Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-06-24
REPUBLICANS HIDE
AFTER SENATE ROW
At PROV|DENCE,R. |.
HY CHARLES FORREST
Copyright, 1924, by the Consolidated Press
Association-Special Leased Wire
TO The Atlanta Journal.)

PROVIDENCE, r. l., June 21.-
Somewhere out of Rhode Island, 10
Republican state senators are hid
ing this weekend from a political
situation that got too hot for
them.
And the shade of old William c.
Dorr must be chuckling. For in
1924 if was the Land owners" fore
runners of the present day RepIb-
l;cans, who put him to flight be-
cause of his efforts to seize power
IN Rhode Island with his peoples
party" Today it is the Democrats,
modern incarnation Of DORIS old
Darty, whom the Republicans have
led. And the issue in both cases
vas the same-greater power for
the general run of the electorate.
The Republicans fled on advice OF
their state chairman, William &.
Pelky, to avoid service of war.
rant for their arrest which would
have compelled them to return to
the Democratic filibuSter in the sem
ate, temporarily broken up Thurs
day when someone released a test
tube filled with bromide gas ana
knocked out half a dozen senators.
The Democrats say they tled
merely to block further proceedings.
The Republicans insist it was to
avoid menace to their lives and
limbs from a score or more OF
gangsters and gunner who have IN
tested the state house since the
present filibuster started.
frrI, YaoTlv npntnrN
ago, and the Republican flight, pro-
duce an interesting contrast. Door
fled after being elected governor by
his rump peoples party" through
fear of the land owners, whose de.
scendants are the Republicans OF
today. He later returned with
small military force and tried to
seize office. but was defeated, cap
tured and tried for treason. His is
sues trlumphed, however.
Dorr had stood for the draft
ing of a constitution to supplant the
old charter grant laws which gave
practically no power to the cleo
torate. Today his successors have
renewed his fight for still greater
power to people of popular majorl'
ties and this time it is the land.
owners who are in flight.
y The casing and the flight are
the elimination of a political battle
that has ragged since a Democratic
governor, Flynn, and Democratic
lieutenant governor, attorney gen
eral and treasurer were elected in
1922. The Democrats were elected
on a platform, the three principal
planks of which were a 4S-hour
week for workers, abolition of the
old property qualification law for
voters, and submission to the voters
of a proposal for constitutional con-
vention. The Democrats regarded
the third as the most important and
they have waged a filibuster since
the present session opened on Jam
uary l in an effort to pat it
through.
The aim of the Democrats is to
reconstitute the senate which is
made of Representatives from each
of the 80 cities and towns-,no mat
ter how small-in the state. They
contend that the Republican senate
majority represents only 20 per cent
of the voters.
The senate stands recessed until
Tuesday afternoon by which TING
the Democrats hope the Republicans
will have decided to reappear-or
at least to poke their noses into the
state Ions enough to get arrested.
Unless they come voluntarily, how
ever, Governor Flynn's only course
appears to be to send the militia
after them.