Evening star., 1924-07-27
c. 0. P, AWAITING
DEMOCRAT ATTACK
Campaign Moves Slowly,
With Little Impetus
on Either Side.
SHAVER PROVES TACITURN
Butler, on Contrary, Is Busy Is
suing Statements-Leaves
Nothing Undone.
SHAVER PROVES TACITURN
BY ROBERT #. SMALL.

The presidential campaign is NOV
ing forward slowly, but there is no
great impetus apparent on either side,
The Republicans are waiting for the
Democrats to attack, but the latter
are little slow in getting their
artillery in position. The Repub-
licans feel that they are holding the
fort, and it is up to the Democrats
to come and try to take it away
from them.
Meantime Chairman Butler of the
Republican national committee, is ex-
tremely busy with his defense works.
He is visiting the boys in the trenches
all along the line. and thinks
nothing of being in Boston one day
and Chicago the next, with semi
occasional stops in Washington and
New York. Mr.. Butler is proving
himself an indefatigable worker He
is leaving nothing undone Many
persons have said that Mr.. Buffers
task in obtaining the nomination for
Sr. coolidge was nothing at all.
Mr.. Butler did not take it So He
that left no room for a slip up.
Shaver Also Busy.
Glenn Shaver, the new Democratic
chairman is several laps behind Mr.
Butler, but hopes TO catch up. His
selection came more than a month
after Mr.. Butler had taken active
charge of his committee. Mr.. Shaver
still is merely acting" and cannot
be elected formally to his position
until the Democratic committee e
meets at the Clarksburg notification
ceremonies on August IL.
Mr.. Butler is laps and laps ahead of
Mr.. Shaver in the issuance of state
Iments. The Republican chairman has
become an adept in that respect. AS a
matter of fact he is doing most of the
is trying to put little early pep in
the tagging battle. Chairman Butler
may represent a silent candidate, but
he believes thoroughly in a certain
amount of official loquacity. Mr.. Butler
is not much of a hand on being inter-
viewed. He likes to write out his state
ments in his own way.
Chairman Shaver, on the other hand
Is proving almost as taciturn as Mr.
Coolidge. They would make a fine pair
MIR. Davis warned the newspaper cor
respondents that they would not find his
West Virginia friend a very talkative
soul. yet he said Mr.. Shaver would have
70 do all the answering" to Chairman
Butler: The latter is batting already
in midseason form. so Mr.. Shaver has
his work cut out for him.
Not Member of Committee.
Of the Democratic committee, Mr..
Shaver will not officially be a member
of it Charles w. Osenton has been re-
elected as national committeeman from
West Virginia. This will be the first
time in many years that chairman
has been selected from outside the COM
mittee. AS a matter of fact it has long
been rule in the national committee
that its officers must be chosen from
its members The Republicans have had
he nh irY,
and the treasurer have been chosen from
the outside.
1t was generally thought the old
Democratic rule would apply to Mr..
Shaver and that he would have to be
elected national committee member
before he could become chairman of
that body and director in chief of the
Davis campaign. But it appears now
that in the closing minutes of the ma
tional convention at Madison Square
Garden Senator Glass of Virginia Of
fered a resolution providing that the
national committee could choose its
chairman from the outside. The res
olution was reported and adopted
without discussion, few persons
knowing that this drastic change had
been made in Democratic administra-
tive affairs
A number of Mr.. Shaver's friends
urged his election to the committee
regardless of the new rule, but the
election and Mr.. Shaver's name was
not formally presented for the place.
West Virginia will thus in effect have
two members of the committee.
The new national committeewoman
from West Virginia is Mrs. Nancy
Murray Mann of Huntington. Mrs.
1zetta Jewell Brown, who took such
an important part in the New York
convention. announced in advance
that she was not a candidate.
The Republican leaders of West
Virginia are contending it is all wrong
to place that State in the Davis COL
umn for sentimental reasons" They
say the State normally is Republican,
and some of them have taken occa-
sion to come on here to Washington
to tell Mr.. Coolidge to be of good
cheer; that he will carry the State by
$4,000. The Republicans will not
make a partisan fight on Mr.. Davis,
for they esteem him as a distin-
guished son of the State, but they
say they will not let sentiment run
away with party loyalty and affilia-
ton.
Inasmuch as some of the Demo-
cratic leaders in Massachusetts, insist
upon giving that State to Mr.. Davis,
the Republicans of West Virginia
feel it is only fair that Mr. Coolidge
should be assured of success in the
home State of his rival.
Copyright. 1s24l