The Washington herald., 1913-12-18
With the Political Procession.
By =. D. @.

While the Ohio Society banquet in New
York Saturday night viii be q nonpolit-
icaI social affair. political people in or out
Of .ofice win be wonderfully prominent In
the guest list and in the oratorical out
put. All members of the State delegation
in Congress have been invited. and II not
detained officially at this end OF the line
Will attend.
The Democratic section that is loyal to
Gov. Cox is glad to note that he will be
one Of the orators and they are eager to
do him honor. Other Democratic mem
bers who got rather the worst Of ie In
the redistricting bill put through by the
governor and his kitchen cabinet aid at
Columbus are not especially enthusiastic
about doing the governor honor at the
society AFFAIR, but viii attend as mat
ter OF State loyalty and to greet other
Democrats coming on from home and
who will take q hand In next years State
campaign which already promises some
distress TO the party. Judge Taft win be
the big figure because Of past Perform
ance and even II he Is no longer legal
resident of the State he is no less in
terested in joining those who have aided
him politically in other days.
Chairman Hilles, of the national COM
mittee, who has had busy time of 1t in
Washington this week. win be given much
attention at the banquet, especially by
Republicans who have watched the COM
mittee proceedings with unusual inter-
est. While HIlles is a legal voter in New
York, 1t has not been many years since
he was modestly active as ofticeholder
and in conventions out Ohio way. He
came to New York as the head Of q re-
form school for boys, and II appeared for
n Sk,o@ III. ~.
to the reformation Of wayward youths
gathered in from the evil paths OF great
city. Then came in 1904 campaign with
Hilles renewing his zeal for the G. o. P.
and losing no time in acquiring residence
as voter.
Those who recall him as the head OF
a State institution ten years ago are
somewhat dazzIed by his sudden jump
to national prominence in party affairs.
Hilles Is modest about it all and the
clear-headed. deliberative way in which
he has handled things during the meet
ing of the committee this week has in
creased the admiration Of his friends
and confused those who have been some
what opposed to his leadership for per-
sonal or other reasons.
1t is worth noting that the last three
national campaigns have been managed
by young men, with promise that the
younger element will continue in con-
troll.
Cortelyou was hardly forty when he
handled the 1904 campaign and won re-
nown by the way he made sure of the
Roosevelt retention in the White House,
incidently making sure Of his own pro-
motion in the Cabinet. Chairman Hitch
cock was younger than Cortelyou when
he managed the Taft campaign and came
into the Cabinet with the approval of
every eminent Republican leader the
country over. Hilles had a different
result, but no one blamed him or his
committee for what happened, and. in
fact, as the features of the campaign
are better understood, the reaction is
favorable to the chairman and to his
continued activity in party affairs.
William G. Sharp, Of Ohio, is a lawyer,
but has given more attention to indus
trial affairs in recent years than to law,
besides being interested in scientific re-
search. Long before the aeroplane be-
came n successful proposition Statesman
Sharp had studied the problem of aerial
as a diversion. perhaps, but
with usual inventors dream OF success
full solution. Several Congressional cam
paigns broke in on the Sharp research
and experiment. but he rejoiced to see
OlhSIS diiu sOCo 70 GNS" 1OIA
this week for the Aero Club banquet, and
to forget political propositions in a few
hours of eloquent prediction as to what
the airships will eventually accomplish.
Sharp is a Democrat. but has carried a
district three times in sue
cession. and the first time before the
general slump in Republican affairs.
The first victory was a notable one. as
the district was considered reliably Re-
publican. and Sharps victory made him
a rising figure in Ohio Democratic affairs, |
with the subsequent elections giving him
as a candidate for governor.