Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-08
81 FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

| Before members Of Congress scat.
tered to the four winds during the
| Independence day week end there
WIS an inventory among them as til
! what the long session had accom-.
1 plished in the way OF Tlalxing new
regulations or unlnaking old ones.
It was generally agreed that there
were concrete Developments along
both lines. President Coolidge. hav-
| ing RETAINED from anything savoring
of tbig stick" leadership on Capitol
| Hill, cleared the way for individual
performances in that direction. In
| the Senate the expectation was that
Senator Butler OF Massachusetts
would be d White House spokesman
and, on occasion, take command OF
administration situations. But the
chairman of the Republican national
committee played the role Of q shrink
ing violet from beginning to end OF
the session. lie made only one set
speech. He took part In no c0ntro-
versial discussions. His aye" or
species of leadership the suave Bos-
tonian furnished. Silent Cali could
hardly have been more taciturn. But
Ter apparently was never In the pic
ture.
The United States Senators who
most enhanced their reputation dur
ing the seven months session are the
two Reeds James A., Democrat, of
Missouri. and David Al, Republican. Of
Pennsylvania. 1t is not generally
known that they are cousins. They
had the same great-grandfathe
Jim Reed in the opinion Of many
standing insurgent Of the Senate. The
Missourian is the same sort Of q
Democratic free lance as Borah Is q
Republican free lance Each deserts
official party leadership at his sweet
will. Each has whitening contempt
for organization dictation. Both are
splendid debaters and gifted orators.
But Borah struck many admirers this
year as being q bit tired. His de-
casion OF the big fight Of the session
the World Court lacked old-time
fervor and IRE.
Showed Virility Of Youth.
i.Jini. Reed, on the other hand,
while he did not block World Court
entry or the Italian debt ratification,
against both OF which the Missourian
battled fiercely, revealed all the Inn.
petuosity and virility Of youth: There
was no senatorial scrap In which ne
was not immersed up to the teeth.
The galleries that used to I'LL the
soonest when Borah was to speak
were more often packed at the late
session when 1t was known that jim
Reed was to take the floor.
He was I'm the forefront OF the nu.
merous prohibition discussions ana
shared with Bruce Of Maryland the
leadership OF the wet side Of each
argument. When Senator Under
wood brought up the Dawes plan to
change the Senate rules. the princi-
pal onslaught against 1t came from
the fiery, eloquent MissOurian. Men
on on both sides of the aisle now fear
fhe lash of Reeds tongue more than
that of any member of the Senate.
ssDaye'' Reed Of Pennsylvania
though only In his third year In the
Senate, is one OF its foremost figures.
He is a rough and ready debater. with
the nerve Of a lion, seldom trims"
and always is primed with the facts
needed in an emergency. He was the
administrations most valiant pro.
tagonist when the foreign debt set
Elements were up Tor ratification.
Senator Smoot was In Official charge
OF that major item in the admins
tration's legislative program. But 1t
was Dave" Reed who always flung
himself into the breach when the OPP
position became threatening. Reeds
triumph in the last hours Of the ses-
sion - when he circumvented the
Democratic Republican insnrgent
scheme to commit the Senate TO con.
domination of primary slush funds
was one lOf the adroit political cpl
sodes Of recent years.
Leadership In House.
Republican leadership In the House
was conspicuously more effective than
"a the Senate. Speaker Longworth.
Floor Leader Tilson and their chief
Iieutenants. like Begg Of Ohio. Shell