Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-18
DEMOCRATS START
REBUILDING AMIDST
ASHES OF DEFEAT
Quarter of Million in Debt,
Torn by Factions, Leaders
Remain Confident.
POINT TO SUBSTANTIAL
STRENGTH IN CONGRESS
Shaver Touring Country in Effort
to Underwrite Finances
of Party.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

OF faTty.
BY g. GOULD LINCOLN.
The Democratic party, six weeks
,Asfter one of the most crushing de-
reats it has sustained, is catching its
second wind and settling down to the
ask of paying its debts and aligning
It's forces again.
Talk of the party's going perma-
ppntly out of business, Democratic
,aaders assert, is idle. In the first
place, they point out the Democrats
will have 40 members of the Senate
in the new Congress and 1874 members
pf the House. They continue to hold
eovernorships of many of the States.
including New York, Ohio, Maryland
oregon. Wyoming and Southern and
Southwestern States. Theil party or
.anization runs throughout the coun
Try, though admittedly il reached al
most the vanishing point iE some of
the Western and Northern States
during the recent campaign. But
they counter they are not as weak.
even IN those States as the Repub-
icans are in the great belt of South
-rn States-the backbone of the de-
moCracy now, as it has been in the
past.
Party Debt Heavy.
The party is in debt. nationally.
It's deficit amounts to about a quar-
er of million dollars. But the
Dem mocrats have come out of cam
pafgns in years before with deficits
even larger. and they have always
been liquidated. AS a matter of fact,
the Republican party after its huge
victory in 1920 faced 4 sizahle deficit.
To put the Democratic house in
order, the first step necessary is the
payment of its debts. Glenn Shaver,
The chairman of the Dem ocratic ma
tional committee. and Jesse Jones of
Texas. the director of finance for the
national committee, have put their
shoulders to the wheel to raise money
and to underwrite this debt It is no
light task to pay off $250,000 es-
pecially in face of the recent defeat.
Eut Mr.. Shaver is now touring the
country, interviewing prominent
Democrats, seeking their support
financially for the party and doing
his utmost to bring to an end the
gendered at the last national con-
Nention in New York.
In this connection it is asserted by
men powerful in party councils that
there is no disposition to oust Mr..
Shaver from the national chairman
ship. And Mr. Shaver himself has
no intention of quitting, especially
with the debt incurred during the
campaign unpaid.
shaver to Stay.
-dr. Shaver, it appears. will remain
at the head of the national organiza-
lion for some time to come, notwith-
standing reports that he IS about to
quit While some of the Democrats
were opposed to his selection as
chairman, it was on ths ground that
he was new to national politics and
was not familiar with the field.
Criticism of his management was
made during the campaign in some
quarters. But in the light of what
transpired at the New York conven-
tion, Democrats are saying today. no
one could have accomplished much
more than did Mr.. Shaver.
Mr.. Jones also is practically a new
conner in national politics. He is a
man of wealth. a business man. and
feenly interested in the party's well
fare. During the last day or two he
has been in Washington talking with
Democratic Senators and Representa-
lives, seeking in every way to help
Erase the factionalism which grew up
during the struggle for the Demo-
cratlc nomination for President. AS
II matter of fact, neither Mr. Jones
lor Mr.. Shaver belong in a real sense
10 any faction of the party and for
that reason the work they are doing
now may be more effective than if
they had been identified long with
national politics.
Force Cut Down.
Chairman Shaver. with the big
debt facing the party, has taken
drastic action in regard to the or
ganization and party headquarters
maintained in Washington. The or
Eanization was framed on lines that
required an operating expense Of
about $4,000 year. The personnel
and the headquarters have been re-
duced so that the budget for their
maintenance shall be about one sixth
what 1t was. Headquarters will be
continued In the Investment Building
here, but on d much reduced scale.
and 1t is understood that Mr.. Shaver
will spend considerable time there
when he returns from his trip through
rhe country in the interest of the
party. The chairman did not feel
justified in keeping the expenses of
the organization at the cid figure
while the debt remained to be paid
and while he was making efforts to
obtain funds from the friends of the
party.
Thomas Fortune Ryan of New
York, is one of those whom Mr.
Shaver has enlisted in his campaign
10 wipe out the Democratic debt. MIR.
Ryan is one of the wheel horses of
the party, coming to it's assistance
when needed during many years. 1t
is reported that recently he was ap-
preached relative to possible candi-
dacies in 1928, but that he replied he
had no interest in movements to pro-
mote candidates. or factions in the
party: that the party must be built
up again without factionalism. 1t is
understood Cat he has promised Mr.
Shaver his hearty cooperation. And
1T is said further that Mr.. Shaver is
not himself interested in any particu-
lar candidate for 1928, or faction.
Mr.. Shaver, it is said, has already
been successful in lining up suffi-
rient number of prominent Demo-
Gratis willing to underwrite the Demo-
cratic debt over a. period of two
years.
Next Test of Party.
The next test of party strength
will come at the polls in 1925, when