Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-31
BY WILLIAM HARD.

President Hoover's relations with the
politicians of his own party have become
the immediate outstanding feature Of
his policies and activities at this week
end
What will be the effect of the Presi-
dents momentous announcement re-
garding Republican political patronage
conditions and regarding Republican
political party prospects in the South?
What will be the effect of his appoint
ment of ex-Representative Newton of
Minnesota to be one Of his secretaries
in the Executive room Of the White
House? What will be the effect of the
retention of DR.. Hubert Work as chair
man of the Republican national COM
mittee? What will be the effect of the
Presidents refusal to give to the Con-
gresS an exact recipe for the cooking
and serving Of farm relief bill? And
so on.
All these questions, intensely debated
now in Washington, go really toward the
same point. The point is:
How is Herbert Hoover getting along
in the political sense as the leader OF
his party organization?
1t may be answered, to begin with,
that he seems likely to get along with
out much assistance from the Repub-
lican national committee as a whole.
The chairman Of the committee, DR..
Hubert Work, has indicated that the
committee will not hold any meetings till
toward the eve of the next presidential
parted for the distant West. The
labors of his committee headquarters
here have been reduced to a minimum.
No longer do those headquarters pro-
vide the party with a great center of
gossip and OF action as in the days
when Harding was President and John
T. Adams was national committee
chairman. The Republican national
committee here is now almost as In
active and lifeless and useless as the
national committee of the Democrats.
The Democratic national committee
has never been vital force in political
policies since Representative Cordell Hull
of Tennessee ceased to be its chairman
in 1924. The Republican national COM
mittee has now joined the Democratic
national committee in fading away out
of all actual collective political i'm
portance.
It is an extremely odd thing that we
have party government" in this
country and yet that the committees
which are chosen by the parties to rule
them and represent them are really fol-
| the most part mere shadows and ilu-
sions without any governing substance
In any case the Republican national
committee. as even the mouthpiece oil
the party to itself, or as even the organ
of party statements to the press, is In
retirement or allegiance. The power
! even of party conference and Of party
talk has migrated elsewhere.
It is at this point that the impor-
lance of ex-RepreSentative Newton
energies. When he was appointed to be
a secretary to the President, it was an
nounced that he would have special
charge of the Presidents interest In
the so-called independent establish
ments" of the Government, which are
not headed by cabinet officers, and In
the general problem of the reorganiz'
ing on business principles Of the de-
partments and establishments and
bureaus and agencies and services OF
the Government In the District OF Co
lumbia. This is indeed his duty, but
he is also performing duty immensely
more politically important and-indeeo
revolutionary.
Mr.. Newton is the special agent Of the
President in the matter of conference
with members of the Senate and Of the
House of Representatives. He served IN
the House of Representatives for 10
years. He is widely acquainted with
Representatives and Senators. He has
their good will both for his intellect and
for his character. He is man OF out
standing mental and moral qualities
He is also a man Of proved political ex-
perience and success. He is eminently
qualified for the task of maintaining a
continuous contact between Republican
ism in the White House and Republican.
ism in the House OF Representatives and
in the Senate.
The main point, though, about Mr..
Newton is not so much his admirable
personality as 1t is the mere fact OF the
existence of his job. No former PreSi-
dent has ever had secretary who had
nothing to do with the regular run OF
the Presidents correspondence and
nothing to do with the regular run OF
the Presidents visitors, but who could
give virtually his whole time and energy
! to the maintenance of cooperation be-
| tween the head of the party in the
White House and the members Of the
party In the National Legislature.
X * **
This is an innovation Of the most
crucial political importance and value
| Taken together with the present con-
dition of the Republican national COM
mittee, 1t means q profound shift in the
balance Of Republican party manage
ment and power. It means that the Re.
| publican national committeeman (elect-
ed by the party are steadily weighing
less and that the Republican Senators
and Representatives elected by the
people) win decisively weigh more and
more in the formulation of party policies
and party projects.
That is the reality that lies behind
the Presidents refusal to give orders
| to the Congress In the matter OF q farm
J dent & not going to act as . dictator TO.