The Washington herald., 1921-06-07
Changes in Representa-
ton Vexed Problem
For Committee.
SOUTHERN COLORED
VOTE UNDER FIRE
John T. Adams Is Unop.
posed for Chairman
ship Tomorrow.
BY MARK SULLIVAN:

| Wnen the republican national
committee Aeets here tomorrow.
Will Hays will retire as chairman
after a career marked by extra
ordinary good fortune on the part
of both the party and of Mr.. HAYS
himself. The new chairman will
undoubtedly be John T. Adams of
Dubuque. Iowa.
Mr.. Adams is a manufacturer with
whom politics is an avocation.
Thirteen years ago he was manager
of the campaign of Senator Allison,
! and in 1912 was the manager of the
Taft campaign in Iowa. He has
been a member of the republican
! national comnittee since 1912. and
vice chairman since 1917.
The change in the chairmanship
will be simple enough. There will
probably be no opposition to Mr..
Adams. But thereafter the commit
tee will have business which will
involve differences of opinion.
Changes in Representation.
One Of the important items will
be the fixing of representation to
the next national convention. The
national convention last year was
composed of 1.OS9 delegates. The
committee tomorrow will probably
NIX a basis of representation which
viii cause the next national conven-
ton to consist of close to I.30O
members. But while the number of
delegates will be increased. certain
changes will be made which will
cause the number of southern dele
gates to be smaller. In the past,
the south has had about 120 dele
gates. If the plan that is now
most probable is adopted tomor-
row, the number of southern dele
gates will be reduced to about 20.
The scheme of representation
which will have the largest amount
of officiaf support tomorrow starts
out with four delegates to each
state. Thereafter there Is a slid
ing scale of representation for con-
gressional districts. II is proposed.
roughly, that each congressional
district that casts 10000 republi-
can votes shall have two delegates.
Each congressional district that
casts upward of 10000 or $4,000 re-
publican votes will have an addi-
tional delegate. and each congress
sional district that casts less than.
roughly, 1000 republican votes will
not have any delegate. II is this
last feature of the plan that will
markedly reduce the number of
southern delegates in the conven-
ton.
Democratic Plan Urged.
Another and more important plan
dealing with southern representa- alton
will be proposed. Since it is under
stood to have the sympathy of Pres
ident Harding, 1t will probably be
adopted. This plan is that the re-
publican party shall adopt the same
system as the democratic party. and
shall limit participation in its pri-
maries and conventions to persons
who can vote and have voted in
their respective states. 1t is pro-
posed that the republican party. like
the democratic party, shall accept
the various state laws governing
suffrage, and shall not admit to
their primaries or conventions any
body who is prevented by the state
laws from being a voter.
The practical result of this would
be that in the south only so many
negroes would participate in the re-
publican primaries and conventions
as are permitted to vote by the local
state laws. The result would be to
eliminate all the scandal which now
arises at each republican national
convention out of the presence of
delegates who have been chosen by
persons who are not voters in their
home states.
"white Mans Party"
The purpose is commonly spoken
of as making the republican party
in the south a white mans party.
There are large numbers of white
voters in the south who want to
give their allegiance to the repub-
lican party. Many of them are actu-
ated by a belief in the principle of
the protective tariff. Various sec
tions of the south want a tariff on
sugar, on rice, on lumber and on
the various other commodities pro-
duced in the south. Still other ele-
ments in the south want to identify
themselves with the republican
party because they prefer the for
eign policy of that party. The plan
that it is proposed to adopt tomor-
row is meant to put the republican
party in the south in the hands of
these elements.
A third subject that the commit
tee will consider tomorrow will he
their debt The committee ended
the campaign last November with a
deficit of $500. 900. During the
seven months intervening, that de-
felt has only been reduced to the
extent of about 100000. Meantime,
the interest charges at per cent
are accumulating at the rate of
about $4,000 month. AS things are
now going, it would take about three
years to collect enough money to
meet the deficit. Meantime, within
year, the party will be face to face
with a congressional campaign in
which, there is not much doubt, a
large amount of fresh funds will be
needed.
1901