Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-06-17
c. D. P. IS IN THROES
Of EVOLUTION, SAYS
POLITICAL AUTHORITY
BY ROBERT II. SMALL
Copyright 1924, by the Consolidated Press
Associa tion--Special Leased Wire
IN Tho Atlanta Journal.0

Association-special Leased Wire
| to The Atlanta Journal)
| CLEVELAND, Ohio, June IA
The old pilots have been dropped
there is a new captain at the helm,
a new crew aboard, and the ship of
the Grand Old Party has set forth
on the restless sea Of politics with
| Calvin Coolidge and Charlie" Dawes
in the first and second cabins. Al
most from the beginning to the end,
| the management Of the machinery
Of the Republican party has been
| placed in the hands of what the sea-
soned politicians call amateurs
| New England has furnished the
| chairman, but an effort has been
| made to give broad character to the
| organized forces by selecting a Sec
rotary from Chicago and a treasurer
from the Rocky Mountain states.
Chairman w. NJ. Butler, Of Mas
| sachusetts, is to lead his first ma
| tional fight. He has been q mem
| Der Of the national committee only
| comparatively short time, but as
| President Coolidge has faith In Mas
l-sachusetts, so has he faith in the
new man from Massachusetts.
1t has been forecast from Wash
| ington that the coming campaign
on the part of the Republicans would
| be conducted differently from most
of the battles of the past. The form
Of the new organization would show
that to be true. The first idea that
the individual states were to be au
tonomous, even to the extent of rails
ing and spending their own funds,
however, has been cast aside.
Centralized Direction
The campaign direction unques-
tionably would be more centralized
than it has been in years and there
will be a national campaign chest
from which moneys will be distribut-
ed to the points where the need APP
pears greatest.
The main Coolidge headquarters is
to be in Chicago, but Chairman But
Ter does not expect to be immobile.
He will travel frequently to the
east and to the west and at all times
will be in telephone connection with
the White House. Mr.. Butler will
gather about him in Chicago a Sc
lect coterie from the national COM
mittee to help conduct the campaign.
The addition of a woman member
from each state and territory makes
the general committee an unwieldy
affair and it probably will be called
together but seldom during the pre-
election period.
It would be idle to suppose that
the complete reorganization Of the
party machinery has been accom-
plished without some friction or
without some misgivings, some heart
burnings. Some Of the older com
| mitteemen are in a sullen mood.
They were opposed to sharing their
state honors with women members
of the committee. Today they are
saying that they who have borne the
brunt of the battle for so long, may
take but a quiet part in the coming
campaign and let the ladies, or pos
sibly 'the administration crowd" run
the fight to suit themselves. There
have ever been some half concealed,
half expressed threats of resigna.
ton.
fafCy is EVOluIlnS
All of these have been inevitable in
the bringing about of a new deal.
When the Democrats have named
their ticket at New York and the
fight is really on, the old war horses,
seeming the battle from afar, may
come around to the usual good feel
ing and good spirit and go to the
ha io1y |, oil
their might and main.
There is no need, however, for
even the most staunch Republican
to blink the fact that his party is
in the throes of an evolution. This
applies not alone to the national ma
chinery but to the personnel. The
differences between the president
and the congress at Washington are
but a single phase of the many diff
ferent situations which must be met
and resolved between now and the
casting Of the votes in November.
The internal affairs of some of the
states are far from satisfactory.
Chairman Butler has had a real
task thrust upon him. Bringing
about the nomination of President
Coolidge on the first ballot here in
Cleveland was childs play. That
was settled before Mr.. Butler was
made the Coolidge manager, but
welding the great party machine into
new cohesive and perfectly func.
tioning force is a full man-sized job
which will test the character and
the capabilities of the new political
Moses from the old Bay State to
the extreme limit. Mr. Coolidge
will have to take a hand more than
once in the impending situations.
Mr.. Butler had a foretaste here of
the viCisstudes Of the coming cam
pai2n. The convention ran hog
wild" on the vice presidency. 1t
were pure perverseness on the part
of the delegates to nominate former
Governor Frank o. Lowden, of Hi
nois, in the face of the positive state
ment made from the convention ros-
trum that under no circumstances
would he or could he accept the hon
or Yet the Coolidge leaders were
unprepared and unable to meet the
embarrassing situation which en-
sued. Then the delegates, still per.
verse. turned to General Dawes, who
Hau peeH passed up as temporary
chairman of the convention because
the party leaders having the power
of selection, feared both his record
in opposition to organized labor and
the free manner in which he is like
ly to express his views on any sub.
ject at any time. They have never
forgotten the "bawling out" he gave
Republican congressional commit.
tee which was endeavoring to inves.
tigate the conduct Of the World war.
That was when the expletive Hell
and Maria" became internationally
famous.
Breaches Not Sealed
The Cleveland convention did not