Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-20

BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

having assessed the financial interests
Of the country for q campaign fund
many times greater than any commit
tee OF either party has ever raised, and
no contemporary of his can ever forget
the dollar-marked clothes he was al
ways depicted as wearing in the car
toons OF the opposition press. In those
days congressional investigations were
not so popular nor so frequent as they
are today. so Hanna escaped that, but
the viciousnesS of the attacks upon him
continued through the campaign for
McKinley's reelection.
Sadly enough, for him at least, 1t
was not until the assassination OF his
beloved friend that the attacks ceased.
He became a Senator from his State,
earned honor and respect from sources
whence he had had only contumely.
and died shortly after there had been
real and widespread demand that he be
q candidate for the presidency.
Taggart Had His Troubles.
In the 1904 campaign 1t was Demo-
cratic national chairman's turn to take
the gan. The late Thomas Taggart Of
Indiana was the victim. Taggart had
long been the Democratic boss IN his
home city and State, and he was large
ly instrumental in bringing about the
nomination of Alton B. Parker for
President. He was elected national
chairman by his party committee i'm
mediately after the convention at st.
Louis adjourned This did not con-
form with precedent, and Taggart had
an almost impossible task from the out
set There was vigorous opposition 70
him among the leaders of his own party
and the Republicans made the most OF
his reputation as . boss. He was 1T
orally hamstrung before he started the
race-he couldn't win-but he was held
responsible in large measure for
Parker's overwhelming defeat by Roose-
velt.
Taggart, too, became . Senator from
his State and lived down the more cruel
| Of the attacks that had been made
| upon him.
In 1908 it was Frank II. Hitchcock
| Of the Republicans who learned how
unappreciated q national chairman can
be. and in 1912 William r. McComb.
who engineered Woodrow Wilson's
nomination and election, had an ex-
perience that left him enlbittered and
William r. Wilcox, the Republican
chairman, was charged by most o. his
party leaders with responsibility for
| the defeat Of Charles Evans Hughes.
He was not accused of anything more
serious than an utter ineptitude for
politics, however.
Will H. Hays, In 1920, had o press
organization that ballyhooed him
through as one of the greatest little
chairmen the world ever knew. and he
was wise enough to get out of the game
before the bricks began to fly too fast
for him to dodge. At that he did not
escape one of those investigation things
In 1924 neither chairman got credit for
anything he did, and If you care to
know, ask Glenn Shaver II his lot was Q
happy one. And now, ever since 1e2S
there has been grief aplenty, first for
DR.. Hubert Work of the Republicans
and then for Claudius H. Huston, his
successor, and John ]. Raskob. who
gave up big business and took on
Trouble with big T as the custodian
of Al Smiths campaign.
It was said q long time ago that -.
| publics are ungrateful. WELL" said
the politician who has been quoted,
so are Republicans-and ditto Demo-
cratS!"