Evening star., 1934-06-07
The Political Mill
BY C.. Could Lincoln.

With the election Of Henry P.
Fletcher of Pennsylvania az chairman
OF the Republican National Com
mittee, Everett Sanders Of Indiana,
former President Hoover's 1892 CAM
paign manager, passes out Of the ma
tional organization picture. When he
made his farewell speech to the Ma
tional Committee at Tuesdays session
Of the committee shortly before he
yielded the gavel Mr.. Sanders was
given an ovation by the committee
members. The retiring chairman
pledged himself to keep on working
for the party.
In his address to the committee Mr..
Sanders did not hesitate to crack
down on the Roosevelt administration
which he charged was leading the
American people away from Repub-
lican form of government.
Il remember" said Mr.. Sanders,
two or three years ago was listen
Ing in on the radio to a foot ball game
in California and one Of the finest
players they had on one of the teams,
when in the middle of the field, got
the ball. He turned around in his
daZed condition and ran toward the
enemy goal post and planted the ball
over it. Mr.. Roosevelt has been doing
that very thing. He has the ball and
Is carrying 1t toward the enemy goal
post, which Is one against American
liberty.
"Of course, you all remember the
issues OF the campaign and you re-
member that neither the Republican
platform nor the Democratic plat
form contained reference to most
things that have been done, SO the
question OF the present policies Of the
administration was never submitted to
the people. except that a part of it
was submitted in the Socialist plat
form. But there we're something like
IS 900 900 votes against the Socialist
platform and 1 think only some 500, =
900 votes for it. So there Is no man
date for Mr.. Roosevelt and his ad-
ministration to carry out these
policies"
Mr.. Sanders praised the platform
declaration made by the National
Committee and said that he was
glad he had been chairman at the
time 1t was drafted and approved.
This platform, by the way, which was
called a declaration of principles"
in order to get away from the impli-
cation that the National Committee
has usurped the duty of Republican
national conventions to draft such a
document, was in considerable part
the work OF Ogden L. Mills, Secre-
tary of the Treasury, under former
President Hoover, and Mark L. Requa
Of California, with some Of the views
Of Senator David A. Reed OF Pennsyl-
vania also expressed. A committee
of nine drafted the platform, headed
by Charles D. Hilles OF New York
as chairman.
Senator Reed, while he never left
his hotel during his stay here for the
meeting Of the Republican National
Committee. was an influential figure.
The selection of Mr.. Fletcher, a Penn
sylvanian, to be chairman Of the COM
mittee, helps to place the Keystone
State more prominently in the ma
tional Republican, picture. Reeds own
victory there in the primaries recently
had already accomplished much along
that line. When Reed reached Chi
csgo last Monday he issued state
ment that the new chairman should
be chosen from the States west of
the Allegheny Mountains" When
Fletcher bloSsomed out as the leading
candidate for the chairmanship Sena-
tor Reed laughingly said that he
guessed he had made a mistake" in
his early statement.
Mr.. Fletcher is the fifth chairman
of the Republican National Commit
tee since June, 1923. Former Presi-
dent Hoover had the final say in the
election of four of them, DR.. Hubert
Work Of Colorado, Claudius Huston of
Tennessee, Senator Simeon D. FeSs OF
Ohio and Everett Sanders Of Indiana.
This was a rapid turnover in the Of
nee of national chairman. Fletcher is
the first Republican national chair
man from Pennsylvania since the days
of Matt Quay, a Senator from Penn
sylvania, who was chairman in 1888,
the year that Benjamin Harrison was
elected President on the Republican
ticket. The Democrats turned to PENN
Sylvania for q national chairman in
1916, when woodrow Wilson was run
ming for his second term. and elected
Vance Mccormick to that office. Ed
ward D. Morgan Of New York was the
first Republican national chairman.
He was campaign manager for Abra-
ham Lincoln, but was first elected
chairman in 1856. when Fremont was
the party's nominee for President.
Morgan, who became Senator, held
ONCE as national chairman for the
Republicans longer than any other
man, and was elected four successive
times. His last election was in 1876.
y
The row in Republican ranks in
| New York, with Kingsland Macy,
Republican State chairman, leading
one faction and aligned against an
other faction which includes Ogden
Mills, Charles D. Hilles and others
who have been prominent in the G.
o. P. in the Empire State, did not
prevent the presence of all these
leaders in Chicago during the sessions
of the National Committee. Macy at
tended the dinner given for the mem
bers OF the National Committee and
other distinguished Republican Wis
itors by President Rufus Dawes and
the Board of Trustees of the Century
OF Progress International Exposition.
This dinner was given in the SOUTH
west wing Of the Hall Of Science, in
the exposition grounds. and provided
an opportunity for all the warning
factions in the committee. as well as
the warning New Workers, to sit
down to dinner together. Political
speeches were barred, and Mr.. Dawes
made the only address.
II Mr.. Macy had influence in the
deliberations and actions of the Ma
tional Committee it did not appear on
the~Surface. He was given a proxy
for Hawaii by Charles D. Hilles for
the last session of the committee yes