Evening star., 1944-12-24
Republicans in Senate
Decide 10 Continue
3-Man LEADERSHIP
BY GOULD LINCOLN.

~ NO S~~A~ @@AANSoA~ASs
The Republican minority OF the
Senate-a very respectable minor
ity, since 1t will be SO strong-will
continue ist present triumvirate
leadership in the new Congress.
Senator White of Maine will have
the floor leadership. Senator Van
denberg of Michigan the chair
manship of the Republican Confer
ence and Senator Taft of Ohio the
Craftsmanship of the Steering Com
mittee. Senator Wherry Of Nebraska
will continue as Republican whip,
representing the younger group-in
point of service.
Two reasons are advanced for the
retention Of this organization of the
Republican Senators. The first is
that it worked well after the death
of Republican Leader McNary last
March. The second is that it will
avoid possible contest for leader
ship should the present setup be
abandoned. Conceivably all three
of the top men in the organization
White, Vandenberg and Taft-might
enter such contest, each with
substantial backing.
Want Independent Thinking.
Both Vandenberg and Taft, who
might make more aggressive leaders
than Senator White, are disinclined
to yield the. measure of independent
thinking and action which might be
necessary if they became, as floor
leader, the mouthpiece of the Re-
publican party in the Senate.
Further, both are intensely inter-
ested in the foreign and domestic
problems which will come before the
Senate committees of which they
are members for consideration. They
feel that the confining duties of floor
leader, constantly in the Senate
during its sessions, would lessen their
time and opportunity for this essen
tial committee work.
Senator White, a former member
OF the House, has been a Senator
since 1881, junior to Vandenbeg and
senior to Taft. While Mr.. White
may be relied upon constantly to
care for Republican interests in the
Senate, he will not be-and he has
not been-a daily Roosevelt batter
on the floor of the Senate. He has
the confidence of his Republican
colleagues and the respect of the
Democrats.
IL may be expected, from more
recent precedent, that Senator Van
recent precedent that Senator Van
conference of the Senate-composed
OF all Republican Senators-into
meeting for general or specific dis
cussion every few weeks. It is his
Idea that these meetings are a good
clearing house and valuable-al-
though no attempt is made to ''bind"
Senators to any particular line of
action.
Taft Financial Authority.
Senator Taft functions as chair
man of the Steering Committee.
He Is student of banking and
financial problems, and his advice
In these matters is heavily relied
upon by his colleagues.
1t is clearly within the probable
tiles that the Michigan and Ohio
Senators will take the lead in press
ing, or opposing. legislation in which
each Is especially interested. Sena-
tor Vandenberg has flair for con-
structive action. He has In the past,
even though minority Senator
been able to get things done. A
notable example was the Federal
Bank Deposit Insurance Law.
With American entry into an in
ternational organization for the fu-
ture maintenance of peace, and the
myriad Of other international agree
ments, in the of11ng, the attitude of
the strong Republican minority in
the Senate becomes increasingly
important. Senator White is a
known supporter of international
collaboration, and both Senator
Vandenberg and Senator Taft have
frankly avowed that such an organ
ization must be made effective. The
leadership of the triumvirate will
be extremely important when these
problems come before the Senate.
International Issues.
Thirteen Republican Senators in
the new Congress hail from the At
lantic and Pacific Coast States, and
Is from the interior States. It has
been generally asserted that the
people of the interior States are less
inclined to international collabora-
ton and more inclined to the purely
nationaistic attitude, than are the
people in the Coast States. How
great an effect this will have on
Senate in consideration of inter-
national agreements time will show.
It would be a mistake, however, to
class all Midwest Republican Sem
ators as isolationists. Senator Ball
Of Minnesota is one of the strongest
supporters Of international collabor-
alton, for example. The veteran
Senator Hiram Johnson, on the
other hand, Is the last of the old
'tirroncilables" who fought the
League Of Nations covenant to death
after the last war.