Evening star., 1934-12-23
BY JOHN SNURE.

I1ARLENo Il. MCINAhI w. IL, DE
BY JOHN SNURE.
| - ENATE Republicans are begin
ming to realize that they may
find themselves in a much
~ better strategical position in
the first session of the Seventy
fourth Congress than they antici-
| pated when they read the returns
| from the November 6 elections.
The Republican group, attenuated
though it is, seems likely to hold the
balance of power in the upper house
| in a number of legislative situations.
More particularly, it seems likely
that the progressive Republican and
moderate Republican Senators will
! find themselves working in harness
| on occasions, when their votes will
be influential and not improbably
controlling. 1t is not likely that the
entire Republican force in the Senate
will be united often, though 1t may
be on a few occasions.
1t will be worth while to keep
track of the course and the activities
| of a dozen members of the Senate
| on the Republican side, or, more ac-
curately, on the non-Democratic side,
from the opening of the session, jan
fuary 3, on. In this group are in
| cluded the progressive Republicans
and those Senators who for the pres
| ent incline to a moderate or middle
, of-the-road policy.
G. o. p. Revamping Dormant.
Thus far, regardless of the various
appeals for reorganization and re-
Mobilization of the Republican party,
made by Senator William E. Borah
of Idaho, Senator Gerald P. Nye of
North Dakota and others, there is no
sign now of any concerted move
ment to that end which is likely to
bring results.
Even the proposal of Henry P.
Fletcher, national chairman, for a
meeting of the Executive Committee
of the Republican National Commit
tee and the plan favored by some
of issuing set of fundamental doc
trines or principles, are pronounced
inopportune by some regular Repub-
licans.
But what is entirely possible is that
out of the situation in the Senate
will develop sufficient unity of thought,
cohesiveness and dissatisfaction with
phases of the administration program
among Republican Senators to make
eventual party reorganization more
feasible and practicable than 1t ap-
pears at this time. In other words,
it seems certain that much political
importance may attach to the course
of Republican Senators through the
Winter and Spring.
Attitude to be Watched.
If cohesion and a. disposition to
unity on certain great problems in op-
position to the administrations rec
concentrations and desires develop,
that will not pass unnoticed by the
country. On the other hand, If there
is complete Republican failure to oper-
ate in unison, and hopeless division in
Republican quarters over the chief
aspects of the New Deal, particularly
the future New Deal as it will be
shaped in 1885, that will obviously
mean almost no show of a revitalized
Republican party in the next cam
paign.
In the group of members on the
Republican side of the chamber who
are likely to be influential this session
are Senators George w. Norris of
Nebraska, Borah and Nye, Hiram
Johnson of California, Bronson Cut
ting of New Mexico, James Couzens of
Michigan, Lynn j. Frazier of North
Dakota, Peter Norbeck of South Da-
kota, all more or less insurgent and
progressive; Charles L. McNary of
Oregon, Republican Senate leader and
Arthur H. Vandenberg of Michigan,
who are taking moderate or middle
of-the-road course on administration
policies, and Robert M La Toilette, jr.,
of Wisconsin and Henrik Shipstead of
Minnesota, who while not labeled Re
publicans, are nearly at one with the
progressive Republicans on most I'M
portant propositions before Congress.
Senators Frederick Steiwer Of
Oregon, and Arthur Capper of Kan
sas, and some "old guard" Republicans
may reinforce this list as the session
develops.
McNary's Course Changed.
These Senators constitute the in
surgent or independent element on
the Republican side of the chamber.
Senator McNary, Republican leader,
has never been called an insurgent.
Nevertheless, he is now taking course
different from that of "old guard"
Republicans. He has said that he will
act on each measure on its merits,
and not on the basis of support or
opposition to the New Deal. Senator
Vandenberg, who will be assistant Re-
publican leader and whip, takes sub.
stantially the same position.
On the other hand, the "old guard"
Republicans are looked on as COM
pletely hostile to the vital features
tof New Deal legislation. This list Of
13 includes Senators Daniel o. Has
tings and John G.. Townsend, jr., of
Delaware; L. j. Dickinson of Iowa,
Frederick Hale and Wallace H. White,
| jr., of Maine; Thomas D. Schall of
Minnesota. Henry w. Keyes of New
Hampshire, w. Warren Barbour Of
New Jersey, James j. Davis of Penn
| sylvania, Jesse H. Metcalf Of Rhode
Island, Warren r. Austin and Ernest
w. Gibson of Vermont, and Robert D.
Carey of wyoming
In considering what the independ-
ent or insurgent Republicans may &C.
complish, it is necessary to bear in
mind that for many years insurgency
has been a potent force in the Senate
The amount of important legisla-.
ton achieved by that veteran insur-
gent, Senator Norris, in his long serv-
ice, is admittedly remarkable, and Is
an illustration of the situation.
In the new Senate, the Democrats