Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-01
FIVE CONSIDERED /
AS c. 0. P. LEADER
Final Selection Not Yet Made,
White House Reports Re-
veal After Rumor.

BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

4
| five. however, were not made public.
This information was forthcoming
| following the publication of fat state
ment that Claudius Hart Huston of
| Tennessee was slated for the chairman
! ship and that his appointment as chair
man had the approval of President
| Hoover.
The selection of a new chairman of
the G. o. P. committee probably will
| be made in September, when the ma
tional committee will be called to meet
in Washington for the purpose Of elect
ing DR.. Works successor. The selection
certainly will be made only with the
approval of the President.
Choice Not Yet Made.
No denial was made today that Mr..
Huston Is one of those seriously being
considered for the Craftsmanship. In
deed there is strong reason to believe
that he is to be the choice in the end.
Emphasis was merely laid on the point
| that so far there had been no final
selection and that the question of a
choice was still under consideration by
the President and other leaders Of the
Republican party.
Others who are believed to be under
consideration for the Craftsmanship are
Secretary Good of the War Depart
ment Postmaster General Brown,
George Woodruff OF Chicago and Ralph
Williams, Republican national commit
teeman from oregon and at present
vice chairman of the committee. James
Francis Burke, counsel for the national
committee and Representative Frank
lin Fort of New Jersey, secretary OF the
committee have been mentioned also
for the place.
There is no law nor any general Gus
tom even to prevent member OF the
Presidents cabinet from also holding
the Office of chairman of the national
committee of either party. But there
is a distinct feeling that President Hoo
yer would not look with favor upon a
member of his cabinet holding the Of
fee of national chairman OF the Re
publican party.
Enough Work in Cabinet.
A cabinet officer has enough work
without running the national commit
tee. which has become a year-round
lob. Furthermore, the holding Of the
ONCE of national chairman, a strictly
political office, by a Government OF
fetal sometimes has been subject OF
criticism 1t would appear, therefore,
that If the craftsmanship is TO go TO
Mr.. Good or to Mr.. Brown, there Is
likely to be a change in the cabinet.
In some quarters it has been suggested
that Mr. Good may step out OF the
| cabinet to become national chairman;
| that Mr.. Brown would be transferred TO
! the War Department and that Walter
| Newton, one of the Presidents secre-
! taries and former member OF the
| house from Minnesota, would be mace
| Postmaster General. Or Mr.. Brown
! 1pt,a NVFN1
! his place taken by Walter Newton,
! leaving Mr. Good to continue as Secre-
| tary of War.
| In the past members of the cabinet
| have served as chairman of the Re-
publican national committee. The last
! instance was Will Hays. Postmaster
! General under the late President Hard
| ing.
Claudius Huston and Representative
j. Will Taylor of Tennessee. regarded
as Republican boss of the State, ap-
parently have buried the Ratchet. 1t is
! reported that Mr.. Taylor recently stated
that if the honor of having the chair
manship Of the Republican national
committee was to fall to Tennessee he
would be satisfied with the election OF
Mr. Huston. In the past the two have
been political enemies and even as re-
! Gently as the pre-convention campaign
/ last year they were at serious odds. A
couple of Huston men were slated to be
delegates to the Republican national
convention. much to the wrath of Mr.
Taylor. But the matter was finally
ironed out by the withdrawal of these
candidates for delegate.
Native of Indiana.
! Mr. Huston is a native of Indiana,
/ where he was born SO years ago He
entered business in Chattanooga as a
young man and his home has been in
| Tennessee ever since. He has had wide
| business interests ard is man of con-
siderable wealth. He served as Assist
ant Secretary of Commerce from 1921
| to 1923, when President Hoover was
| Secretary of that department. Mr..
Huston was chairman of the advisory
! and financial committee Of the State
! Republican committee in 1920 when
/ Tennessee was carried by the Repubh-
! cans for Harding. when the Solid
! South was broken. Up to that time
| Tennessee had gone Democratic con-
siStently in national elections since re-
construction days. 1t swung back to
the Democratic column in 1924, giving
its electoral votes to John w. Davis
against Calvin Coolidge. But Tennessee
went for Hoover by almost 10000 votes
last year.
Whoever is chairman of the Repub-
lican national committee will have to
give a good deal of his time TO the work
and be at headquarters in Washington
an appreciable amount of time. This is
one reason why it is believed that Mr..
Woodruff. Chicago banker and business
man, may not be willing TO take the
job, even If it goes to him. Mr.. Huston
is reported to have so arranged his
business affairs that he can readily take
on the work of chairman of the ma
tional committee.
The selection of man from South
ern State to head the Republican ma
tional committee, it was suggested to-
day. might be good politics, particularly
| if the G. o. p. is to make a serious bid
to hold onto the ground which it gained
| in the South in the last campaign. A
number of Republicans were elected to
Congress from Southern and border
States, districts which have hitherto
been uniformly Democratic. Another
congressional election is to be held next
year and both parties will strive to win
these seats in the House. The Repub-
! lican national committee is expected to
cooperate closely with the Republican
congressional campaign committee.
Mr.. Huston is not member of the
national committee. But membership
! in the committee is not an essential
| to being selected as chairman. DR..
Work was picked from the outside. for
example If Mr.. Huston becomes chair
man. Representative Taylor will con-
| tinue to hold on as national commit
| teeman from Tennessee.
It is likely that the man chosen to
| head the Republican national commit
| tee at the meeting of the committee In
September will be called upon to man