Evening star., 1926-11-03
Politics at Large

| By G.. Could Lincoln.
Now that the elections are over.
charges and countercharges of cor
| ruptlOn, the excessive use OF money
/ and the domination Of machine poll
| tics will be renewed. In fact, the
disclosures. before the Senate investi-
eating committee, headed by Senator
| Jim" Reed of Missouri, in the Penn
| sylvania and Indiana senatorial pri.
marieS will be followed ty fierce con-
| tests in the Senate itself. When VIII
liam s. Ware, elected yesterday as a
Republican to succeed Senator George
Wharton Pepper of Pennsylvania,
| and Col. Frank L. Smith of Illinois,
Republican, elected to succeed Sem
| ator William B. Mckinley, present
| themselves with their credentials,
| their right to be seated, or to remain
| seated. If they be given seats, will be
| challenged.
X X \ "
The Senate is the sole judge, under
the Constitution, of the qualifications
of its members. Unless the Senate
meets earlier in special session, the
| contest over these Senators will not
take place until December, 1927.
or increased by that time. On the eve
Of presidential campaign, when the
Democrats will be intent on making
a case against their Republican oppc
nents, it may be presumed that the
charges against both these Republican
Senators will be pressed with great
| Vlgor. Furthermore, number OF
Republican Senators from the West,
during their campaigns for reelection,
announced they would vote against
seating either Ware or Smith should
they be elected. There is, too, the pro-
gressiVe bloc on the Republican side
of the chamber, who almost to a man
| may be expected to resist the seating
of these Senators-elect, including Nor
ris of Nebraska, who campaigned in
Pennsylvania against Ware, La Fol.
lette of Wisconsin, Brookhart of Iowa.
Frazier and Nye of North Dakota.
Veteran Senators divide over the
question whether Ware and Smith
must be seated upon presentation of
their credentials, properly signed by
the governors of their respective
States, or whether they may be chal-
lenged before being seated. Senator
Borah of Idaho, for example, has Ven-
must first be seated. and that it may
even take a two-thirds majority to
GUST them. But other Senators take
an opposite view. They cite the case
Of Senator Nye of North Dakota and
Of Frank p. Glass of Alabama, ap-
pointed Senator decade ago. Both
presented credentials signed by the
governors of their States, in due form.
but neither was permitted to be seated
I&I-
laid before the Senate. Their creden-
tials were sent to the committee on
privileges and elections, and the is
sues were fully debated before the
Senate voted on seating them. Nye
was seated and Glass was not. In both
cases the right of governor to fill
vacancy temporarily in the Senate.
without express authority from the
State Legislature, was challenged.
The fact that the Senate seated Nye
and failed to seat Glass, although the
cases were practically on all fourS, is
an indication that it is not always
wise to predict how the Senate will
act in a given case.
X x X
The argument that after Smith and
Ware have been seated, If they be
seated, a tWo-thir1s vote will be re.
quired to unSeat them, does not Jlbe
with all the precedents. For example.
Lorimer, once a Senator from Illi-
nois, occupied his seat two years and
then was ousted on a majority vote
because of fraud in his election. When
former Senator NeWberry of Michi-
gan, Republican, was under fire In
the Senate because of alleged large
expenditures in the Michigan primary
and election several years ago, there
was no suggestion during the long
debate on his right to retain his seat
that 1t required a two-thirdS vote to
oust him. Yet he had been formally
seated Immediately upon presenta-
ton Of his credentials and had taken
part in the organization of the Sem
ate. BY a narrow margin NeWberry
retained his seat.
X X X x
Roars from other States than
Illinois and Pennsylvania may be ex-
pected. In Massachusetts, former
Senator David I. Walsh. Democratic
victor over Senator William NJ. But
ler openly charged that in New Bed
ford votes were being purcha sed for
Butler. In Indiana efforts have been
made to link up Senator Jim" Wet
son and Senator Robinson, both Re.
publicans. with the Ku Klux Klan.
that the klan controlled and improp.
erly used money and influence in
Indiana elections. A grand jury has
been investigating charges that D. c..
Stephenson, former grand dragon of
the Indiana Klan, and now "lifer"
for the murder Of an indianapolis girl
under peculiarly brutal circumstances.
corruptly used his influence for candi-
dates for office. Should this grand
jury find anything involving one or
both of the United States Senators
| with Stephenson and his activities, it
| might go hard with them in the
Senate.
One thing appears certain, the de.
mand for abolishment of the primary
system Of nominating candidates for
| the Senate will grow in volume. Vice
| President Dawes, speaking recently
before the national convention of the
American Legion in Philadelphia, took
a rap at the primary laws and the
manner in which they operate.
PERSONALLY 1 believe that the
primary system should be largely
abolished" said the Vice President
land that If we follow the theory and
plan of representative Government
laid down in our Constitution by pro.
viding for nominating by conventions
a better and more impartial class of
candidates will result
| This statement by Vice President
Dawes, a native Of Illinois, Is indica.
| tive that the sentiment against the
primaries is not confined to the East.
| The excessive expenditures and cor.
ruption developed in some of the
primaries this year have given the
system the worst black eye It has
i had since it came generally into
vogue.
X X X n
| Gov AL Smiths victory in New