Evening star., 1933-01-20

II somebody thinks there's anything
remotely resembling party leadership
and cohesion left in the United States
Senate, let him analyZe yesterdays
vote on cloture. Nine Democrats re-
fused to follow their chosen captain,
Joe Robinson of Arkansas, and "a Re-
publicans did not choose to run with
Jim Watson of Indiana, leader of the
so-called G. o. P. majority in the
Senate, against cloture. One Of the
confidential stories that ran through
the cloakrooms Immediately after the
die was cast is to the effect that Sem
ator Robinson's count Of noses missed
fire by just the single vote needed to
The vote which failed to materialize
for cloture was that of Democratic
George of Georgia. One explanation
Of his lining up with the anti-cloture
forces was that he was aware both
Of the plan to reconsider, If necessary,
and the substitute arrangement later
adopted to limit debate Mrs. Caraway
Of Arkansas had her first opportunity to
register gratitude for the support Huey
Long gave her last year when she was
up for nomination. She cast what
might have been the decisive vote
against cloture.
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No member of the Senate has longer
or more honorable record against fill
clustering than Senator Walsh, Demo-
crat, Of Montana. On March Z. 1917,
just before we entered the World War.
Walsh delivered powerful attack in
the chamber on the system whereby. as
he put 1t, lone man may, by his physi-
cal prowess alone, defeat vote, invite
calamity unspeakable and expose the
Senate to the well-deserved contempt
of mankind" Those words, uttered be-
meath the dome 16 years ago, might
have been spoken of late events in the
same loQuacious locality. Senator
Walsh comedies that a filibuster may
serve a useful purpose. He cites the
unlimited debate on the original reve-
nue. bill of 1922 as an example. Two
years later the Mellon tax plan was
brought to book by the determination
of Congress to talk it to death. The
Montanan thinks it oughtn't to be for
gotten that it was the notorious force
bill, introduced in the House by Henry
Cabot Lodge. then young Representa-
tive from Massachusetts,. that brought
the filibuster. as we now know it, into
existence. It was Que entirely to the
unlimited debate tactics of Southern
Democrats in the Senate that the force
bill was killed. Seven out of the nine
Democrats who opposed cloture this
week are Southern Senators.
Well, there seems to be no doubt
that President-elect Roosevelt is going
to consort freely and unashaned with
the Republican progressives who lbolted
Hoover in the Governors favor. F. D.
RS first batch of callers in Washington
Yesterday included Senators johnson OF
California, Cutting of New Mexico and
La Eollette of Wisconsin. Presently.
Mr.. Roosevelt will go sightseeing at
Muscle Shoals with Senator Norris. The
progressives are said to cherish only
one burning wish with regard to the
Roosevelt cabinet-namely, that 1t
shall not include Newton D. Baker.
The Ohican long ago was elevated 10
the dienity of their pet aversion, be-
caus, of h S cll-g-1 Identification with
the power trus..." At Chicago last
June the cir was thick with rumors
that the only reel opposition to Gov.
Roosevels's nomination was fomented
by power" cn1 in the interest OF
Baker Huston Thompson of Colorado
(and Washington, D. c. would be
nRQly dCCcDtdDlS JO tllc NOllIo 6AVAP
as Roosevelt's Attorney General.
\
Arrival of Norman H. Davis IN
Washington on Gov. Roosevelt's spe-
cial train naturally revives vigorously
the persistent belief that he Is to be-
come the New Deals Secretary OF
State. Nobody can extort a definite
word on the subject from the Presi-
dent ELECT, and Mr.. Davis himself Is
no less cagey when put on the spot
But the circumstantiai evidence in the
cese is all in favor Of the soft-spoken
Tennessean-New Workers. selection for
the premiership Of the Roosevelt
Cabinet. It's impossible to recall in
our time an appointment that would
have SO much logical reason behind 1t.
Davis was Undersecretary of the
Treasury in 1919-1e20. in special
charge Of war debts. He was Under
secretary of State during the last year
of the Wilson administration. He has
served on League of Nations commits