Show Constructive GOP Congress Depends on Party Harmony By BAUKHAGE N News t Analyst and Commentator Service 1616 Eye Street Street NW Washington D. D C. C WASHINGTON Now that the senate has ha settled Its first problem naming of or the committee chairmen chairmen chair chair- men the next big question is whether the Republicans Republicans Re Re- publicans are going going go go- 1 ing to be able to develop a leadership leadership leader leader- ship able to ride herd and establish establish establish lish the party discipline discipline discipline dis dis- dis- dis necessary for iron-handed iron 1 controL The Republican ReIt Republican Re Re- It publican majority majority major major- ity is very slim and there are a number of restIve restive rest rest- ive Iv e m members e m b c r s who will wUl be as hard bard to get into Baukhage the corral come roll-call roll time as the sons of the wild jackasses used to be It Isn't the lack of ot a leader lender so much as a surplus of ot them that hat worries Republican politicos politico co cos s that and the danger that the leaders may start leading in different directions I Another factor not calculated to further unity is the flock of presidential presidential presidential bees crawling all over the Inside of the capitol dome In his December poll Gallup listed four senators as possibilities in the following following fol rol- fol- fol lowing order 9 per percent percent percent cent Bricker 8 per cent Taft 2 per percent percent percent cent and 1 per cent These are small figures compared to the polls poll's 52 per cent granted Governor Dewey of New York or Minnesota's Governor ex-Governor Stassen's 17 per cent the two leading Gallups Gallups Gallup's Gallup's Gallups Gal Gal- lups lup's list But that doesn't mean the candidates think that way about it Nobody is placing bets yet As the veteran Republican National Committeeman Clarence Buddington Budding- Budding ton Kelland said a I dont don't think you are arc are going to see the matter jell at all until Ohio Obio decides whether It Is backing Taft Tart or Bricker When I that decision 11 fe is made the lineup lineup line- line up will wUl come fast 1 Gallup predicted th that t Eisenhower's Eisenhower's ers er's star would rise higher and thus whip hip the hopeful senators to added zeal ud Lapel buttons labeled Draft Ike are already out Under whose banner Eisenhower would be drafted drafted draft draft- drafted ed it is not stated but it is generally generally gen- gen conceded his personal leanIngs leanings leanings lean lean- ings would be more Republican than Democratic Neither nor Salton- Salton stalls stall's friends have begun to tight and at this writing neither one has even indicated publicly he is in the running More distressing to the men who have to make the upper house members mem mern- bers hew to the Republican line Is the old problem of the so called progressive element Some people are predicting that there may bemore bemore be bemore more harmony in the next session among the minority so widely split last time than among the majority majority ma ma- with its swollen ranks Some Republicans are worrying lest they be divided to the extent that their power will be considerably reduced Senator W Works For His State Many people tall fail all to realize the many factors which contribute to individualism in the senate In the first place each senator is and so considers himself an ambassador from a state it Is his business to serve that state to the best of his ability and his ability can be great ly supplemented by the prestige he acquires Indeed prestige if it acquired acquired acquired ac ac- ac- ac by nothing but seniority cango cango can cango go a long way toward making up for lack of ability Rut flut ut It is not mere personal ambition which drives a senator to work for Cor Individual prominence nence nence-it nence It is a part of f his bis job to strengthen the sovereignty ty of ot the sovereign state he be represents Another thing which often forces a a senator to walk alone or as part of a 9 small group is sectionalism sectionalism- not a hidebound attitude either butt butte but t tSe te e demand that he truly represent the interests of his community even if hose those interests conflict with those of other parts of the country The ancient antagonism of West versus East has never quite died It was only a little over three decades ago that the amendment was passed which authorized the l lar r election of sen senators tors This was accomplished largely through the I Influence of western and southern Elates dates which had already by means of state primaries or other subterfuge subterfuge subterfuge fuge managed to take the choice of senators out of the hands of the state legislatures The Republicans benefited by the failure of the Democrats to maintain maintain main main- tam tain a West-South West alliance but they now suffer in turn from other sectional sectional sec see and ideological cleavages I heard one man remark the other day that two recent speeches one by Senator Morse Republican of Oregon and the other by Senator Byrd Democrat of Virginia each expressed views much more in line with the opposite party's than with their own organizations There arc many other similar anomalies in the congress as there were in thelast thelast the thelast last session The belief that the extreme conservatives conservatives conservatives con con- will mil be in the saddle ready to ride roughshod shod over any liberal move is not generally sup sup- ported True history has shown that the American people can stand just so much reform at a time Buton But Buton Buton on the other hand they have seldom been willing to sacrifice ce past social gains Consequently when the Republicans Republicans Republicans Re Re- publicans have been swept into office office of of- I fice flee after periods like the Wilson I New Freedom they have been I very chary of repealing laws which were passed in answer to a demand demand domand de do- mand for new privileges for the many Nation Clings To Old Reforms Harold Laski the British wing left-wing labor leader would have us believe that there is a return to reaction In America He says In hi a recent article under that title that in abandoning abandoning abandoning aban aban- the Roosevelt heritage heritage- Mr Truman made the shaping of the postwar economic policy of America America America Amer Amer- ica the concern of business and not of congress congress Mr Truman would be the first to deny that he I deserted the New Deal heritage whether he was personally inclined I I i Senators Bricker ricker left Taft TaCt I Hold Presidential Key to support all of its tenets or not And I can see the hackles of congress congress congress con con- gress rise even on the side at the suggestion that the initiative initiative initia initia- tive was returning to the hands of National Manufacturers' Manufacturers Mr Truman was removed by the election from a number of restraints and pressures from groups which favored courses he personally disliked but he has not been party to any move to sacrifice past social gains and I cannot see congress al allowing al- al allowing lowing ving the few reactionaries in either party or in the house or senate to set back the clock As the Beards point out in their Basic History of the United States the Republicans despite their landslide victory over Wilson In 1920 did not or could not stamp out the spirit of or progressive or radical radical radi radi- cal insurgency old in American tradition and yet ever new In hi its application to changing con condi condi- i. i Hardings Harding's normalcy and Coolidge's Coolidge's Coolidge's Cool- Cool I idge's conservatism temporarily did end our internationalism But their next choice was Herbert Hoover who had been speaking with continual continual continual contin contin- ual concern over conditions affect ing the I less l-ess ss privileged In 1923 for example he had called on the insurance Insurance insurance in in- companies to study unemployment unemployment unemployment insurance he had endorsed endorsed en en- an amendment abolishing child labor he had frightened the reactionaries to death when he proposed proposed pro pro- posed the inheritance tax lax to redistribute redistribute redis tribute fortunes Going further back into history we note that after alter three successive victories the Republicans even even when they had majorities in both houses did not repeal so-called so reform measures passed up to 1900 When they returned to power in 1921 although attempts were made to do so such measures measures measures meas meas- ures as the income and inheritance taxes were not abolished or reduced to an empty gesture Yesterdays Yesterday's radic is tomorrows tomorrow's conservative |