Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-22
NEW BLOC G|RDS
FOR LEADER FIGHT
"Young Guard" Beaten in
Adjournment Move, May De-
veIop Senate Strength.

The young guard" dies but never
| Surrenders. 1t has met its waterloo IN
! its inability to stave off abandonment
| Of the special session of the Senate, but
the consensus is that defeat will whet,
not shrink, the Hoover bloc's" determi-
nation to bring about new Republican
deal in the Upper House.
Eventually, If not now" is the slogan
of the anti-adjournment forces, which
crumbled yesterday in the face OF a
| tripartite coalition of regular Repub-
lican progressives and Democrats.
While the prompt enactment OF tariff
egiSlation-revision upward for agri-
culture and maintenance Of at least the
F'ordneyMcCumber rates of 1922 on in
guards" exclusive purpose, everybody
on Capitol Hill knows it has vastly
farther-reaching detectives. Bluntly
put. those detectives are to mobilize,
sooner or automatically, If possible,
but forcefully, If necesSary-a new G.
o. p. set-up In the Senate more en-
blematic of Hoover administration
influence and more capable Of giving
legislative effect to presidential pro-
grams.
Curtis Reign Recalled.
Leaders of the Young Guard" ear
nestly disclaim any desire to unhorSe
Senator Watson of Indiana or Senator
Jones of Washington from the posts of
Republican leadership they now occupy.
Both men enjoy too much of the genu-
inc esteem, amounting in many cases to
affection, of their colleagues.
But it is an open secret that the
affection in which Watson and Jones
are held is greater than the admiration
they have inspired with regard to their
capacity for leadership. It is being re-
called that when Vice President Curtis
was the G. 0. P. leader during the
Coolidge administration he did not
command anything like the number of
Republican supporters which Jim"
Watson and Wesley Jones captained at
the beginning of the 1929 special
session.
Curtis hardly ever made speech on
the Senate floor. He never had to in
dulge in so imprisoned an appeal for
unity and action as Watson did on
october 81, just before leaving Wash
ington in more or less disgust over the
mess" Leader Curtis would walk
around the chamber, whispering a word
here and there, slapping this or that
Republican brother on the shoulder,
agreeing to this insurgent proposal or
disagreeing with that, but ever and al
ways dVOluIlb HlSoS. he RESULT
was relatively smooth sailing for Cool
idge policies.
Sooner or later. whether the Repub-
licans retain control of the Senate
after the 1880 elections or not, It is
written in the stars that changes In
the partys Senate leadership are to
be brought about. With existing condi-
tons President Hoover is known to be
something more than displeased. His
friends represent him as feeling that a
good many of the things which have
happened in the Senate since last April
might have been avoided by more adroit
handling of the situation.
Big Stick Policy Urged.
More than once Hoover was urged
from this or that quarter to wade in
and WELD the big stick. He resolutely
refrained from Rooseveltian tactics. The
nearest he came to them during the
entire special session was his blast on
the farm debenture plan last Spring.
gesture that was successful--and his
demands this Fall for the flexible pro-
vision and Senate action on the tariff
by November 20, both of which were
"flops."
The organization of the "young
guard" while not formally bearing the
Hoover trade mark, is undoubtedly of
White House origin, just as 1t denotes
the Presidents wish for reconstruction
of the Republican high command in the
Senate. The Californian. despite the
roundly two years of real political
activity which now lie behind him, is
still far removed from any fondness
for machine politics and machine
politicians.
The Republican regulars have I'M