President Dawes

Out of Boston, starting at scratch with Paul Revere one spring night in 1775, William Dawes did his share in awakening the countryside to the news that the British were coming--although Revere got most of the credit. Out of Lincoln, Neb., starting at scratch with Charles W. Bryan, one of William Dawes' descendants set out on a long ride into U. S. politics. It is not yet determined which of them will get the more credit, although it appears that Dawes--Charles Gates Dawes it is this time--appears to have made greater headway in arousing the countryside.

In 1897 he turned the first lap when McKinley made him Comptroller of the Currency. In 1917 he turned the second lap when General Pershing took him on his staff and made him General Purchasing Agent of the A. E. F. After the War he did some first rate arousing when Congress be- gan to question him about purchases for the A. E. .F. and he ejaculated, "Hell 'nd Maria, the Army was sent out to win the War, not to spend days haggling over pennies." He did some more arousing as the first Director of the Budget, when in 1921 he set to work hacking down Federal appropriations. Then the vice-presidency was shoved at him and he took it--and continued his arousing by making an opening speech to the Senate which made three-fourths of the senators "see red."

In 1789 when the Senate assembled for the inauguration of the first President, the first Vice President faced the Senate and querulously asked: "When the President comes into the Senate, what shall I be? I cannot be President* then. I wish you gentlemen to think what I shall be."

When Charles G. Dawes faced the Senate on March 4, 1925, he did not ask the senior Senator from New Hampshire, nor the junior Senator from Idaho, nor the senior Senator from California, nor the junior Senator from Arkansas, nor the senior Senator from Wisconsin --no, nor their colleagues assembled: "When the President comes into the Senate, what shall I be?" Instead he set out promptly to be Charles G. Dawes, and in the presence of the President he proceeded to call the Senate to ac- count for wasting its time and the country's, telling it that it ought to be ashamed of the way it allowed filibusters to frustrate its action -- ashamed! -- until the blushes rose even to the brow of the modest President who sat waiting to be inaugurated (TIME, March 16).

At first the Senate was angry-- not so much at what the Vice President said as at the bold way he said it--and then it was amused, or if it could not be amused, pretended to be. The Senate felt it had little to worry about. Once in four years the Vice President can make a little speech, and then he is done. For four years he then has to sit in the seat of the silent, attending to speeches ponderous or otherwise, of deliberation or humor.

But Mr. Dawes was unwilling to be silent. All summer long while he was away from his official seat, he went speaking in states far and near, from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains, telling not Senators but their constituents that the Senate should put an end to filibustering by tightening up its rules.

Just before going to Washington for last week's opening of Congress, he delivered a speech in Chicago to the representatives of Republican Women's Clubs of Illinois. In the presence of Senators McKinley and Deneen of Illinois, he said:

"Just suppose that the chairman of a woman's club were to announce that any lady could talk as long as she pleased on a cure for rheumatism or the boundaries of Azerbaijan. The women would think it an ill-timed joke, for a minute. Then, if that really happened, they'd agree that the chairman was mentally unbalanced.

"But the United States Senate, alone of all the great deliberative bodies of the earth, has the right to unlimited debate. Deliberative, bah. . . . The Senate passed 100 bills in 100 minutes. Not time to read their titles. And they call it a deliberative body. . . .

"I am not hitting the Senators present. Senator McKinley for some time has been preaching what I'm preaching, and I think Senator Deneen is going to do it. If he isn't, he isn't going back to the Senate from this state.

"However, if he shouldn't agree with me, my saying this wouldn't make any difference to him.

"I respect the man of courage who opposes me, like Wadsworth, of New York. The men I hate are the pewits who want to pigeonhole the issue so they can sneak.

"The Senators give each other unlimited time to talk about a cure for rheumatism. They give the Vice President twelve and a half minutes in four years. That's one reason I made the most of it. "I'm not a politician. I'm an accident. My inexperience is my best qualification for office in these days.

"Some of my opponents to this revision of Senate rules cry that I want to run for office. They're talking their own language. I am not a candidate for any office. That is why I am dangerous."

Three days later Mr. and Mrs. Dawes arrived smiling at the Capital. While Mrs. Dawes went off to No. 1620 Belmont Rd. to open the house which they have taken for the season, the Vice President went to his office and received callers, among them Senator Underwood, who has proposed such an amendment to the Senate as Mr. Dawes desires. Observers are fairly well agreed that the Dawes proposals will not be adopted, although Mr. Dawes seems to have some hope that they may be brought to a vote--just for the sake of getting Senators on record. But during the session he can do little directly. He must hear what, ever the Senators choose to say-- ! and sit in the seat of the silent.

It ought not to be an easy task for a man of Mr. Dawes' tempera- ment. Already it is apparent what j things may be said of him. Sen- ator Pat Harrison, whip-tongued I keynoter and fire-eater from Mis- sissippi, has unleashed his vocal chords, calling "strikes" derisively against any Republican who may come to bat. Last week he gave his hounds of speech a preliminary run: "With Borah as its leader in foreign affairs, challenging the Administration's position with reference to the World Court, and Dawes, the Mussolini of American politics, threatening invasion and destruction to those of his political faith who dare oppose his Senatorial reform views, the poor old Republican Party is in for rough sledding and a hard time."

*"President" meaning "President of the Senate." In addressing the Vice President in the chair, Senators say "Mr. President," giving him his Senate title.