Evening star., 1921-06-14
lob HUNTERS FATE
IN HANDS OF ADAMS
Republican Chairman Will Be
Adviser to President on
Political Patronage.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

President Harding has decided to
lean heavily on the new chairman of
the republican national committee.
John T. Adams Of Iowa. and hence
1orth will seek the advice and coun-
sci of Mr.. Adams on matters of pa
tronage.
Mr. Harding has had more than the
usus usuai run or engagements with per-
friends for Office. He has found it
dlmcult to give undivided attention
10 important matters of administra-
tlon because of the avalanche of re-
quests Ior time to present the virtues
OF candidates for job. Will Hays,
former chairman of the national com
mittee, and now Postmaster General.
and Harry Daugherty. pre-convention
manager for Mr.. Harding and now
attorney General. have both been be-
friends. so that the work of the POST
Omce Department and Department of
Justice has necessarily been affected.
The heads of those two big depart-
ments can't give all their energy to
the administrative side of their tasks
matters OF patronage.
II was Mr.. Harding himself who
was largely instrumental in the Sc
lection OF Mr.. Adams, and it was Mr..
haroins VINO felt the necessity for
having the party machinery in the
hands Of one who was not himself
1dentihed with the government itself.
Mr.. Adams Is the personal repre-
sentative of President Harding on all
party matters. He is the active head
tinue to be for at least four wears.
which means that his will be the task
or keeping the party organizations
naPpy and interested in the next re-
publican fight.
Everybody who knows practical
politics realizes that a skillful han
ding of patronage questions is es-
sentia1 to party enthusiasm The Will
son administration made it's first real
blunder when it delegated to the heads
of the different government depart
meHts the Job of handling Office seek
members were as unfamiliar with
party politics as are some of Mr
Harding's secretaries. The boys back
home who came to Washington to ger
jobs for hungry constituents didn't
even know the cabinet officers. They
frequently were ignored altoeether
and didn't have personal interviews
with the powers that were.
Mr.. Harding is trying to avoid that
kind of thing. He wants every party
worker to be stimulated to keep on
working. So he has placed the whole
responsibility for appointments on the
local republican organizations, which
in turn must cooperate with the ma
tional republican organization Of
which John T. Adams is the chief
executive.
If the local republicans make a poor
or if the man thew
1 recommend turns out poorly 1t will be
a reflection on the local organization
and the Harding administration will
feel justified in the future in looking
to other republicans in that particular
vicinity for political advice.
But the thing which Mr.. Harding Is
eager to have established is an eff
fective working organization in which
the local elements in the republican
party shall cooperate with the ma
tional headquarters. So John T.
Adams will maintain permanent hea-
lily to Washington. He will be at the
beck and call of tho White House
and will keep in close touch not only
with party matters, but with the
pulse of the country on public ques-
tions as reflected in talks with pill
day from various parts of the country.
Mr.. Adams will probably do less
travelling than his predecessor, Mr..
Hays, largely because there is not SO
much necessity for it. He himself
doesn't believe in drives" and or
ganization work when there is no
fight in progress. He will keep in
touch with what is going on, but will
not start active campaigning until
there is occasion for it.
Meanwhile, all republicans who feel
they are entitled to consideration in
matters of patronage had better get
acquainted with Chairman Adams and
put their cases before him. His word
will count from now on.
fCopvrirbt 1921