New-York tribune., 1920-04-21
Dry Era a Boon
To Republican
National Club
No Financial Scar Left After
Adjustment of the Bar,
and Membership Leaps
Beyond the 1000 Mark
SCI Added to Rolls
Charles ID. Hilles Renamed
President for Second
Term at Annual Meeting

In the case of the National Repub-
lican Club, the largest Republican club
in the city, tho transition from moist
to a hone-dry institution has not left
financial scar, according to reports
turned in at the annual meeting last
night, when Charles D. Hilles, former
chairman of the Republican National
Committee, was elected president for a
second term. Like the bar in other
large city clubs, the one in the Ma
tlonal Republican Club was we'll pat
ronized and profitable.
The new officers elected year ago
faced the year with more or less mis-
givings on the score of financing the
institution without advancing the dues.
But President Hilles improved the op-
portunlty presented by the rising tide
of Republican prospects, and he and
many others in the club buckled to
the task of making the year record
breaker, and they have done it.
Over Two Thousand Members
With the forty four members elected
last night the club passed the Union
League in membership, topping the
1000 mark. During the year deficit
has been transformed into Il surplus.
and much new equi pment has been in
stalled. The year marked an unprece-
dented gain in membership. Five hun
dred and siXty-one new members were
recruited.
Through deaths and designations
there was loss Of 1923, resulting in a
net addition of 438. Forty-three states
and all territories are represented in
the club. although the proportion of
nonresident members is less than it
was year ago. The initiation fees
paid by new members during the year,
including three life memberships,
amounted to S2250O.
President Hiles was unavoidably
kept away from the annual meeting
last night, but he sent message to
First Vice President w. NJ X. Olcott,
in which he said:
"The club must continue to march
forward. 1t must prepare to perform
its part in the national campaign upon
which we are so soon to enter. To my
mind, the election this year will be the
most important election since the birth
of the Republican party. No far-seeing
man or woman-no patriot-will be in
different to the result, once the issues
are defined and the plan of campaign
is determined"
The newly elected officers, besides
Mr.. Hilles are: Vice-pres idents, Will
lam NJ. X. Olcott, Taylor More and
tary, Oscar W. Ehrhorn; corresponding
secretary, Benjamin NJ. Day; treasurer,
Herbert G. Catrow.
Members of executive committee, for
full term of five years--Joseph II. EN-
cry, Henry W. Goddard, Samuel S.
koenig, James ]. Lyons and Frank B.
Mclean.
Committee on membership, for full
term Of three years-James P. Callen-
der, Frederick H. Cunningham and Jo-
seph S. Johnston.
Committee on finance for 1920-R. j.
Caldwell, Louis Stern and Daniel E.
Pomeroy.
Enormous Waste Charged
The subcommittee on financial
legislation of the club submitted a re-
sound financial legislation, taxation re-
form and the adoption of a budget
system.
The report charges that the Demo-
cratic Administration at Washington
has failed to accept the measures nee
essary to check imitation and extrava-
gance and that the partisanship which
influenced appointments to all posi-
tions of real power in the Federal
service during the war resulted in
enormous waste Of national effort and
national wealth.
The report was prepared by special
committee consisting Of Paul d. Cra-
vath, chairman; James G. Blaine jr..
Walter J. Fahy, James f. Ford, Simon
Guggenheim, John Henry Hammond,
Darwin P. Kingsley, Samuel McCune
Lindsay, Stuart Mcnamara, Daniel E.
Pcmeroy Mortimer l.. Schif, f. T.
Stotesbury and the late Theodore N.
Vail.
After pointing out that the United
States stood alone among the allied
governments in pursuing partisan
policy of extending party domination
to all Of the important departments
Of war activity the report says:
The Democratic Administration,
which still controls the executive
branches Of the government, has shown
no ability to cope with the crisis which
now confronts the nations finaacial
situation.
"Instead of striking at the funda-
mental causes Of high prices and in
creased cost of living, it seeks to mis-
lead the people by accepting temporary
measures which every intelligent man