The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-03
WILL n. HAY s
By F. STUART CRAWFORD.

r TOW are Presidents of the United
II States elected? What are the de-
L tails of the business?-for 1t is
serious and highly specialized business To
the average citizen national campaign has
meant little more than a lot of talk, millions
of words of propaganda set forth in all sorts
of publications. billboards and elsewhere,
campaign meetings and the raising and ex-
penditure of large sums of money.
This year particular attention has been d.
rected to the size of campaign funds by the
Kenyon Senate committee But just why a
large war chest must be raised and may be
properly spent is not yet clear to the public
The business Of electing Presidents is car
ried on by national committees composed of
one representative of the particular party
from each State. These committees may be
looked upon as the boards of directors for
their respective parties-Republican Demo-
cratic Socialist, Prohibition or any other
that may have a national organization. The
chairman of the committee may be called
president of the concern or managing d.
rector.
AS In other forms of human endeavor, the
best results are obtained by the most eff
Client organization. Never before has
Presidential campaign reached such a plane
of business efficiency as that being con-
Quoted by Will H. Hays chairman of the Re
publican National Committee The Demo-
Gratis are trying to build up a good organ
ization, with less money, they say, and GER
tainly In less time.
New Every Four Years.
Prior to the 1915 campaign it had been the
custom for both the Republican and Demo-
cratic parties to build up organization
every four years and then let it disintegrate
after election, only to be started all over
again In the next Presidential campaign
The officials would hold over. but usually
attempted to do no work and were almost
always changed after the nomination of
new candidates.
At the end of the campaign four years
ago both parties closed out their headquar-
ters here but maintained small places in
Washington. Little work was done how
ever, in either place. William K. Wilcox
the Republican chairman, turned his atten-
ton to matters connected with the war
which finally made II necessary for him to
resign.
Will Hays OF Indiana, chosen to succeed
him, had the reputation of live wire and
has since proved 1t In everything he has
done as head of the national committee
Elected in February. 1918. he at once began
to get in touch with leaders of the organ
ization In every part OF the country. In
quarters in New York something unheard OF
between national campaigns.
A floor and half of the Knox building, at
Fifth avenue and Fortieth street. was rented
and Immediately Chairman Hays began TO
plan the organization which very soon
after the nomination Of Harding and Coo
lidge in Chicago was able to start function
ing for their election. IL was because Mr.
Hays had built up this efficient machine
that he was retained manager of the
campaign rather than supplanted by
new man who might have been the personal
friend of the candidate as has been the case
in previous years.
Mr. Hays showed his ability and the
efficiency OF his organization by winning
not only the House of Representatives but
also the United States Senate in the 1918
elections, an accomplishment that few MEM
bers of the party we're sanguine of attain
ing. From that time on the work of prep
aration for 1920 went steadily on with in
creasng scope
How the Democrats Farcd.
Vance Mccormick, leader of the Demo-
cratic 1916 campaign, also became tied up
with war work and let the affairs of the
committee drift along. In 1918 Homer s.
Cummings vice-chairman. conducted the
Congressional campaign which resulted so
disastrously for them. Early the following
year he was formally elected head OF the
committee and did such preliminary work
for the 1920 national convention as was
necessary.
with Cummings tho customary thing
happened Just soon Gov. James NJ
Cox was chosen the Presidential candi-
date his friends set about throwing Cum