Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-18
CONGRESS STRIFE ROUSES
+ THIRD PARTY INITIATIVES
Conditions Almost as Bad as Any in
History Bring Out CIeavages That
Mean Little Improvement Ahead.

act most Of the legislation wilson
wished, through the aid of a few Re
publicans and independents who voted
with the Democrats.
Aid From Rival Party.
The possibility of something Of the
same sort exists in the next House.
Even if the Republicans should have
| a paper majority of one or two, 1t is
quite possible Cthe more experienced
among us would say probably that
enough Progressive Republicans may
latter to control 1t is quite certain
that as respects much of the legisla-
ton attempted by the Republicans
enough insurgent Republicans will join
the Democrats to enable the latter to
control the situation. For that matter,
depending on how the deaths and sue
ceSsors turn out, it may be that it will
be the Democrats who will have the
paper majority in the next House.
That picture of chaotic instability is
the vision of the House in the new
| Congress. The Senate will be much
the same. 1t is unusual but not I'M
precedented for one of the two branches
of Congress to be thus evenly divided
1t is quite without precedent, however,
for both chambers to be tottering con-
Stantly along the tight-rope of a ma
|" JOTlLy Oh OIl6 IWO, 4OL OI1C
| party, sometimes for the other.
AS of today it seems as if the Re-
publicans (meaning the regular Repub-
licanS, plus the Progressive Republi
| canS) would have narrow majority
of the Senate, Here, however, as in
the House, death, and substitution fol-
lowing death, will throw the majority
sometimes one way, sometimes the
other Since the November election one
| 30 h.. tAI 70
and, as he came from North Carolina,
his successor is a Democrat. But it
will happen that Democratic Senator
will die and be succeeded by Repub-
lican, and vice versa.
Swinging of Margin of Power.
Until the new Senate actually organ
ICES, and throughout the. two years of
its life, the slender margin of ma jority
power will swing back and forth from
one party to the other.
The Republicans, when they do have
a majority, will only achieve it by add
ing, roughly, AZ regular Republicans to,
roughly, II Progressive Republicans. 1t
will be majority, when it exists at
all, as incoheSive, as productive Of
commotion, as the present nominal Re-
publican majority in the existing
Senate.
Altogether. without any doubt, no
one need wonder why many persons
hope there will be no special session of
the new Congress; hope that its sittings
will be as brief as possible, at time
when a sick business world yearns for
immunity from excitement.
If all this were the sum of the prob
ability of turbulence it would be plenty
enough. But there is yet another con-
dition making for commotion.
| That there Is a cleavage in the Pc
publican party everybody knows. The
| cleavage between regular Republicans
and Progressive Republicans is as con-
| spicuous as the one between Republi-
! cans and Democrats. It expresses it
| self in an official Of the Republican
National Committee trying to prevent
the reelection of Progressive Republi-
can Senator Norris of Nebraska. That
episode and its sequels have consumed
rather more time in the present session
OF the Senate than any matter of legis-
lation.
Another G. o. p. Cleavage.
There is still another cleavage in the
Republican party, as yet comparatively
mild. The regular Republican who is
chairman of the Republican National
| Committee, Senator Tess of Ohio is
| a dry. AS a dry he is Emphasizing to
the wet Republicans of the East. Some
incautious dry remarks of Chairman
Fess after the recent election provoked
outraged reply from wet Republican ex-
Senator Wadsworth of New York-pro-
voked, indeed, almost the innuendo Of
a threat of a third party to be COM
posed Of wet Republicans.
That the Republican party is trou-
bled by the major cleavage Of pro-
gressivism" and by the SO far minor
cleavage of prohibition everybody now
knows. Everybody knows it because the
Republican party happens to be in
power and therefore, its cleavages are
conspicuous.
What everybody does not know, but
IS likely soon to see. Is a cleavage in
the Democratic party so early as that
party comes to responsibility.
Fully half the electoral votes of the
Democratic party comes from the
South. In Congress, roughly, half the
Democrats come from the South, and
the South Is dry, very dry.
Yet the national Democratic organi-
Zation is controlled by the vets. The
chairman of the Democratic National
Committee, John j. Raskob, is a wet,
outstanding in his earnestness. How
completely the vets control the Demo-
cratic national organization, how COM
pletely Mr.. Raskob almost as an indi-
! vidual controls it, is pictured in some
sentences written by Mr.. Frank Kent,
political correspondent of the Demo-
cratic Baltimor- Sun.
Importance Of Raskob.
There just isn't anything else to the
party organization except Mr.. RaSkob
He has taken over all its liabilities, as
sumed ali its debts and is paying out
of his own pocket all its running ex-
penSes. He not only has re-
duced the party deficit, which was
nearly a million dollars, to $628,000
but has assumed responsibility for the
$628,000. The party now owes Mr.. Ras-
: kob personally nearly a quarter of a
million dollars. The receipts Of the
committee for the year were $6l9 900
its expenditures S612,000. OF the money
received. all save $4,000 in small con-
tributions. came through Mr.. Raskob
II was Mr.. Raskob who expanded the
Washington headquarters, put Mr.
Shouse in charge, and is paying all OPP
: Grating expenses. Further, Mr.
Raskob, 1T seems, sent personal contri-
buttons TO various Democratic sena-
torial and congressional candidates II
the last campaign. Add up all these
items and the Raskob ownership OF the
I party seems pretty well established
r Never in the 1875 years of its history
:. has 1t been so heavily obligated to &
n single individual. Never has any party
E been so deeply in debt to one man
D The thing is unprecedented. 1t is rea
e news. II is amazing that not more ha.
e been made OF it."
' Called Party Machine Owner.
: Here is the Democratic national or
: ganizat:on SO completely controlled b!
!. the vets as to lead Mr.. Kent to say
( perhaps with some excess of phrase
y that Mr.. Raskob has become thu
actual owner of the party machinery