Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-02
Politics at Large
BY G. Could Lincoln.

the direction OF Chairman John j, RaS-
kob Of General Motors fame. Mr.. Ras-
kob has just stood sponsor for the de-
velopment of plan which will estab-
lish a businesslike Democratic organi-
zation in the National Capital. working
365 days in the year. under the direc-
ton of Jouett ShouSe of Kansas City,
former member of the House and for
mer Assistant Secretary of the Treas
ury. Mr.. Shouse has an undeniable
fair for politics. He may do much to
weld the Democrats of the country to-
gether. For he has been regular as a
clock, supporter of McAdoo and a
supporter of Smith, He was born in Ken
lucky and halls from the Middle West.
He labored in the vineyard for AL Smith
last year and has hosts of friends in
both wings of the party
X X
There has been a demand for several
years that the Democrats step out and
maintain permanent national organi-
cation that functions every year and
every month in the year. The Republi-
cans saw the light some time ago and
undertook to carry on a more perma-
nent organization, both as a matter of
efficiency and economy In the past it
AAehA bCOAA VIC PAdCbACC OlQ
ties to keep up their national organi-
cation on a working basis only in the
years that presidential elections oc-
CURED. This meant it was necessary
to do over a great deal of work every
fourth year. During the last four years
there was complaint from many Demo-
cratic sources because the former chair
man OF the Democratic national COM
mittee did not branch out and main
tain headquarters in Washington
which could in some measure Offset the
work which was done by the Republi-
can OUTFIT. Mr.. Shaver, however, was
faced with deficit of some $500, 900
coming from the 1924 campaign and
he did not feel the party could make a
great outlay with its debts unpaid.
Chairman Raskob, who has been
hooked up with big business and per-
maps more used to present-day methods,
is undismayed by the fact that the
Democratic national committee had a
debt on its hands of more than ST.
$4,000 at the close of the last cam
paign. Already he has reduced this
debt to 100000 and expects to lop an
other 100000 off it in the next two
weeks. Within year he plans to have
the Democratic party out of debt, in
stead OF dragging along, as it has in
the past, from one campaign year to
the next. with big debt hanging over
1t. II Mr.. RaSkob Is successful in his
present plans. he will have established
a new modus vivendi for the Democrats.
Business" in this country has been
supposed generally in the past to be
aligned with the Republican party. Mr.
Raskob believes that business can thrive
just as well under Democratic leader
ship. He may have mental reserva-
ton that the Democrats must become
more businesslike. At any rate, that is
what he is seeking to have the Demo-
cratic party do. So. Mr. Raskob would
have business less hide-bound in its
affections more willing to support the
Democratic party, or at least to divide
between the Republican and Democrat
ie parties.
In some quarters, the idea Is adj
vanced that Mr.. Raskob is gradually
to retire from the picture as Democratic
chieftain that as soon as he has paid
off the debt, he will ease himself out
Of the Craftsmanship of the national
committee, leaving perhaps, Mr.. Shouse
as his successor until a presidential
candidate is chosen in 1882 and the
candidate picks his own campaign man.
ager, according to the ancient custom.
Why it has been considered necessary
to shift chairmen at the time of going
into political battle is one of the mys-
teries. 1t would occur to many persons
that chairman who had experience
and knew all the party leaders the
countryUver. would be of great value in
the opening OF campaign.
Mr. Raskob himself, however, has so
far given no indication he is to quit the
Craftsmanship, even after he has paid
off the debt There are plenty of
Democrats in the South who have
urged that he be eliminated, both be-
cause he is wet and because he is the
selection of AL Smith for chairman,
and they do not like Al Smith. There
is great group Of Democrats still in
this country, notwithstanding the de-
feat which their wet candidate sus-
tanned last November. who believe that
the prohibition question is the ques-
ton of the future and will figure promi-
nently in the next campaign. They are
against prohibition, and they believe
that the efforts of the present admin
istration to bring about law enforce
ment will fall. They think the coun-
try will turn to them then for change
in the laws. Mr.. Raskob is one of the
sincerest anti-prohibitionists.
When Mr.. Raskob announced his
plans for permanent Democratic or
ganization in Washington. at a con-
ference with newspaper men, he was
drawn into a discussion of the condi-
ton Of business in the country. He
said that he believed conditions in the
country good. Without entering into
any criticism of the activities of the
Federal Reserve Board, Mr.. Raskob said
he did not believe there had been an
unhealthy amount of gambling" on
the Stock Exchange. He differentiated
between gambling" and what he called
legitimate speculation after a study of
the prospects of industrial concerns. He
predicted this would be a banner year
in the manufacture of automobiles in
this country. In the last few years. he
said, corporations have listed about
five billions of dollars of new securities
on the Stock Exchange. That alone
would result in a tremendous increase
in the trading on the exchange, he said
4 4 y
Mr. Raskob sought to make clear the
speculation. He said that a man who
studied, for example, the automobile
industry thoroughly, learned what it
was doing and what its prospects were
for the coming years. and decided to
purchase stock in one of the big con-
Germs he thought was doing well, per-
haps General Motors, was not gambling
but specializing. On the other hand, if
the man had "tip" from a friend to
buy motor stock, without knowing any
thing himself about the business and
followed the tip. he was gambling.
MIR. Raskob," asked Carter Field of
the New York Herald Tribune, eff I
heard that you were buying General
Motors stock and bought some myself,
would that be speculating?" Uaughter):
X \ \ X
Mark w. Woods of Lincoln, Nebr., bank
er and farmer and reported to have been
much interested in the pre-convention