Milford chronicle., 1935-06-14
national REPUBLICAN BUILDERS
By Julian MASON Vice Fesdenf Natlona Repabcan Bndes


meetings eventually builds in the
participator an informed critical
sense as to the technique Of such
meetings.
Some Of the erowdingly frequent
rallies Of the National Republican
Builders in New York have touched
high points, even, upon occasion,
the highest. That is true, too, of our
gatherings in Jersey. But of the
Pennsylvania meetings the best that
| have known (really one of the
very few "all-time bests") was the
first large banquet-rally held by the
young chapter at Wilkes-Barre on
Tuesday night.
%l*l*
The technique was admirable IN
its simplicity.
There was a brief reception, pre-
Vious to the dinner, that was real
reception in that it allowed the Vis-
ifing speakers to meet. speak TO and
sense the political sentiments of
their audience.
The dinner began early and began
when it said it would. The food was
excellent and was served promptly
TO the 200 diners. The tOastmaster
wittily confined himself to tOastmas-
tering without making all the spec
ches himself. Above all, and SUI
premely important, there were but
three speakers instead of the usual
six to twelve which make political
dinners so deadly. Finally, the whole
thing, from reception to adjourn
ment was over in less than two
hours and a half. !
There is a most effective recipe,
which | recommend not only 10
other chapters of the Builders but
also to dinner committees every !
where.
. MP
OF course, it is the spirit that
makes or mars a political meeting
OF any other gathering of human
beings. But a whole lot can be done
toward supplying that essential III
the right quality and quantity, by
force of sheer good management.
Certainly, they had 1t at Wilkes
Barre.
l have written up" as the lay
mans phrase goes, many speeches
at banQuets. 1t is much more inter-
esting to work up" from the stand
point of the speechmaker, the audi |
ence that listened to the speeches; |
the point of view of that audience,
its present political attitude, its feel |
ings about Mr.. Roosevelt and its |
new urge toward Republican action;
also the tnwn in which it lives.
I*I*i*I
I was amazed at Wilkes-Barre.
Coming as ] do from Illinois, any
town whose primal product is coal
means to me a grimey, black-dust
covered place where the sunlight Is
dim and dark Illinois is sOft-coal
country. Wilkes-Barre in amazing
contrasts is just as sparkling and
clean and clear as New York used
to be, before the coal shortage of the
world war forced it off complete
anthracite basis. Wilkes-Barre is the
very heart of the comparatively
small district that gives America the
finest compact fuel in the world
hard coal. -
1t is a good-looking city. too. (
|
where the banquet was held. the vis-
itor looks forth upon a stately me-
mortal bridge, crossing a darkly sill 6
yer river with grass, shrubs and Z
trees along both banks. Some forgot ;
ten pioneers had the vision to save ,
the river as a central beauty of the Z
city instead of letting it be turned $
into polluted blemish.
The women at the tables in the
appeared to me literally n
to "eat up" the message brought to &
them by Mrs. Preston Davis, founder +
of the Builders Mrs. Davie told d
them of The hard. long hours of po- Q
litical work, the diScouragements, n
the cynical Indifference Of the aver n
age citizen. The seeming hopeless
hess of il all and then challenged II
them to assert again as women the Fl
great political power which they had p
demonstrated in the winning of the ir
vote. Rarely have | seen women so r
intent and so enthused as were n
those in that audience, especially "
those who were in active political n,
work and knew from their own eX- !,
perience the truth of the picture n,
painted by Mrs. Davie. is
l#i*l& :.
The men were different. They. too 9,
we're intent and enthused. But they "
we're deeply pessimistic. They had :"
not the freshness of hope that char
lcteriZed the women.
They had, however, the grimness n
If fixed determination. That de- si
ermination was to get rid of ROose ci
'eltism in the quickest way possible. h,
They have had a hard tussle with p
t in Wilkes-BaTre, as RoOseveltism, ~
here, has been joined to the allied In
doctrines of PinchOtism. The exper-
ences they tell of the immense. un- IN
topped, commercial traffic in boot ~
egged coal" stolen from their mines n
" the thousands of tons and truck h,
d to New York and Philadelphia, =,
compose one of the most shocking ot
iictures in our cOntempoTaneOus in "
ustrial life. 4,
l%*lsl u
These men of Wilkes-BaFre want =;
o know what the Republican party -,
an do about Roosevelt and when it ~ ~,
3 going to begin. They want no "'
ruck with the New Deal. They want