The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-04-29
G.O.P.SCANDAL
IN SOUTH IS
NEAR CLIMAX
Party Leaders Would Pre-
serve Gains by Cutting Out
Ballots Not Recognized by
Local Laws.
old GUARD HESITATES
BY MARK SULLIVAN

WASHINGTON, April 29.-Within
the next few days an issue, seriously
affecting the Republican party organ
ization will come to climax. The is
sue has to do with regenerating the
party in the South. A committee
is now at work preparing recommen-
dations TO end the perennial scandal
'of the Southern delegates" This
committee is not unanimous in its
point of view. 4 portion of it con-
sists of "Old Guard" Republican lead
ers, who have long had relations with
the existing Republican leaders in the
South and who hesitate to take any
action which would destroy the power
of those leaders and the position they
have in their communities--a position
which depends almost wholly on their
power in the Republican party
But that portion of the committee
which will probably prevail, is deter
mined to end the Southern delegate"
scandal. There is good evidence that
this more modern thinking portion of
the committee will have the support
of President Harding when the mat
ter comes to an issue during the next
few days.
Harding Wishes Change.
The point Of view of President Hard
ing and the more thoughtful leaders
of the party is that the success which
the Republican party paid in the South
during the recent election shall be
preserved. They recognize that this
success was based not on the old
methods of the southern Republican
Hr,f 1f
They believe that the best thing for
the Republican party is to follow a
course which will be encouraging to
those southern men leaders in various
lines of business, who voted the Re-
publican ticket last fall.
The proposal is, in the first place, to
cut down. the number of delegates.
| The bulk of them colored, who in the
past have come from eleven southern
states to the Republican national con
vention. The reduction in numbers
will be from about 121. to TO-.
The proposal is even more drastic
and fundamental 1t is that the Re
publican party will not recognize any
voter in it's primaries, or any particl-
pant in its local conventions who is
| not also recognized as voter by the
! local laws of his state and who has
not actually voted under the laws OF
| his state.
Cuts "Fungus" Voters.
| The result of this rule would be to
eliminate not ali of the colored Re
| publican voters in the south. But that
large part of them described as fun
gus" colored voters who have no sta
.tus as such under the laws of their
States and who never cut any figure
in politics, except once in every four
years to participate under the leader
ship of white political adventures in
wholly irregular convention and pri.
maries which select delegates to the
Republican national convention.
The Republican leaders are assured
that if they take this step they will
| have the enthusiastic sympathy OF
large numbers Of white leaders in the
South who want to be Republicans
but who can only be Republicans pro-
vided the party cleans house in the
South.
The Republican leaders are told by
many business men in the South that
for economic and other reasons there
are the makings of a real Republican
party in several southern states, like
Georgia and Louisiana. 1t is this line
that the party organization will prob
ably follow when the matter is taken
up during the next few days.