The Washington herald., 1921-05-13
Meeting Of National Com.
mittee May Alter
Basis of Party.
PROPOSED TO END
sANCIENT SCANDAL"
Former Representative
John Adams Probably
Next Chairman.
NJ MARK SULLIVAN.

ny A"N SShAA ANs
Al the coming meeting of the Re-
publican national committee, in
for which conferences
are now under way. there will be
just two important items of busi-
ness. One will be the selection of
a new chairman to succeed Will
Hays The new chairman undoubt-
ediy will be former Representative
John Adams, of Iowa. That part
of. the business will be quickly put
out Of the way.
But thereafter will come a detail
of reorganization. which is right
now the cause OF tense controversy.
The proposal. In short. is to change
the entire basis of the Republican
party in the South. Those who
want to do away with the ancient
scandal Of the Southern delegate"
propose that hereafter the Republi-
can party shall rest upon the same
basis in the South as the Demo-
cratic party does.
May Follow state Lawn.
In the Southern States large num-
bers OF negroes are prevented from
voting by State laws. which laws
have been held to be constitutional
by the Supreme Court Of the United
States. At present the bulk of the
Republican party in the South is
made up of these disfranchised ne
groes. The new proposal is that
the Republican party shall recognize
State laws in the South and every
where else, the same as the Demo-
Gratis do.
The suggested rule is that here
after no person can be a delegate
to a Republican national convention
nor take part in a Republican pri-
mary or in a Republican local con-
vention unless he is a qualified voter
Of the State in which he lives al ]
has voted in that State.
Two Grou,s Oppose.
The practical working out of this
rule would make the Republican
party in the South white mans
party to practically the same ex-
tent that the Democratic party Is.
The suggested rule is opposed by
two groups in the Republican party.
which compose a curious combina-
tion of principle and politics. One
large section Of the Republican n
party in the North thinks the party
should continue to stand as 1t al
ways has stood since the civil war.
the friend and protector of the
negro. To these are joined a group
of old time Republican leaders of
the ''hard-boiled" type who. have
been doing business with typical
Southern delegates in every Repub-
lican national convention for a gen.
GRAFTON or more. They do not want
to abandon the system. 1t Is not
merely that they are anxious to
maintain An institution which. in
the past. has frequently been an
occasion of corruption. 1t is rather
out Of a feeling of personal loyalty
that they do not want to throw
overheard old friends whose whole
political capital and standing in life
rests upon the fungus Republican
party Of the South.
The more forward-looking Re-
publican leaders who want 10 adopt
the new rule say the negro in the
South has not been helped but has
been harmed by being used as po-
litical capital by white leaders of
dubious standing, who trade with
them as pawns in national conven-
tions. They say the experiment of
trying to force local Southern COM
munities to permit negroes to vote
against the will OF the white COM
munities has gone on for nearly
sixty years and has never been sue
oessful but has always made mis-
chief.
NeEro's Position Improves.
The only sound way for the South
ern negro to become a voter is to
SO impress his character on his
white neighbors that they are will
ing to give him the franchise. That
process is going on all the time and
the number of negroes who have the
franchise constantly increases. The
position Of the negro in the South.
as elsewhere, becomes better every
year. and his worst handicap is the
so-cailed white friend who uses him
as a political pawn.
The innovation of. doing away
with the Southern delegate" scan
dal and making the Republican
party In the South a white mans
party, the same as the Democratic
party. will probably succeed. There
Is little doubt that President Hard
ing favors It. 1t is to be observed
that his 10 the first Republican ad-
ministration since the civil war
which has not thrust colored post
masters and other colored office
holders on white communities who
resent them. In addition to Presi-
dent Harding. so many other forces
are behind the proposed innovation
that 1t will probably succeed.