The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-08
BORAH LOOMS AS SUCCESSOR TO LA TOILETTE Milder Progresives To Give President Senate
 Worry COMMITTEE PLANS DEMAND ATTENTION Wisconsin SOlon May Lose Priority Rights
 On List
By RAYMOND CHAPTER U,eased Wire to Age-Herald)


 WASHINGTON, Nov. 7.- From a study of the personnel of the new congress, it appears that the balance of power has shifted from La Toilette to Borah and a group of milder progressives. This group will include Capper of Kansas, Hi ram Johnson of California, Couzens of Michigan, Howell of Nebraska, McNary of Ore gon, Norbeck and McMaster of South Dakota, and several others.
 Coolidge will be at the mercy of this circle, rather that of the La Toilette group as in the present congress. These mild progressive Senators are all re- pubIicans in good party standing. They dissent on occasion, but go along in the real crises. They stood with the administration rather than with La Fol lette in the campaign, though some of them gave the insurgent leader assist ance on various roll calls in the last se sion.
 Path Clear In House
 Coolidge has clear working major ityA of absut 20 in the House and should have little trouble there. In the senate, his problem will be hold the mild pro- sressives in line. AS long as he can do this, La Toilette will have little strength.
 Of this group which has suddenly come into power, Borah is the logical leader. His prestige, always great and now still greater, will become even more marked should Senator Lodge fail to recover from his grave illness. Lodge is chairman of the foreign rela tions committee and under the seniority custom. Borah will succeed to that pow erful post.
 It. is hardly likely, however, that Borah will inherit the leadership of the senator when Lodge lays it down. That post involves type of activity and degree of regularity which would be irksome to q man of Borah's inde- pnedence. Curtis of Kansas is more like ly to be the real administration lead CT, though someone else may get the title. Borah is also in line for the chairmanship of the judiciary commit tee through the death of Brandegee. The power of the mild progressives will not only be felt when the critical roll calls come on the floor, but it will be felt in the powerful committes where the real work of lawmaking is done. In the agriculture committee, the administration will have to deal with two important groups, either of which, by an alliance with the. democrats, could control the committee.
 Unless Lodge recOvers, there will be two republican vacancies on the for eign relations committee, the second having been created by the recent death of Brandegee. Borah, Hiram Johnson and Moses are the only remnants of the old irreConcilable group that will be left here, but their influence will be so great in the republican caucus that they probably will succeed in fill ing the vacancies with friendly sena- tors.
 Re-Organization Looms
 One of the first developments in the hCW NOh6A Voo VIII DC NhC of the senate interstate commerce com mittee which, with the aid of La Fol lette votes, was placed under the chair manship of democrat, Smith of South Carolina, at the last session. Cummins probably will be restored as chair man.
 It is probable that an attempt will be made to deprive La Toilette of his re- publican designation and his important committee assignments as a result of his candidacy in the presidential cam paign. La Toilette is next in line for the chairmanship of the finance com mittee and is second also in the in- terstate commerce committee. If the re- publicans could succeed in chasing him as an independent, he would lose these seniority rights and go to the foot of the committee lists. Whether such an attempt could succeed is a question that cannot be answered this early.
 La Toilette will continue to hold his balance of power group in the session of congress beginning in December. The membership is the same as that at the last session, La Toilette will be able to exert an Influence in the shap- ing of the appkropriation bills. But there will be little general legislation aside from these supply bils so that his opportunities will be restricted.
 The new situation in the next con. gress presents a problem in strategy for Coolidge. He can either play ball with the mild progressives and tinge his administration with the degree of progressive color necessary to keep them in line, or he can adopt the course tha tTaft took and try to keep the Republican palSy conservative. A good deal of future political history will de- pend upon which course the President chooses