Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-25

without as yet causing any public re-
verberation, the opening guns were fired
| this week in what is destined to become
one Of the major battles Of the next
Congress. It concerns the makeup OF
Senate committees. Senator Joe T.
Robinson of Arkansas, the Democratic
leader, has delivered what amounts TO
an ultimatum to Senator Charles l..
McNary, Republican, of oregon, chair
man of the Committee on Committees.
Robinson demands that during the
coming session the Republicans shall
not have a majority of more than one
on the 10 or a dozen principal Senate
committees. Hitherto the G. o. P. has
laid claim to, and maintained, ma
iority Of two or three, in the ratio Of
10 Republicans to or Democrats.
Senator Robinsons contention springs
| from the certainty that in the forth
| coming Senate, with Shipstead, Far
mer-Labor, voting on organization
marshal only 40 to the Democrats a..
That is so near tie that the minority
leader insists his party Is entitled to
everything in the way Of committee
power short Of equality.
4 y
For the moment Senator McNary is
standing pat on the old alignment Of
10 or 8 Republicans to 8 or Demo-
i Gratis, or Whereabouts. To accept a
majority Of a single vote would, the
Oregonian points out, amount to q
revolutionary change of Government.
It would be tantamount to handln8
over the control of vital committees,
like those on foreign relations, finance,
judiciary, appropriations and interstate
commerce, to the unholy alliance OF
Democrats and Republican Progressives.
Borah and johnson, in combine with
the minority, could boss foreign rela-
tons at will; Couzens and La Toilette,
making common cause with the Demo-
Gratis, could dominate the Finance Com
mittee; Norris and Borah between them
could, with Democratic aid, command
judiciary; Nye and some other Progress
sive who will be on the next Appropria-
lions Committee would be able, in ALI
ance with the opposition, to dictate ap-
preparations. 50 1t would go all along
the line, Senator McNary argues-and
fears. AS certain as the stars Will twin
kle over Capitol Hill next Winter is 1t
that the committee situation contains
all the ingredients Of senatorial
knockdown and dragout.
X X
Chairman James c. Stone Of the
Federal Farm Board lit out Tor the
Kansas wheat belt at the beginning Of
the week, Just as Washington began 10
roar With protest over the boards de-
cision to quit pegging the price OF
wheat by purchases from the 1881 crop
Whether the trip has anything TO 90
with the bilization question is
not vet disclosed Insiders have known
for some weeks that the boards decision
was imminent. stone and his COL
leagues, including the new dirt-farmer
member, Sam" Thompson, have their
Jaws set and are not likely to be STAN
peded out of their program to let the
agricultural Georges do 1t hencefor-
ward, without dependence on Uncle
Sam Stone IS warning people that the
time for the country to squeal ABOUT
the Farm Boards 200. 0o0, 000-bushel
flyer in wheat will be when the coun-
try is really hurt. Nobody knows--not
even the board itself-t>o chairman
says, how much stabilizati2a 3 going to
cost the Treasury, If anything. 1t may
turn out that 1t cost nothing ct all, or
at least was q bagatelle compared to
what the farmers would otherwise have
lost through low prices.
X +
Miss Vera Bloom, gifted daughter Of
Representative Sol Bloom, Democrat,
Of New York, speaks fiuently nearly
every language represented in the
washington diplomatic corps. She won
A bet the other night at an embassy
dinner party. Her table partner. know
! ing Of Miss Veras linguistic talent,
rashly assumed 1t could hardly by any
chance include a knowledge of jaw
/ breaking Polish. "I'll lay you dollar"
he said, that you don't know how to
pronounce the name of my friend, Los,
piled. You're on" and then added
| FITS pronounced as If it were spelled
| WASH" She got the dollar. In
Polish, presumably, the affair with
which Representative Bloom Is now so
theoretically concerned is the George
Losington Bicentenary.
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