Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-25
LIBERAL BLOC DUE
TO RETAIN POWER
Expected to Hold Balance in
Senate, Regardless of
Election Outcome.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Western Progessives, mostly 'Repub-
lican, will in all probability continue tc
hold the balance of power in the next
Senate. That was the avowed object
of the one-man campaign undertaken
two months ago by Senator George
w. Norris, Republican Progressive,
of Nebraska There is now every in
dication that he has achieved his pur.
pose. Party government on Capitol
Hill, in other words, will remain con-
spicuous by its absence.
The bloc" system, which has played
ducks and brakes with administration
programs during the past seven years,
seems likely to be perpetuated. Whether
Hoover or Smith becomes President,
there is no prospect either Of straight
out Republican or Democratic majority
in the Senate to support him. The
temporaneous custom, will have to get
backing for its policies wherever it can
be found.
Six of Seven Lead.
Senator Norris declared that the re-
election of seven Progressive Senators
was of greater Importance than the
presidential election" The seven to
whom he gave his blessing are: Messrs
La Toilette of Wisconsin, Frazier of
North Dakota, Howell of Nebraska,
Johnson of California, Republicans;
Wheeler of Montana and Dill of WASH
ington, Democrats, and ShipStead of
Minnesota, Farmer-Labor. Senator Dill
is the only one Of the group whose fate
seems in doubt. Senator Norris spoke
on Dill's behalf in Seattle on October
%. Wheeler, in Montana, and Ship
stead, in Minnesota, have fights on their
hands, but Senator Norris feels assured
they will both pull through.
With the exception of California,
where Senator Johnson is in no dan
ger, Norris has campaigned in the re-
spective States of all of the Progress
siveS whose reelection he advocates
The Nebraskan added Senator David I.
Walsh, Democrat, of Massachusetts,, to
the list of Progressive Senators deserv-
ing reelection.
10 Rank as ProgresSives.
The expiring Senate of the SEVENTEEN
Congress, which will sit in farewell SEES
sion in December contains 40 Repub-
licanS, 46 Democrats and / Farmer
Laborite. Neither party expects to emerge
from the congressional elections on
November with a regular Senate ma
jority that would be independent of the
Progressives. At least Is present Re-
publican Senators and Democratic
members rank as militant ProgressiveS.
The Republicans are: johnson Cali
formal, Borah Idaho), Brookhart
uowa), Capper (Kansas), Couzens
(Michigan). Schall (Minnesota), Nor
ris and Howell (Nebraska), Frazier and
Nye North Dakota), McNary (Oregon) i,
Norbeck and McMaster (South Dakota)
and La Toilette and Blaine (Wisconsin)
The Democrats are: Wheeler Mon
tana), Dill (Washington) and Walsh
Massachusetts,. In addition, there is
Shipstead, Farmer Labor, of Minnesota
Here are 10 prospective members of the
new Senate whose records disclose they
are not addicted to thick thin
party regularity.
Most of the Republican Progressives
are supporting Hoover for President
such as Senators Borah, Brookhart
johnson, Capper and Howell But the
Republican nominee knows from Presi-
dent Coolidge's experience that the
Norris group would not on all occasions
be dependable phalanx Many of
them would not for example, be aboard
any White House bandwagon on farm
relief, from which McNary- Haugen
music was not being played. Nor would
any administration water-power pro-
gram be likely to enlist Senate Progress
sive support, unless it leaned more in
the direction of Government ownership
than Herbert Hoover favors. The Sem
ate voted 48 to 25 in favor of the Norris
bill for Government ownership and OPP
Grafton of Muscle Shoals.
Fits Hoover Definition.
Estate socialism" which the Republi-
can nominee has nailed to his mast as
an eleventh-hour paramount issue, is,
according to Hoover'S definition, essen
TALLY the progressive program, With
the exception of Gov Smiths plan for
State controlled liquor, the Norris SEN
ate group espouses for both agriculture
and water power the very policies which
Hoover assails as opposed to "the
American system"
A Smith administration would, of
course, have its own troubles with the
Progressive bloc, too. Senate Demo-
Gratis in the past have revealed just
about as much fondness for leaving the
party reservation as their Republican
Gov. Smith throughout
the campaign has boosted of licking"
hostile Republican Legislatures at Al
bany. But he would face a different
in bloc dominated United
States Senate.