The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-12-29
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
By FRANK P. LITSCHERT

tive party organization. Shortly af-
ter the New Year, it is said, Chairman
Farley will journey to Washington to
make plans and extend the work of
the Democratic National Committee.
The dispatches continue that both
President-elect Roosevelt and Mr..
Farley are convinced that with the
proper sort of organization the Demo-
cratic party can hold much of the
sweeping gains it made in the recent
election, mostly, of course, in Repub-
lican states like Iowa and Michigan.
This once more brings to mind the
popular fallacy that it is political ma
chinery which wins political cam
paigns. Yet the truth is that such
machinery plays minor part in the
result, especially in campaign like
the one through which we have just
passed. 1t is necessary of course to
have political organization and well
supplemented political publicity. But
at the same time it must be admitted
that Mr.. Farley's organization played
a minor part in bringing about the
election of Mr.. Roosevelt in Novem-
Der. The result was due neither to
any political wisdom on the part of
the Democratic bosses nor to any pos
sible mistakes on the part of the Re-
publican organization during the cam
paign. The Democratic landslide was
due almost solely to economic condi-
tions-in short to the depression. The
Democrats would have won without
a national chairman, and even if Gov
ernor Roosevelt had not stirred out
side Albany during the campaign. The
Republicans would have lost had they
possessed a dozen national organiza-
lions with corresponding number of
national chairmen. Anyone who took
the trouble to go out into the country
during the campaign and to talk to the
people, to get their mental reactions,
knows that this is true. There was
no special enthusiasm for Mr.. Roose-
welt among the mass of voters. The
people were distressed. They knew
that they had lost money, that their
business or their income was depleted
or that they lacked jobs. They were
not sure whether a change would do
any good or not, but they were willing
to try anything in an effort to get
things to running better-just as the
superstitious gambler will cut the
cards or walk around his chair to
| change the run of luck
If the Democrats under President
Roosevelt want to retain the sweeping
gains they have made in Republican
territory, there is only one way they
can do it, and that is to restore pros
perity to the American people. If
they do this and can convince the peo-
pie that their policies brought about
the return to normally, then they
have a chance to retain power until
such time as fractional differences dis
rupt the party again. But if the
promises they made in the last cam
paign are not fulfilled, if they do not
restore prosperity, then dozen chair
men in Washington and an equal num-
Der of efficient Charley Michelsons
sending out publicity will not be avail
ing.
A great many political observers
are giving credit for the Democratic
victory to the organization which Mr..
Rascob built up at Washington imme-
ditely after the election of 1928 with
Jouett Shouse in charge and Mr.. Mich
elson handling the publicity. Credit
is due these two gentlemen for their
effective work. Perhaps none could
have done it better. But if there had
been no depression, or if we had pulled
out of the slump as it looked like we
were going to early in 1881 before
the fresh series of European disasters
descended upon us, President Hoover
would have been hailed as great and
successful leader and would in all
likelihood have been reelected in spite
of the barbed shafts released against
him by his adversaries.
So while it is right and proper for
the Democrats to revamp their organ
ization at Washington and start their
publicity all over again as they
did after the 1928 election, let them
not forget that the only way to keep
on winning is to do what they prom
iseed to do in the 1882 campaign. It is
a large sized order but it must be ac-
complished if the party is to retain
control. If they do so their machine
may run smoothly and their publicity
run true But if they don't, the en-
CINE will start knocking and the news
releases will sound like walls of an
guish by the time the next election
rolls around.
-O-