Evening star., 1925-12-02
Politics at Large
By 6. Gould Lincoln

conference of the Senate on Satur-
day. Thereby hangs a tale. 1t Is
the first olive branch which has been
held out by the regulars to the
progressives since the overwhelming
Republican victory a year ago. In
some quarters 1t is regarded a first
step, tentative one, toward the
cementing of the Republicans more
closely together. 1t Is seen as a re
versal Of the no quarter" policy
which was adopted during the last
session of Congress toward members
Of the party who had followed the
senior La Toilette in the last national
campaign. IL is predicted that other
steps WIN follow.
Cancellation. If possible, of the
progressives of the West and North.
west is better politics as the cards
now lie. The Republicans hold q
working ma jority of the Senate to.
day, but so strangely do the elections
Iail Tor next year that IL will be
necessary to re-elect 70 Republican
Senators. Many OF them must he
reelected in the progressive States
or the West, and some of them in
states that more frequently than not
go Democratic as in the case of
Maryland Kentucky and Okla ahoma.
continuance of oppressive tactics
against progressives in Congress from
the W est by the conservatives will
not be conducive To victory next wear
Whether the olive branch will he
! accepted by the progressives remains
to be seen The invitation sent to
senator La Toilette bears no r. s
V. r. lie is at liberty to attend the
meeting or to stay away. as he sees
H. without responding at all to the
| written card. Many of the progress.
NlNe Republicans have made il
pfactice TO remain away from these
I conferences in the past. preferring
NOT 10 be bound even by the light
letterS which these conferences
impose. Senators Borah Norris. the
senior la Toilette have been among
ihoSe who rarely attended such meet.
| ingS.
II Is explained by Republican lead.
ers that since MIR. La Toilette was
elected in September by the voters
VI Wisconsin as Republican. after
! winning the Republican nomination
they could do no less than send him
| An invitation. What the conference
user VIII do. they hint, may be some.
! thing different
! The signs all point however. to a
| vastly different attitude bv the recu.
lHr organization toward the progress
| SiNes Than that evinced last Winter
| some or the standpatters frankly say
they are prepared to lean over back.
ward 10 seat Gerald p. Nve. an.
/ pointed Senator from North Dakota
! bE Gov. Sorlie to fill the vacancy
| caused by the death OF the late Sen.
! ator l-add. The right of the governor
10 make an appointment is CHALLENGED
( MI. NYe is progressive. a Non
( Partisan Lacquer, as was Senator
, l:a1d, and supporter of the La
! follette ticket year ago. If II is
I decided that he can be seated. he.
! too. Will be invited TO attend the Re.
! publican conferences. Ii would seem
! IN view Of the invitation to Senator
! La Toilette, that the only logical
thing for the Republican orga MIA ton
to do IL to Tescind its resolution
! adopted in the last Congress to ex-
! clude from party councils Senator
! Frazier Of North Dakota and Senator
! Brookhart OF Iowa. followers Of the
/ Dental campaign. 1t would be too
! inconsistent 10 accept Senator La
! tollette. Jr.. who was manager Of
! his fathers campaign. and at the
same time to exclude other Senators
/ because they had supported the I.a
! Toilette ticket a year ago.
The progressives have maintained
right along that they are the real
Simon-pure Republicans. protesting
| against the action Of the Senate in
excluding them from the party coun.
ellis. II they are to be consistent.
! too. they can scarcely decline to have
anything further TO do with the or
sanitation. They must determine
whether they will work within the
party or without It,
Almost Immediately following their
! drastic action against the four La
/ Toilette Senators in the special Ses.
sion of the Senate last March the
regulars received a blow between the
eyes. Other progressives Joined with
the excluded four and with the Demo.
Gratis to turn down Charles B. Warren
OF Michigan. appointed Attorney Gen.
eral. The election of Senator La Fol.
lette. jr., in Wisconsin by an over.
whelmine vote few months later also
| was not calculated to encourage the
regulars I'm the course they had under
taken. The West. after all. IS neces-
! sarN to either of the ma jor parties if
ii is to control. With the South solid.
ly Democratic and the North and Fast
Republican. the West holds the bal,
ance of power.
| Il ::
|
in West Palm Beach. Fla are seeking
to reorganze the Republican party in
that State. seeking to breathe more
life and strength into II. Represe nta i.
tive WIN X. Wood of Indiana, chair
man of the Republican national con.
gressional committee. has journeyed
all the way to make a speech there
and to aid in the reorea anization. The
great influx of people to Florida In the
| l. -
the country may have something TO
do with this new effort TO rear a real
Republican party in that State. 1t
must be admitted, however. that the
| Democrats remain unterrified 50 far
as Florida is concerned. What il
thousands of people have been lured to
| Florida by the many advantages of
that Commonwealth from Illinois. Ohio
and other States of the North and
West? Even more Of the immigrants
to Florida have come from North and
South Carolina, from Georgia, Ala
bama and other States south of the
Mason and Dixon line, and these are
practically 100 per cent Democrat. II
Is reasonable to suppose that a not
inconsiderable number of the immi
grants from the Northern States are
Democrats, too. So 1t does not appear
likely that the Republicans will have
much of chance to wreSt the State
or any part of it from its old ale
glance to the Democratic party.
X X X
Not since the days of reconstruction
have there been elected in Florida any
Republicans to State offices Or to Con
Sress. In municipal elections in some
of F'lorida's s cities there have been
solid Republican business men chosen
for Office. But these elections have
been regarded largely as nonpartisan
In three counties, Rinellas, Osceola