New Britain herald., 1918-01-19
BATTLE COMING IN
 REPUBLICAN RANKS
Resignation Of Wilcox Promises
 Re-openinS Of Old Wounds

tion from the chairmanshlp Of the republican nation2l committee Of William R. Wilcox on February 12 the very day the committee meets in St. Louis-is expected to precipi- tate the bitter row which threatened the party with schism from the mo- ment John T. Adams. Iowa national committeeman, was made vice chair man last January, with powers which deprived MT. Wilcox of much of his titular authority During the tenure of MT. Wilcox, who was credited by both sides with a large share in har- moniZing the old guard and progress sve wings and uniting them behind Charles E. Hughes candidacy for the presidency, party pacifists hoped that the outspOken progressive resent ment at the introduction of MT. Adams could be lulled into silence, and that some working arrangement could be made whereby the more modern element of the party would be satisfied MT. Wilcox enjoyed large share of progressive sympathy and was regarded as the outstanding possibility as peace maker.
 The appointment of MT. Adams to a job with powers which threatened to make MT. Wilcox a figurehead aroused the bitter anger of George W. Perkins and Everett Colby. pro- gressive leaders, who were said to have the backing of Colonel Roose- welt in their loud demands for a na- tional committee meeting to review the action of the executive commit tee in naming Mr. Adams. They as serted that the committee was dom- 3po tnI h. present-day temper of the rank and file of the party, and threatened wholesale secession if an attempt al reactionary control of the party, with the obliteration of the progressive so far as voice in party management went, were attempted.
 One of the big jobs before the St Louis meeting next month was to have been the effort to straighten out the tangle and enable the party to lay plans for the next national cam paign, with a united membership behind the leaders. In this, so long as MT. Wilcox held office. it was felt by party leaders that the pro- gressive had somewhat the advan- tage. Now that he has eliminated himself and MT. Adams, ex-officio, becomes his logical successor, it was believed in republican circles last night that the old guard held the up- per hand, provided it dare press it's strategical advantage. MT. Wilcox would make no prediction last night as to the probable choice for his suc- cessor. He contented himself with issuing a statement in which he avoided the political issue entirely His statement said:
 Cannot Refuse Federal Appointments
 Tt is hardly necessary for me to say that the appointment announced by Secretary McAdoo of my mem bership to the commission to con- sider the question of compensation to railroad employees of the United States came without any suggestion or solicitation from me. The subject, however, to be taken up is of such vast importance that no one called to give his services in connection with it can refuse to comply. I therefore have accepted the appointment and shall give to the task my very best endeaVorS.
 ''The work to be undertaken is of such a character affecting, as it does the income of hundreds of thousands of people, that it gives to the office a quasi-judicial character. It is my feel ing that no one serving on this com mission should be an official of any political party any more than he would hold such an office were he. elected to be a judge of any court. Having decided, therefore, to accept the appointment on the wage commis- sion, l shall, in consequence of this acceptance, resign the chairmanship of ha at the meeting to be held in St. Louis on Feb. 12. In doing this I am fol- lowing no suggestion from any course and am taking this step solely because l feel that the nature of the work is such and the importance of it so great that in the performance of my duties no one should be able to inti- mate or suggest that there were any political considerations involved, as some might do if I remained chair man of the national committee.
 Perkins Statement.
 George W. Perkins, who led the fight on Adams in the early pant of last year, said:
 All progressives will feel regret over MT. Willcox's decision to resign the chairmanship, because hs was very successful in cementing the re- publican and progressive organiza- tions together during the Hughes campaign. The great task then was to get the two factions together, and he did this very successfully. He was very fair and impartial and as interested in one organization as he was in the other. We hope that the next national chairman will be as suc- cessful in this respect as was MT. Will cox.'
 In progressive circles it is no secret that the plan for St. Louis, even with MT. Wilcox nominally in control when the committee met, was to slip Adams quietly into control either as the titular head, or through such a di- vision of powers as would make the vice-chairman more powerful than