Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-02-19
SLEMP HANDS OFF
E'PIE" COUNTERIN
GEORGIAPOLITICS
(The Atlanta Journal News Bureau,)
623 Riggs Building.
BY THEODORE FILLER


sentative Bascom Slemp, recently
director of the southern headquart-
ers of the Republican party and now
national committman from Virgin
ia, has held no conferences regard
ing the distribution of federal pat
ronage in Georgia and does not in
tend TO participate in any way in
patronage affairs in that state dur
ing the Harding administration.
Mr.. Slemp so stated in denying
reports that he had held confer
ence with Henry, Lincoln Johnson
C. 2. Goree, H. E. Stockbridge and
other Georgia Republicans who were
alleged to have come to Washington
to talk about the apportionment of
federal pie" According to Mr..
Slemp, he will have his own patron
age troubles in Virginia. In addi-
ton, he heads two committees nam
ed at the Chicago convention, one
committee delegated to report Wheth-
er the representation of any state
should be reduced at the next. G.
o. p. convention, the other directed
to report a program for organiza-
ton and reorganization of the Re-
publican party in the south, these
committees are soon to hold their
first meeting.
Il have not discussed Georgia
patronage with anybody from that
state" said Mr.. Slemp.
Il have not seen National Com
mitteeman Henry Lincoln Johnson
for sometime. l have not seen Mr..
Stockbridge at all. I saw Mr.. Co
rec a few minutes while he was here
en- route to New York.
''Mr. Goree and l did not discuss
Georgia patronage, with the distri-
h1Iti of h o11 1nu h iyoCr -
do. 1t is not my function. My at
tention to the southern situation,
other than in my own state, will
not be on patronage questions bua
as chairman of the two committees
named at Chicago"
Representative Slemp explained
that one of these committees was
on lettering Republican prospects in
the south and the other to take up
the question of state representation
at future national conventions of the
Republican party. While the reso-
luton adopted covers representation
for the entire country, it is we'll I'M
derstood here, and was understood
at Chicago, that the point chiefly
at issue among Republican leaders
was the influence at Republican con-
ventions of delegates from the
southern states which maintain only
skeleton party organizations.
For years, Republican conventions
have been attended by numerous
contests coming up from the 1outh-
ern states where only a few poll
ticians and their rival ambitions
southern delegates have held too
much the balance of power, while
states that are normally Republican
have counted little more in the bal
loting.
Hands off in Georgia
fof i,,H4 -
assemble his subcommittee on or
ganization in the near future. He
will also bring together another
committee, authorized by the nation
al committee, which will deal with
party organization" in. the south
and report ways and means to
strengthen the party in the south
and to make still further inroads in
that section four years hence. Most
of the members of the national COM
mittee will be in Washington March
survey at that time of party or
Slemp principally will sound senti-
ment regarding the status of the
party below he Mason and Dixon
line and also the representation con-
troverSy.
Mr.. Slemp's disavowal Of any de-
sire or attempt to butt into the
patronage situation in any state ex-
cept his own came about through
the reports that a delegation of
Georgia Republicans had called upon
distribution of federal pie" in that
state. representative Slemp said
he had seen no such delegation and
had nothing to do with patronage in
any state except Virginia.
This clarifies the southern patron
a elf 81
ern headquarters for the Republi-
cans during the last campaign, and
as the most politically powerful Re-
publican in the house from the
south. Representative Slemp might
be in position to play quite a role
he desire. However. Mr.. Slemp ap
pears willing to devote his time to
Virginia and will let North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia and other
states of that section handle their
own. patronage squabbles.
here is that the Harding administra-
recognition. Practical Politicians
of the party will distribute all fed
eral pie in each state In North
Carolina. for instance, national com,
State Chairman. Linney, will be
most influential and practically SUI
preme in passing around the jobs.
Republicans like former Senator
Marion Butler will be consulted to
an extent, as will those who
were delegates to the national
convention, and so on, but the Organ
ization" officials will dictate as
rule. This will be especially true In
state like North Carolina, whose
national committeeman is admired
by Mr.. Harding and who has no Re-
publican sena tors or congressman at
Washington.
Situation in Georgia
Georgia's situation is more COM
plicated because it's Republican IA
tional committeeman is colored and
the Lilly Whites" of the party are
already FESTIVE. To get around this,
the Georgia committeeman may be
given federal job in Washington.
Recognition of the national COM
mittemen and state chairmen of the
Republican party will be an under
lying principle of the Harding adj
miniStratioa in it's patronage mat
ters and the outsiders may as we'll
be advised of the necessity of making
their peace first with the local lead
ers Of the party. Senator Harding
has made numerous references to his
belief in government by parties"
and this creed in the higher realms
of craftsmanship filters down
through the patronage department.
When Representative Slemp was