The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-06-08
THE REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN

pear that the Republicans have an out
 sider as chairman of their national
 committee, and that he is trying to do
 all the political damage he can before
 being busted. Certainly his efforts to date appear to have weakened the
 party and made still more smooth the
 way to Democratic victory. But
 perhaps it is just as well, for the Re-
 publicans are due anyhow for their
 regular post-tariff defeat. There is
 nothing even the most astute chair
 man could do to rescue the party from it's legislative record and from the
 popular disapproval that record has aroused. It is of no use for the quarry to seek to cover it's trail when it is in plain sight of the pursuit.
 Still, there are certain qualities that national party chairman should pos sess, even in politically off year. The foremost quality is the ability to unify discordant clements. This is admitted ly gigantic task as far as the Re- publican party is concerned, for there are many nominal party groups that have little in common with the party stalwarts except the name. Chairman Adams, however, has actually driven these clements further asunder, not only from one another, but also from the central authority as vested in him. self and his committee. The most re- cent act of general alienation was the committee statement which in effect repudiated the negotiations our state department was even then concluding with France. After the committee withdrew the statement, at the indig- nant behest of Secretary Hughes, Chairman Adams committed the fur ther folly of reiterating it's essential points. This has tended to cost him the sympathy, not only of the friends of our foreign policy, but even of those who believe in the isolation creed promulgated by the committee. No politician of experience and as- tuteness would openly set himself against the administration he seeks to return to office.
 If. MT. Adams has failed to unify the groups within his party, he has also aroused the indignation of those outside, who resent any partisan pol icy tending to coerce the administra- tion in any matter of supreme public importance, or to influence the execu- tive to forsake an accepted procedure in order to serve a passing political desire. It is more and more evident that the withdrawal of MT. Adams from the chairmanship is merely question of time. At present he is sparring for time by refusing to call meeting of the committee, at which his tenure of authority may easily be placed in jeopardy or discontinued. It is probable that MT. Adams will be su- perseded at the very first opportunity to choose a successor.
 The damage, however, has been done. Not only have party divergen- cies been emphasized by the committee policy, but they have been outlined against the political horizon so clear ly that the whole population has ob- served and received it's impressions ac- cordingly. The Republican party, which has had the most glorious po- litical opportunity within the nations history, has only puny and signifi- cant record of legislative achievement to it's credit, and has again failed to marshal its forces into compact ar- ray for a momentous struggle. Still, it will do well to choose a Fabius to conduct it's retreat with what order and dignity it may.