Evening star., 1934-07-06
G. o. P.'s S0th Anniversary.

lion was held at Jackson, Mich, at
which the delegates adopted a party
platform. nominated candidates for
State Offices and chose "Repub-
lican' as the party designation. This
was the first State convention of the
G. o. P. Leaders of the Republican
party from many parts of the Union
and thousands of the rank and file
are gathering at Jackson today for a
great celebration tomorrow of the
psrty'S eightieth anniversary The
new chairman Of the Republican Ma
tional Committee, Henry P. Fletcher.
is there to deliver an address in which
he will ask the people again 10 dedi-
cate themselves to the principles upon
which the Republican party was or
ganized. Two Senators from the
Middle West, Vandenberg of Michigan
and Capper of Kansas, will join with
the chairman, Pennsylvania. in
addressing the meeting of Repub-
licans.
The Republican party, born in the
stress and storm of the slavery issue
in this country, struggled first for ex-
istence as a party and then tor the
preservation of the Union. 1t has
had its ups and downs since those
days though for greater part of the
intervening eighty years it has been
in power in this country. The Demo-
cratic party since 1856 has been in
control of the National Government
only twenty-five years and the Re-
publican party fifty-eight years Dur
ing that period Of four decades the
country has engaged in three wars
and has developed into the most
powerful nation in the world, which
has brought higher standard OF
living than any other.
Two years ago the Republican party
went out of power through the ma
tional elections. The country, along
with the rest of the world. WAS Suf-
fering from the postwar depression,
from huge governmental expenditures
and from wild speculation through
which millions OF Americans sought
to make fortunes out of the air. The
people were sick OF hard times, and
they held the Republican party-the
party in power-reSponSible.
The Democratic party has been in
control less than a year and 6. half.
In that brief interval steps Of enor-
nous importance to the American
people have been taken. Those steps
have included vast outlay of public
money, which must come from the
American people; they have included
building up of new Govern
ment bureaus with hitherto unheard
of powers over the lives and actions
of the people. All Of these steps have
been taken in the name of emer-
gency, and as emergency measures
they have been authorized by Con-
gress and defended by the Democrats.
Are they to be made permanent?
The Republican party has an op-
portunity for great service today. 1t
can. if it will, dedicate itself again to
the cause of the common man, to the
cause of all men and women n the
country. 1t can, if it will, place itself
squarely in the road to block more
and more control Of the people and
their activities by the Federal Gov
ernment. 1t can take its stand in
favor of liberty of action. 1t can, II
it will, dedicate itself to serve against
the great combinations of capital, OF
industry and of all kinds Of business
which are eXterminating the small
business man.
There is a school which holds that
the day of the small business man il
gone; that industry and business can
be carried on only through huge or
ganizations. If that be true, then the
day of the small man is gone with it.
He becomes just a cog, little better
than a slave. 1t little matters whether
the master of a system of monopoly
be private capital or the Government.
Liberty is gone under such a system.
The same school of thought which
holds that the day of the small busi-
ness man is gone believes that once
all business is in the control of few
men, so much the more easily can
the Government control absolutely,
can frame the destinies of each indi-
vidual and regulate what he has and
what he shall be.