Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-11-12
REPUBLICANS TO
STAGE FIGHT FOR
PARTY CONTROL
Each Faction Is Now Blam-
ing the Other for Defeat
Progressive Z lie m e n t
Looks to Johnson.
BY PERRY ARNOLD.

\Onitcu FrosS otaIT OoTTcSponuoUt.J
New York. Nov. 1.-THE Republican
party is to be re-organized. 1t is to be
shaken up thoroughly. The biggest in
ternal fight for control of the party
machinery the G. o. p has known is
impending.
While Republican chieftains publicly
are still announcing doubt in Wilson's
election, they were counselling today
on the basis that for the second time
in eight years the party has gone
down to defeat. As was the case four
years ago, 1t went into defeat because
not enough Progresives could be. at
tracted to it's fold.
Four years ago, the old guard held
complete sway. This campaign the old
guard and the Progressive faction tried
a partnership. The question-why
wasn't this partnership successful?--
furnished a basis for the fight for re-
organization.
1t is no secret that such wheel horses
of the old guard as former Senator w.
Murray Crane of Massachusetts, Boies
Penrose of Pennsylvania and Sam Per-
kins of Washington, have felt dissatis-
faction with the management of the
campaign JUST passed.
CAUSES OF DISSATISFACTION.
This dissatisfaction was based:
First, upon the fact that Frank Fl.
Hitchcock. whom they regard as
neither fish nor fowl. put over"
Hughes at Chicago In June.
Second. Hughes chose William r.,
Wilcox of whom the rank and file of
Republicans had never heard, and
whose standing as a political organ
izer they regarded as amateurish, as
national chairman.
Third. A, Il. Hert, another 'un-
known" was put in charge of western
headquarters at Chicago.
Fourth, Frank Hitchcock, was called
upon for aid.
Fifth, more Progressives were ap-
pointed on the national campaign COM
mittee than the old guard thought jus
titled.
Sixth. Hughes showed his ancient
independence Of thought and action,
mapping out his course without heed to
what old guardsters wanted. There
were other small points.
PROGRESSIVE GRIEVANCES.
On the other hand, the Progressive
faction felt cause for complaint in:
First, Hughes entire independence
of suggestion.
Second, Hughes failure to come out
violently as a partisan of some of the
Progressives favorite ideas.
Third. wasting" of Roosevelt as
speaker in some states of small account
in the electoral college.
Fourth, failure of certain old guard
sters intellectually to cooperate In
campaign plans.
FIGHT FOR CONTROL.
The prospects today were that there
would be no recriminations-but a
tremendous lot of underground activ-
ity looking to control of the party by
one of the three branches. As II
looked today there will be a three
cornered fight for this control-George
w. Perkins. in one corner: Frank H.
Hitchcock in another; and the old
guard in the third. 1t will be fight
of three factions having political
brains about evenly matched-and all
three clever enough to realize that
there must be not surface indications
of any fight for control to imperil
chances in 1920.
Speaking of four years hence, the
Progressives are transferring a little of
their fond regard for Roosevelt to the
newest political wonder-Hfram John
son of California--the man who won
the senatorship by nearly 100000 more
votes than Hughes received, In a state
which went Democratic. They think he
is bound to be considered in 1920.