taxation legislation. They have
thought that legislation In this Con.
gresS would consist of long debates
and small or no results.
They realize that the Congress Of
the United States has made great
progress recently toward arriving
at the position III which the Italian
parliament found itself Just before
the days OF Mussolfni. There are 20
many different groups and so many
different philosophers In the Ameris
can Congress tDdav that 1t is becom.
Ing almost impossible to find q ma
jority for any one clear set Of ideas.
Democrats Worried.
In these circumstances many Re
publicans have been willing to let
the Democrats bear the outward no.
sponstbility for a chaos which no.
body at present can cure. If Smith
is elected on Monday to the chair.
manship Of the Interstate Commerce
Committee, there win be in fact no
great grief on the Republican side
and there will be in fact q lot Of
increased anxiety on the Democratic
side.
Meanwhile, however, there 70 one
vote for Smith stiIl to be found;
and II It Is not found, the deadlock
seems likely to continue unless the
regular Republicans are willing to
accept Couzens in spite Of Couzen's
Increasingly close relations with
La Toilette.
Copyright. 1924 Washington Press
Servicel