Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-28
LUCAS DEFENDS HIS
NORRIS OPPOSITION
Tells Montgomery County
Women Fight Was to Ex-
pose Party Mutiny.
BY . stan Correspondent of The star.

BY q stan Correspondent of The star.
CHEVY CHASE, Md, January 81
Defending governmental appointments
for political reasons, Robert H. Lucas,
executive director of the Republican
National Committee, laid the success Of
American Government at the door of
the two-party system and the subse-
cuent responsibility of the majority
party for the conduct of affairs Of the
Nation in an address yesterday after
noon at a meeting of the Montgomery
County Woman's Republican Club here.
Loyalty in Key Positions.
eff the Republican party is to be held
responsible for the Government, there
should be no hesitancy on the part of
officials in appointing men to key po-
sitions for political reasons" Mr.. Lucas
declared I'VE should have men in the
key positions who will carry out the
policies Of the party and who are loyal
to it."
Mr.. Lucas sought to justify himself in
the light of recent criticism for his at
tack on Senator George W. Norris OF
Nebraska by saying that he was merely
attempting ito expose a mutineer and
traitor who was digging hole in the
bottom of the boat" His letter 70 Re-
publican precinct chairmen throughout
the country, he declared, did nothing
more than seek to encourage them and
to defend President Hoover against at
tacks made on him by John j. Raskob
and the national Democratic headquar-
tiers.
Discussing the two-party system, Mr..
Lucas called attention to the 20 changes
OF ministry in France since the ArmlS-
els RXicfC a
European governments, he declared,
and Is attributable to multiplicity OF
parties which has resulted in inability
to formulate a definite forward looking
policy or carry it out if it were evolved.
U. S. Progress Marvel.
''The progress of the United States
since the World War" Mr.. Lucas as
serted, has been subject Of continued
marvel. 1t has been attributed to many
causes, but, in point of fact, the under
lying cause has been the existence In
the United States of a two-party sys-
tenn of government which resulted In
the conduct of our Government by one
party of sufficient strength and vlrillty
tooutline, enact and carry into effect
well defined policies. We have had
majority party and minority party,
and, under our system of government,
the minority party has contributed In
q large measure to the success Of the
majority party, because, under our form
of government, the minority party in
tensifies the public inclination to hold
the majority party strictly accountable
for the operation of the Government.
There is no other way in which our
Government can be administered sue
cessfully than by the two-party system.
Those who go outside the two political
parties to form blocs, cliques and groups
not only fritter away their strength and
influence but they contribute to the
breakdown of our democratic form of
government. For If party's ability to
carry out its promises be destroyed by
the remuneration of party loyalty and
the rules of party solidarity. then also
there is destroyed party's responsible
ity for its conduct of public affairs.
With that destroyed, the people are
helpless, for then there is no one whom
they can hold accountable for the con-
duct Of their government. There can
not be any doubt of this underlying
fact. There must be responsible or
ganization and fixed responsibility in
the conduct Of popular government.
BIocs a Misfortune.
Few greater misfortunes could be-
fall this country in these times OF gil
gantic problems of national and inter-
national import than to have our public
energy wasted in contests between blocs,
classes and groups. Such contingency
would mean the end of our strong ma
tionalism, of our virile Government and
our continuous and substantial progress.
Finally it should be said that it is
not sign Of political independence or
mental integrity to attempt to break
down party organization. Rather 1t Is
an exhibition of individual egotism,
sectional or selfish desires, or the out
break Of inherent opposition to that
discipline which is necessary in all
orderly organizations and certainly in
all orderly governments. Those who
seek to disorganize political parties in
order that they may reap personal
benefits and preferment, would, In
event they were elevated to official
position, disorganize our Government.
It is axiomatic in public life quite as
much as in business life that those who
cannot take orders and execute them
are not possessed of inherent ability TO
give orders
Women Should Take Active Part.
Women should take an active part in
politics. Mr.. Lucas declared. He urged
the Republican women present to fight
against Democratic propaganda and all
attacks on President Hoover.
A short business session preceded the