Evening star., 1927-10-09
Nebraska Senator's Entering
Fight May Force East to
Recognize West.
DECLARES WET ISSUE
WILL BE UNIMPORTANT
Heir to La Toilette Holds Voters
Will Repudiate President if He
Is Drafted by Party.
By G. GOULD LINCOLN.

BY q. GOULD LINCOLN.
Progressive Republicans of the Sen.
ate are about to go on a rampage
for a presidential candidate of their
own.
Senator Norris of Nebraska is their
selection, at least for the time being,
and was so declared after a prelimi.
nary meeting in which Senators
Borah of Idaho, Brookhart of Iowa
and Nye of North Dakota took part.
A second meeting. to be attended by
others of the progressive group, and
possibly by Republican progressives
of the House, is slated for this week.
Senator Borah. discussing the mat
ter, declared that some of the Re.
publican progressives had reached
the conclusion it was time they put
a candidate in the field to gather in
delegates in the agricultural States Of
the Middle West and the West.
SIS Platform i'm Himself"
Senator Norris suits me-" the
Idaho Senator declared. He added
that undoubtedly the progressives
would frame a tentative platform, and
said:
senator Norris is a platform in
himself. He has a positive record on
many important issues"
While the presidential boom for the
Nebraska Senator was receiving i'm.
petus. which it has not had hitherto
outside of his home State and Wiscon.
sin, Senator Norris returned yester.
day from the West. breathing fire and
defiance to Eastern conservatives, in
cluding in the list President Coolidge
and Charles Evans Hughes Of New
York.
Referring to the talk Of drafting
President Coolidge for the G. o. P.
nomination next year. Senator Norris
said
"They can force the denomination
of President Coolidge If they want,
but he will be repudiated at the polls
unless the Democrats make fools Of
themselves. Ii he Is renuminated, and
the Democrats nominate man who
is not reactionary. the Democrats will
elect President in 1928"
West will Oppose Hughes.
The West, he said. would oppose Mr..
Hughes as an Eastern reactionary if
he were nominated.
Senator Norris said that he would
be glad to support Senator Borah for
President, or Senator Hiram john
son of California, former Gov. Pin
chot of Pennsylvania. or his own col
league, Senator Howell of Nebraska.
Any one of them should be accepta-
BILE to the Progressives of the West,
he said.
Without saying that he favored
Gov. AL Smith of New York for
President over conservative East
ern Republican. Senator Norris did
say that he considered Smith more
progressive than either President
Coolidge or Mr.. Hughes. He stressed
Gov. Smiths position in favor of
Government control of water power,
a matter in which Senator Norris has
himself been intensely interested.
The Nebraska Senator added that
he did not believe that the wet and
dry issue would be an important
question in the West during the cam
paign next year. He admitted that
there were groups of extreme drys
and extreme vets, but said there was
a great group of voters who were
vitality affecting the West. among
them agriculture.
Does Not Hope to Be Named.
When the subject of his own can.
was broached to him, Senator
Norris said: !.
II am not a candidate. I am not
deceiving myself. / realize perfectly
that no man holding the views ! do
is going to be nominated"
Senator Norris, however, has no.
objection to being the candidate OF
his own State delegation to the Re-
publican national convention, nor that
of other State delegations if they wish
to support him for the nomination.
The more delegates instructed for him.,
the more effective will he and thes
group he represents be in the national
both when it comes to Sc
lecting the presidential nominee and
to drafting the Republican platform.
If the Progressives cast Senator
Norris hat effectually into the ring.
den boom, which has not been pro.
crossing as satisfactorily in recent
weeks as the former Illinois gov
ernor's friends would like. 1t might
result. for example, in turning the
delegations from the Dakotas from
Lowden to Norris. 1t has already
halted any hope of the Nebraska dele
cation for Lowden and given the La
Toilette Progressives more reason for
sending a Norris delegation to the
national convention.
Seen as La FOllette's Heir.
The Nebraska Senator has been re.
garded in the Senate as the inheritor
of the Progressive leadership for
merely held by the late Senator Robert
M. La Toilette of Wisconsin. His
entry into the race, supported by a
group of delegates from Western
States. may give added
strength to the demand Of the West
and Middle West for a presidential
nominee. 1t may result in making
the Republicans of the East think
more seriously, for example, Of the
potential strength of Vice President
Dawes as a presidential nominee with
an appeal to the West. 1t is not
yet apparent, however, that Dawes
would be acceptable to the Progress
sive group now urging the nomina.
ton of Norris. And the mere fact
that the Norris movement will take
delegates from Lowden indicates q
lack Of strength of the Illinois man
with the group, which does not con-
slider him Progressive, notwithstand-
ing his support of the McNary.
Haugen farm relief bill.
Senator Norris Is expected to attend
The next meeting of the progressive
Senator's, and so is Senator Frazier
IF North Dakota. Others who will be
interested in the movement as soon
as they return to Washington are
Senators LaFollette and Blaine of
and Senator McMaster Of
South Dakota II iS said that the