The Newcomers

The assembling of the 69th Congress saw four newcomers peeping into the Senate and looking around for their seats. All other Senators had occupied their seats, in the session of about two weeks held last March to confirm appointments and consent to treaties. The four newcomers are to fill the seats of senators who have died since last March. All are nominally Republican.

Newcomer No. 1. Senator George H. Williams of Missouri was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Selden P. Spencer, Republican.

Newcomer No. 2. Senator Arthur R. Robinson of Indiana was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Samuel M. Ralston, Democrat. Senator Robinson represents a gain of one vote by the Republicans. He was chosen because Governor Jackson of Indiana is a Republican.

Newcomer, No. 3. Senator Robert M. LaFollette Jr. was elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his father. He is an insurgent succeeding an insurgent.

Newcomer No. 4. Senator Gerald P. Nye of North Dakota was appointed to the vacancy caused by the death of Edwin F. Ladd. Ladd was an insurgent, and Nye is probably to be listed as the same, since he is a leader of the Non-Partisan League although appointed nominally as a Republican.

In the case of Newcomers Nos. 1 and 2, there is little to be said. They are presumably regular Republicans coming into the regular fold. But Nos. 3 and 4 are young men and insurgents, and around the appearance of each of them revolves a little scheming.

Young Senator LaFollette is no less an insurgent than his father. From babyhood upward he stood at his father's side and learned the catechism of insurgency. Last year the late Senator LaFolette was read out of the Republican caucus and denied appointment to committees as a Republican. No such course was taken last week when the Republican caucus met. The young Senator was invited to be present. He did not attend, however. The reason for the change of front by the regulars was that they deem it wiser now to be conciliatory. Next year one-third of the Senate comes up for reelection. They are senators who were elected in 1920, a Republican landslide year. There is no prospect of electing Republican Senators in any states where Republicans were not elected in 1920. Faced with the likelihood of losing several seats, the regular Republicans are anxious to preserve as many of their number as possible--and one of these is Senator Lenroot of Wisconsin. Lenroot is a regular and it is pretty well agreed that he cannot be elected if young Bob opposes him. Hence the overtures to young Mr. LaFollette.

The case of Senator Nye, Newcomer No. 4, is complicated because there are doubts as to the legality of his appointment. The regular Republicans are inclined to treat him much as they expect to treat Mr. LaFollette. But the legality of his appointment hangs on the question of whether a state law empowering the Governor of North Dakota to appoint state officers until the next election is applicable. Is a U.S. Senator a state officer? There is a decision of the U. S. Supreme Court which pretty well establishes that a U. S. Senator is a state officer, but in a case similar to Mr. Nye's the Senate once took the opposite attitude. The committee on Privileges and Elections will consider Mr. Nye, and from their temper last week it is likely that the regular Republicans will then seat him.

One other newcomer, No. 5, came to the Senate. He was Colonel E. P. Thayer of Indiana, chosen to be Secretary of the Senate to succeed the late George A. Sanderson.