Evening star., 1925-03-05
Battle SEEN AHEAD
AS DAWES SEEKS SENATE REFORM
Vice President and Upper House Both Used to HaU-
ing O,Cn Way and Fire,corks Are Expected.
Task Is to Impress Membership

try to impress the Senators. Their
reformation Is in their own hands
BY starting out. in marine fashion,
to treat 'em rough" Gen. Dawes
raised new barbed wire entangle-
ments in front of himself and 1t viii
take a long while to blast them away.
Manner Rather Than Words Hurt.
In many quarters of Washington
today, as the speech OF Gen. Dawes
was read calmly, 1t was agreed that
1t was not so much what he said. but
the ''nawsty" way in which he said
it. Those throughout the country who
peruse the document might not think
of it as an harangue or a diatribe.
But they should have heard 1t. The
general gave every evidence of being
furious. How man could work up
such an anger in such sedate sur
roundings was a marvel TO all who
beheld. The Vice President shouted
and gesticulated. Naturally the peals
of laughter which greeted his ear
nestly considered and carefully pre-
pared remarks soon began to feed the
fires of his ire. His voice took on
machine gun note. But the enemy"
did not retreat. It stood still and
grinned. 1t Is the most difficult thing
in the world to fight with a grinning
man.
The scattering minority in public
life who thought Charley Dawes was
going to regard himself as a jar of
jam to be placed on the vice presi-
Dental shelf and gather dust today
are disillusioned. The general has
turned out to be pail of pickles. and
he is going to sit right in the middle
of the dinner table day after day.
"Hell and Maria" I'm Voice.
The Vice President didn't say Hell
and Maria" once during his harangue,
but Hell and Maria" was in his
voice.
Before him sat some of the pin
heads" of the House of Represent
atives, men whom he had bawled out
when they were members of a COM
mittee attempting to investigate the
conduct of the war. The 'pinheads"
applauded the vice presidential dia-
tribe. The Senate laughed. There is
no need to disguise the fact. The
Senate laughed heartily. II was plain
to be seen from the outset that the
battle between Senators and their
presiding officer is going to be a
pretty one to match these coming
years of storm and strife.
Senator Borah was the first to
smile as the Vice President started
his inaugural address. The smile
first of all was at the vehement man
ner of the new officer. Even Presi-
dent Coolidge had a dry little grin on
his otherwise cool and calm features
as Gen. Dawes plunged right in at
full speed to tell the Senate what he
thought of that body as a whole.
The Senate expected Mr.. Dawes to be
lively. There never has been such a
virile, vigorous. vital man on the job
as presiding officer. But it didn't
think Dawes was going to take ad-
vantage of the crowded galleries and
the distinguished company of diplo-
mats, Supreme Court justices and
cabinet dignitaries on the floor to
start a war"
The war" however, came on with
a rush The zero hour was just
about one minute after Dawes opened
his mouth. By that time he was
speeding along at 80 knots an hour,
swapping out his words and raising
his voice in staccato notes which
carried beyond the Senate chamber
and out into the crowded corridors
AS the torrent of reproach poured
from the new Vice President the
Senators began to look at each other.
Amused wrinkles We're in their eyes.
Then as the general continued to
gesticulate and pound the desk in
front of him the wrinkles changed to
outlaws.
House Enjoys the Show.
The galleries grinned and applaud
ed in turn. The House, long domi-
mated by the Senate, applauded with
vigor. The House was more or less
used to the general. They had ex-
pected Hell and Maria" to do some
thing out of the ordinary. All Wash
ington had expected Something" for
the general had refused to give out
advance copies of his speech. He had
said wait and see."
Nobody, however, had thought the
general would go so far on his first
appearance. Clearly, the President
was himself amazed, but he probably
felt that for the time being, at least,
Mr.. Dawes was performing as a men,
Der of the legislative branch of the
Government and not as an executive
When Gen. Dawes concluded his
taking of the Senate to task there
were roars of laughter. Senator Jim
Reed of Missouri, a sick man, almost
fell out of his seat. He held his
sides from laughing SO hard.
There never was a. spectacle like
this at any preceding Inauguration.
He'll and Maria Is on the Job.
Washington sits open -mouthed at the
future.
(Copyright)