Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-21
LANCER, Warren Foe, Goes In
For Desk Pounding Orotory.
Senator Is Vigorous
: Job Hunter for
North Dukotuns

The man whose obstructive
tactics have delayed Senate ap-
proval Of Earl Warren's APP
pointment as Chief Justice Of
the United States sounds like a
bowling wind OF his own North
Dakota prairies when he rises
to debate. His fellow Senators
find him just about as pre-
dictable.
Thanks to seniority, William
LANCER Of North Dakota is
chairman Of the Senate Judi
ciary Committee. and as such
he Is in q position to do exactly
what he Is trying to do right
now: make the Eisenhower adj
ministration sufficiently uncom-
Portable so that it will give in to
his long-repeated demands that
more North Dakotans approved
by him be named to prominent
posts in the Government.
This annoyS the administra-
ton. but it goes over big in
North Dakota.
On the principle the States
senior Senator has been operat-
ing for some 40 years, ever since
he won his first election as a
candidate for States attorney of
Morton County in 1914. eHe has
been a storm center Of North
Dakota politics ever since.
Seating Was Challenged.
In 1916 he became State at
torney general, served for four
years, then served for eight years
as q member Of the State Parole
Board, eight years as q member
Of the State Board Of Equaliza-
ton, four years as president of
the State Board Of Health. In
1888 he became Governor and
won the lasting friendship Of the
States farmers by declaring q
moratorium. on mortgage fore
closures. ITO finance a friendly
newspaper he secured subscrip-
lions from Federal relief workers,
found himself indicted and con-
victed of conspiracy to violate
Federal laws. Two years later, in
1886, he was triumphantly re-
elected to the State house.
Since then, he has won every
election he has run in, frequently
over the bitter opposition of the
States regular Republican or
ganization. First elected to the
Senate in 1910. his seating was
challenged. A Senate committee
said he had been guilty of "acts
OF gross improperly, lawlessness.
shotgun law enforcement, jail
breaking. violation of oath as an
attorney, rabble-rousing, civil
dlSobedience. breach of the peace.
obstruction of the administration
OF justice and tampering with
court officials. ;" After three
weeks Of debate the Senate. al
ways hesitant to overrule the
people of a State, voted So to 30
to give him his seat. He was re-
elected in 1916 and again in 1852,
the last time carrying all of
North Dakota's So counties. 4
Desk-Pounding Orator.
In the Senate, Senator LANCER
has been distinguished by desk
pounding oratory which fire.
quently mounts to an unintelli-
gible roar, by soggy cigars
chewed without removal of their
cellophane wrappings and by his
1nslstent espousal of the fitness
OF North Dakotans for Federal
ONCE. He has also been notable
for his constant feuding with the
Republican Party to which he
nominally belongs.
In State politics his main base
Of strength is the Nom Partisan
League, and his political activity
pm the national scene has been
about as non-partiSan as posi-
BILE. He refused to campaign for
Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1852;
instead he rode the campaign
train of Harry Truman when he
came seeking votes for Adlai
Stevenson. The Senator has
been known to remark, II don't
owe the Republican Party a
damned thing" But he has al
ways been careful to preserve
the party label which has now
brought him the chairmanship
OF the powerful Judiciary Com
mittee.
Senator LANCER maintains
there is no connection at all be-
tween his showdown on the
Warren aDn0intment and tho