La Follette to Finance

Congress, as everyone knows, is government by committee. By controlling the political composition of these off-stage organizations, the party in power controls the character of legislation they frame for enactment. Most potent of Senate committees is the Committee on Finance, dealing with taxation. To maintain control over it is a practical necessity for any Senate majority. Last week the rising tide of Western insurgency reached a high-water mark when the Regular Republicans virtually lost control of the Committee on Finance by the election of Senator Robert Marion La Follette, well-dressed young Wisconsin Insurgent, to that sub-Senate group.

A Finance Committee vacancy occurred when Senator Walter Evans Edge resigned to become Ambassador to France. Senator La Follette applied for the place, supported by his Insurgent colleagues. The Regular Republicans controlling the committee sought to head him off by inducing West Virginia's Senator Goff to make application for the same vacancy. Slightly senior to Senator La Follette in service, Senator Goff was reluctant to leave his Interstate Commerce Committee post where he could take good care of coal problems touching his state. The contest between them narrowed down to a game of puss-in-corner (TIME, Jan. 6). Last week Senator La Follette won the game, became the first and only Insurgent Republican in the Finance Committee corner.

Why the Regular Republicans did not want La Follette on their committee was plain. The Finance Committee is com posed of eleven Republicans and eight Democrats. Among the Republicans is Michigan's Couzens, prime foe of Secretary Mellon. If Senator La Follette and Couzens join with Democrat members in opposing the Administration's fiscal poli cies, which is altogether likely, the Regular Republican majority will be overthrown by one vote. Well aware of this fact were the Insurgent Republicans in urging Sena tor La Follette for the Committee.

Another vacancy on the Finance Com mittee occurred when Senator Frederic Moseley Sackett resigned to become Ambassador to Germany. To take his place Senator John Thomas of Idaho was chosen. Kansas-born, banker, stockman, twice Idaho's Republican National Committeeman, Senator Thomas was accept able to his Eastern colleagues because he is only irregularly irregular in his senate votes.

To handle committee vacancies the Sen ate majority maintains an unofficial group known as the Committee on Committees. This committee stalled in a deadlock when four of its members (Reed, Moses, Bingham, Deneen) voted for Senator Goff for the Finance Committee while four others (Capper, Nye, Oddie, McNary) voted for Senator La Follette. Declared Senator Reed Smoot : "I haven't said I'd resign as Chairman [of the Finance Committee] if Senator La Follette is named but I feel I should if the Committee falls into hostile hands."

Senator Smoot well knew, however, that if the committee fight went to the Senate floor, the Regular Republicans would lose against the same coalition of Progressives and Democrats which had already routed them on the tariff. So next day in the name of party peace he changed his mind, cast the deciding vote in the Committee on Committees which put Senator La Follette on his own committee.

Though they grumbled because they had failed to put South Dakota's Senator McMaster on the Interstate Commerce Committee, the Insurgent Republicans were appeased by the La Follette selection. They lined up with the Regulars to ratify the entire committee slate.

Other committee assignments: Indiana's Senator Robinson to Foreign Relations where he can oppose U. S. entry into the World Court; Wisconsin's Senator Elaine to Banking & Currency where he can participate in any Wall Street inquiry; Pennsylvania's Senator Grundy to Naval Affairs where he can do little for his state's industries.

Senator Charles Linza McNary of Oregon was chosen Assistant Republican Leader in place of Washington's Senator Jones who moved up to the chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee.

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