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Show INTEREST 15 KEEN " IN HODSIER STATE NAME OF SUCCESSOR TO SENATOR SENA-TOR RALSTON IS EAGERLY WATCHED AT CAPITOL Ex-Senator Beveridge Is Choice Of Administration Officials; Governor Gover-nor Would Like Toga For H imself Washington. Washington awaits the appointment ot a new senator from Indiana with an interest deeper deep-er than attaches to the mere filling of one vacancy among ninety-six senators. sen-ators. The news spread through the country coun-try from Washington and Indianapolis is prevailingly to the effect that ex-Senator ex-Senator Beveridge will get the appointment. ap-pointment. That is the chief cause of national interest, for the appointment appoint-ment of an unknown would mean little lit-tle to the country or to Washington. Some who have taken pains to probe far into the states of mind of those whose counsel will affect the appointment appoint-ment do not share the common expectation ex-pectation that Mr. Beveridge will get it. The candidates described as more likely include an "ex-state chairman of the Republican party," and "ex-district "ex-district attorney," a "prominent lawyer," law-yer," and "a son of the late Charles W. Fairbanks." Some of the appela-tions appela-tions mean much outside of Indiana It has not been much mentioned, but it is a fact that the possibilities most to the front at this moment include in-clude the governor of the state himself. him-self. Governor Jackson is "under pressure to send himself to the senate," sen-ate," at least, that is the phrase in which the idea is conveyed to those who inquire. The process would consist con-sist of resignation from the governorship, gover-norship, and then appointment to the senate by the lieutenant governor, those steps being made possible by the well-oiled amenities now existing in Indiana politics. However, everything every-thing so far is surmise. The present fact Is, the question has not been settled, set-tled, and there is a program of conferences con-ferences during the present week out of which a different result may come. Washington's curiosity and interest lie in the possibility that Mr. Beveridge Bever-idge may be named. To the administration adminis-tration and to the Republican party, any other appointee would be a vote. But Mr. Beveridge would be a voice. It is common judgment that the greatest; present need of President CoolidgiS,: the administration and the Republican party is to have someone in the senate willing to fight Mr. Cool-idge's Cool-idge's battles and be able to do it. Some Republican senators, like Gillette Gil-lette and Butler, from Mr. Coolidge's own state of Massachusetts, are loyal and willing to fight his battles, but are not able, because they are too new in the senate, and are not speech-makers. speech-makers. Others, who are able and on whom the party duty would normally lie, lack willingness, for reasons which vary with the Republican senator sena-tor whose capacity to throw his heart Into defense of Mr. Coolidge is impaired impair-ed by the senator's own presidential ambitions. The net of it is that Mr. Coolidge Is less defended by his party leaders in the senate, is more at the mercy of the opposition, than any president of either party since Grover Cleveland. Cleve-land. In the rejection by the senate last spring of Mr. Coolidge's appointee appoin-tee for attorney general, in his cabinet, cab-inet, he suffered a serious setback. |