Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-24
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

The United States Senate-there
she stands, a house magnificently d.
vided against itself on what is consti-
tutional law. The Senate's decision
on the Smith case will echo down the
political ages, rifting opinion as
widely as 1t was rent while the I'LL
noisans fate hung in the balance.
What the common man Is to think
about the rights or the wrongs of the
issue. with the senatorial doctors
diagnosing it in SO different ways, Is
a puzzle. The upper house of Con-
gress is overwhelmingly legal In It's
makeup. Constitutional lawyers"
are scattered all over the place. Yet
there was a yawning breach IN
viewpoint among even the soundest
of them. 1t was once observed that
YOU can prove anything with statis-
tics. Current events in the Senate
show that you can prove almost any
thing with precedents.
Rarring bombast from it's profess
sional spellbinders, the Smith debate
showed the Senate at its forensic best.
January 10 and 90 were dates in the
Congressional Record that future MS
torians will consult, and they will nnd
cordance with the finest traditions OF
the body that Webster, Clay, Calhoun
and Douglas adorned. We moderns
habitually fail to assess political CO.
temporaries at their full worth. Pos
terity is likely to do them justice.
When men like Borah, Reed (Mis-
souri,, Walsh (Montana). Reed tPenn-
svlvania). Robinson (Arkansas), john
son. Lenroot, Norris. Ashurst, Bruce
and Dill are handling vital questions
like the Smith case, their speeches. as
TO grace of expression and power OF
argument, frequently scale great
heights. 1t was vast dIsappol1 u, :,
ment to all concerned that Borah ola
not wade into the Smith debate, as he
intended. The Constitution is the
Idahoan,s Bible. When he discusses
- porah ceases to be a politician ana
becomes an evangelist
1f canators-elect Smith OF ILLINOIS
and Ware of Pennsylvania should notn
he denied admission to the seventeen
| senate next December--or sooner IN
90 co of a special acknowledgements
ora licking their chops in anticipation
81 nizine that body. The count
would then stand AZ Democrats, At
Republicans and / Farmer-laDorlte'
This tally would permit the Delho
Gratis. as the majority party, TO move
! I'm into the chairmanshlps OF oeIla.e
committees. But IL WouIu ,lot 1n .in1'
| them universally to control Legislation
1f Shinstead of Minnesota, lone Farm
| er.Tahor sentinel, should vote with
! tha Republicans on close occasions
| Tic Sanate would be deadlocked, Al
| r. At as long as the Illinois and rem
| evlvania seats remained unnlled py
| Ren1hlicans. With the situation thus
described, Vice President Dawes woulo
; deal in his party's favor by casllne
the vote that would break the tie
Never for wears, if ever, has Senate
control hung by so slender a Unread
Republican leaders want the olIiltI
and Ware cases out of the way peIore
the 1928 presidential campaign II
which they might prove 10 De poli'
ical INT.
No one who knows Jack MacMur
raw doubts that he welcomed Secre
tary Kellogg's sudden ORDERS TO re
main at the post of danger IN fehlhe
instead of coming home. Our brilliant
ynmnp Minister to China knows the
Far East as no other man in tht
| American foreign service. Nlneteef
! of his as years have been spent II
the Orient or in official associatloI
with that mystic realm. In 1907, hV'
wears after taking his b. A. at Prince
TON under Prof Woodrow wilson
aegts. MacMurray became United
States consul general in Siam. Aftel
that he served successfully in Russia
China and Japan. In 1919 MacMur
ray was appointed chief of the Fal
Eastern division at the State Depart
ment At the Washington conference
his volumes on Treaties and Agree
ments With and Concerning China
were the official text books on every
thing affecting China. MacMurray |.