Evening star., 1926-12-01
Politics at Large
By G.. Could Lincoln.

Politics and hot cakes rather than
pistols and coffee Is the early morn
ing diversion these early Decelnoei
days at the White House. Preslueil'
Coolidge mas begun again MS Dredh
fasts with Senators. MemberS Oh lhe
House are not to be overlooked 81
these informal entertainments, Wnlch
are perhaps unique. The President Is
an early riser. When a Senator Is lh
vited to breakfast at the Whle 1ouse
he is expected to be on mana al a'nt.
with military punctuality. lie anu nis
fellow Senators fortunate enough ~
have been included in the lnVltatlull
gather in reception room a. e,1t -
White House. There the PresldeH'
meets them and gives each qulck
shake of the hand, and before tle
guests realize 1t they are seated al
The breakfast table ready to engage
tho enemy.
These White House breakfasts are
no skimpy affairs. Breakfast ls
real meal. 1t begins with fruit, some
times a baked apple, Whlch Is toi'
lowed I'D with hot cereal. coftee. pa
con and eggs, hot biscuits, wneat
cakes, country sausage ana sil up.
After such a breakfast a legislator
NAV reasonably be expected 10 ledVe
the White House in fairly pleasant
frame of mind. od
The President himself IS a sooo
trencherman- at breakfast. he mas q
snecial kind of cereal for himsen
whole wheat of the chevy kind, when
he does not inf1ict upon his guests
But the rest of the menu the Fresi'
dent gives serious attention.
II x
According to authoritative reports
the early morning breakfasts ais
really for the purpose or eatlilS ~ aiiu
informal conversation rather 'lia,i
for the fixing Of administrator po1,
icies. However. there are tliiles 49,, d
a word is properly placed mere anu
another there, looking to the advance
ment of a cause which may De CLOSE
TO the Chief Executives heart.
The fact that Senator Shipstead OIL
Minnesota. the sole F'armer-Laool
member Of the Senate, was gues.
Of the President a. day or two ago az
one of these senatorial breakfasts was was
hailed as a move to win the senator
over to the Republican side in tne
contest for the organization OF tne
Senate in the next Congress. but ~
is not on record that the PreSloellt
or any Of the other Senators present
at the breakfast alluded to sucn
matter at breakfast. NeVertneiess, .iie
presidential breakfast is consldereo d
distinct asset here in Washlnsloh'
The present movement, proposal OF
what not, whose aim is to get the IN
surgent Republicans Of the House back
into the regular party organization oi
that body is not without its slgnln-
canoe Nearly all of this group, Which
was left out of the party caucus IN
the present Congress. hail from WIS
consin. Things have been happening
in the Badger State politically IN the
last few months The people are stlll
progressively minded, but the death or
the late Senator La Toilette. who led
them successfully for more than a
quarter century, left in the feld a
number of ambitious followers. or
former followers, of the La Toilette
standard. among them Gov. j. D..
Blaine. Senator elect to the seat now
held by Senator Lenroot, and Fred
Zimmerman, governor elect, who will
succeed Gov. Blaine. While these men
were successful in the primaries and
ELECTIONS this year. they have been
bitter enemies. The Progressives
split over the governorship, and the
''stalwarts" threw their strength to
Zimmerman and against Herman
l., Ekern, the La Toilette Blaine can
didate.
1t is scarcely astonishing that the
members of the House from Wiscon-
sin who have been devoted followers
of the elder Senator La Toilette for
years should begin to wonder just
what the leadership in Wisconsin is
ul.nnately TO be, or that they
should look with some degree OF
interest to a return to more regu-
lar Republicanism so far as party
organization is concerned. The Lib
eral party, which some of them
hoped would result from the La Fol
lette for President candidacy in 1924,
is moribund. They have lost their old
leader. Senator Robert M. La Toilette,
jr., has made an excellent record in
the Senate and has increased his hold
on the people of Wisconsin. Unfor-
tunately he is compelled to be away
from the Senate at present and from
politics generally, because of illness.
He may not get back into harness for
weeks or even months. Gov. Blaine
Is not popular with many of the Pro
gressives of the State. That he will
ever succeed to the leadership of the
Progressives that was held by the
senior Senator La Toilette is improb-
able. So the House members appar-
emily are wondering what is to become
Of them.
Two statements have been put for
ward regarding their return to the
regular Republican organization of
the House, one by Representative
Frear and the other by Representa-
tive John M. Nelson, who managed
the La Toilette campaign in 1924. Mr..
Frear apparently is for coercing the
regular Republican organization of
the House into taking the insurgents
back, with the aid of progressives of
the Senate. He has suggested that
the progressive Senators. including
Norris of Nebraska, decline to vote
with the Republicans to organize the
Senate in the SEVENTEEN Congress un-
less the House Republicans first agree
to restore the insurgents to their old
places in the Republican organization
of that body.
Representative Nelson, on the other
hand, deplores any attempt to coerce
the House Republican leadership, say
ing in effect that the insurgents could
have expected expulsion from the
caucus after they left the party to
follow La Toilette in 1924. but that
he has reason to believe that many
of the regular Republicans are now
anxious to have the insurgents return
to the fold.
Representative Tilson of Connects
cut, majority leader of the House
who has just returned to Washing
ton, does not intend to be "coerced'
in this matter So far as the House