The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-07-06
RADICAL BLOC
IN CON GRESS
NOT DEAD YET
Regular Republicans Still
Face Rough Going in
u. S. Senate
ny CHARLES =. STEW ART
NEA Service Writer

Washington, July G.--Thc two re
cent deaths in its ranks-Scnator
Robert NJ. La Follcttc's and Senator
Edwin +. Ladd so close to-
yethcr, have jolted the Progressive
group in congress considerably.
Between now and the national leg
islaturc's next meeting some elect
i've rcorganizing must be done or the
"bloc" will find itself materially
weakened.
In the last congress Progressive
ism was pretty formidable.
Senators La Toilette. Ladd, Lynn
i. Frazier and Smith W. Brookhart
we're the nucleus. Senator George
W. Norris was Of the group IN
everything except that he contrlved
to retain his Republican party stand
ing--nominally.
Senators Henrik Shipstead and
Magnus Johnson, r-Laborltes,
were allies. Senators William f..
Eorah and James CouzeDs were K"-
publican insurgents much of the time.
Senators Hiram w. Johnson. Ar
thur Capper and r. B. Howell were
occasionally so-a little.
Senator Burton K. Wheeler OF
course belonged to the bloc but
didn't count AS vote to the gooh
against the administration, mas
much as, Il Democrat, he was anti
administration anyway.
The same thing might be said OF
Shipstead and Magnus Johnson; yet
the administration did gain at the
"bloc's" expense by a regular Re
nublican's defeat of Johnson at the
last election.
OF the seven original depcndablcs
La Toilette, Ladd. Frazier, Brook
hart. Norris, Shipstead and Magnus
Johnson-three, then, are gone, LA
Toilette and Laid by death, Johnso
by defeat.
As partial offset against the new
senator, Thomas Shall $ victory over
Mapnus Johnson, The independents
are able to count the retirement OF
the very regular senator, Thomas
Sterling, in favor of w. II. McMas
ter-not an ultra Progressive bu
AS much so, say, as Borah and Couz
ems.
There remain La Follettc's ant
Ladd's seats to be filled.
La Follcttc's seems certain to b'
filled by man he himself woul'
have chosen--his son, Bob, IT., iron
AL indications. The Progressives arr
hopeful as to Ladd's too.
So. however, are the regular he
uublicans. Ladd's state was pro
the present national administrator
at the last election, which Is wha
the REGULARS" base their faith Oh
II was quite progressively SO, how
ever. which is what encourages tn
independents.
All in all, it looks as if Ladd's sue
ccssor, if not an out-and-out insul
gent, like Laid himself, at least wi
fall, like McMaster, in the Borah an
Couzens class.
1t isn't altogether question, no"
ever, of how the senate lines up ncN
December. There's the future ais
to be looked into-thc latter half {
President Coolidge's present term
The administration is quite likel
to lose some senate seats to the Den
Ocrats next year.
Republican members of the uppe
house come up for reelection
Arizona, Kentucky, Maryland, Mi
souri, and Oklahoma. These stat.
choose Democrats oftener than the
Ito Republicans.
Other states in which successor
must be chosen to Republican solor
are Ohio, Illinois, Indiana. Nevad
New York, Utah and Washingto
These are at least doubtful.
1t will be odd if out of this doze
of commonwealths, the DemOcra
don't score some gains and the h
publicans suffer few losses.
SO the administration can't affo
to have much insurgency in its Ov
ranks If it has, the same situate
will prevail which has prevailed sin
the middle Of President Harding
administration-the insurgents W
hold the balance of power. and u
it against the president.
The Progressive "bloc" is bit RI
tied at the moment, yes, but to assui
that it's done for, as. the regular
have been doing since La Toilet
and still more since Ladd died,
premature until times given to S
how we'll the indepe ndcnts rally.