Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-19
POLITICIANS SEE PUZZLE
In LA TOILETTE STATUS
Wisconsin Senator, Held Irreconcilable
Independent, Captures Committee
Post From the Old Guard.

i
They may have been moved also, In
part by feeling that 1t would be politi-
cally unwise, especially in the West, to
deny to La Toilette post to which he
had some color, at least, of right by
virtue of seniority.
Middle of the Road Men Decide.
From the action of the "middle-of-
the-road" Republicans in accepting La
Toilette. we may say that the center
of gravity of the Republican party IN
the Senate is moving westward. Out
of the new condition may arise great
er solidarity Of the Republicans in the
Senate as whole-though 1t would
be dangerous to be confident in pre-
dieting that outcome.
The Young Turks" the middle-of-
the-road Republicans, are the largest
OF the three groups. They are almost
equal to the other two groups COM
bined. Toward this solid middle core
the other two groups may gravitate.
That statement, however. should be
Immediately qualified. The Eastern
"Old Guard" might gravitate to the
middle of-the readers very readily. To
with the "Old Guard"-indeed, it is
first nature with them They believe
in parties, believe in party government
and party discipline. They believe in,
and practice, reasonable difference of
individual viewpoint to group action.
If and when certain type of Repub-
lican has majority of the Republi-
cans in the Senate it Is easy for the
small "Old Guard" minority to accept
that condition and loyalty cooperate.
To say that the Western insurgents
may gravitate toward the midle-of-the-
road group Is much less safe. Most of
them are men of strong individual bias
Several Of them are men whose political
actions are determined almost wholly
by temperament or mood. Few of
them have any definite political philoso-
ply, though some have. That they
concede no sanctity to parties or party
government, or party solidarity Is
proved by the very fact that they exist.
The political philosophy-or, more ac-
curately philoSophieS-that some indi-
viduals among them have are so far
removed from the doctrines of the Re-
publican party as to make union I'M
likely or impossible. Norris of Ne
braska, for example, pretty clearly in
cludes in his philosophy government
ownership of some activities which
American thought and practice almost
universally comedies to private owner
ship.
Insurgents Attitude Doubtful.
But 1t is not decisive that individual.
insurgents now in the Senate should CT
should not accept the middle f-the road
Republican Senators as constituting a
Republican party satisfactory to them
More material is the fact that the peo-
pie of the West, the Republican voters
Of those States, may be satisfied by the
! policies and actions Of the Young
Turks" One would think that Senator
CQn1aF n
would also satisfy Nebraska and Iowa
II the Republican party in the Senate
| as whole takes on the color Of the
! Young Turks" If the Young Turks"
really become the Republican party in
the Senate-and this semes probable
In that event the Western States may
be satisfied with it, Iowa and Ne
braska, instead of returning a Brook
hart and Norris, respectively, may re-
turn Capper.
All this Is speculation about the fu-
ture, and confessedly unsubstantial
speculation. It may never happen.
AS for the present, the clear fact is
and has been since about September /
last, that the Senate as controlled by a
coalition made up Of 80 Democrats and
is Republicans. To state the divisions
Of the Senate as whole, there are SIS
Republicans, 80 Democrats and /, Ship
o6ou oA NAAnieooOaS ocoASIdtS0 rs
"Farmer-Labor."
Present Senate Classification.
These are the official designations.
Actually Is Of the Republicans are
Progressive Republicans; so that the
true classification Of the Senate would
be IL regular Republicans, Is insur-
gent Republicans. 80 Democrats and
l "Farmer-Labor" Between the SO
n0HanRr0fe hA 81, NJ
publicanS Is coalition which COM
poses a majority of the Senate and
exercises its will whenever 1t feels like
so doing
Hardly anybody regards this as a
satisfactory condition. Nobody is very
happy about 1t, not even the members
of the coalition. The regular Republi-
cans have the weighty responsibility
that always goes with being a majority
party-but they have only a minority
of votes to live up to that responsible
ity. The Democrats feel that they are
the dog being wagged by the Progress
sive- Republican tail. The leadership
of the coalition has come from the
Progressive Republicans. The position
taken by the coalition on the tariff is
dictated by the Progressive RepubE-
cans and Is not identical with the
historic position of the Democrats.
Nevertheless, on paper, this condi-
ton seems likely to endure for. q con-
siderable time. The senatorial cleo
tons next Fall will not materially
change the respective numbers Of the
different groups. The regular Repub-
hcans may lose two or three seats, the
Progressive Republicans may lose one,
the Democrats may gain three or four
This will leave the groups as they are
now. The Democrats, even at the best
they can do In next Falls senatorial
elections, will not have a majority. The
regular Republicans will be even less
close to majority than they are now.
The Progressive Republicans will con-
tinue to be as they are now. cs1& .:
touch with the regular Republican,
and not really very much liked by the
Democrats.