Evening star., 1928-12-31

Few post-holiday sessions Of Congress
ever began amid more critical conditions
than those which usher Senate and
House back to work this week. Inter
national relations and domestic politics
of the utmost importance are involved
Into the midst of the melee comes
President-elect Herbert Hoover, NOM
inally still q private citizen, but actually
a towering factor In decisions which
must presently be made. A word from
him will be like nod from Jove. Poll
ticians, like other mortals, shout. 1.-THE
King is dead! Long live the King!"
whenever the time comes. For many
of Capitol Hills purposes, that time is
now. Take the four paramount issues
now causing the Coolidge administra-
ton and Republican leaders sleepless
nights-the Kellogg treaty, the cruiser
bill, farm relief and special
session. 1t is practically within
Herbert Hoover'S power, "a hours after
his arrival from South America next
week, to determine the fate of each and
all of those propositions. The Cool
idges, the Kelloggs, the Borahs, the
Hales. the McNarys, the Longworths
and the Tilsons may all have their
views and wishes about the respective
projects in which they are specially
interested. But King Herbert, about
to become monarch of all he'll survey
for the next four years, carries the
sword that cuts all Gordian knots just
now.
Fireworks will be set off in the Senate
at 2 pm. of Thursday, January 8.
That Is the hour fixed for making the
anti-war treaty the unfinished ''execu-
tive" business and the cruiser bill the
unfinished Legislative" business. Fol-
lowing some parliamentary shadow-boX-
ing, the Kellogg pact will duly gain the
right of way. Ten votes at the outside
are counted against its ratification,
after Jim" Reed, George Norris and
few other irreconcilables rid themselves
of oratorical diatribes. With the multi
lateral treaty adopted, the cruiser bill,
have smooth sailing. But there will be
no ordinary course of events. Senator
Hale of Maine, naval affairs chairman,
Is confident he has a sure, safe major
ity of votes for the bill whenever he
can bring it to vote. There's the rub
SnagS are in definite prospect Borah,
for example, is expected to move an
amendment to cut down the program
from IS to 10 cruisers. That may pro-
woke immeasurable delay.
X X y X
Even If a reduction move is blocked,
the bill will still be far from harbor
The anti-preparedness group in the
Senate, prospectively to be captained by
King, Democrat, of Utah, is plotting to
| filibuSter against the cruisers. The
rules which Vice President Dawes want
| ed, but failed to reform provide plenty
Of opportunity for obstruction. Apart
| from deliberate paciflst filibuster,
| there is the danger that Senator Reed
of Missouri may determine to block
everything by bringing up the Ware
case. AS a matter of "high privilege"
| Sidetrack all other business until 1t dis
poses of the 2-year-old affair of the
| Senator-elect from Pennsylvania. The
Reed committee has just failed to hale
the stricken Philadelphia boss before
| it for further grilling. The relentless
Missourian would like nothing better
than to concentrate the limelight upon
| his own RomanesQue head during his
expiring weeks in the Senate by seeking
the formal election of Ware.
X X y X
"Jirn" Reed would have another rea-
son for utilizing his farewell days on
Capitol Hill in an anti-Vare drive. 1t
would permit him to vent his spleen
against the pet Reed aversion-Herbert
Hoover. The President-elect, as all
the world knows, was nominated in
'Jim's" home town last June. While
Kansas City was still reverberating
with the sensation "Bilp' Ware caused
the night before the convention, by
swinging the Pennsylvania delegation
| IN E9n0Vor Ennd iccInd a Ctafnpopnf TT
was to the effect that Hoover was about
to receive his nomination at the cor
rupt and tainted hands of the Phila-
delphia boss. It doesn't require a very
lively imagination to figure out the
sort of play Reed could make with this
set of circumstances. He would be-
stride the Senate stage at the exact
moment of Hoovers entry upon the
Washington scene in i-presidential
capacity. Will the canny cynic of the
Kaw country be able to resist SO glori-