Evening star., 1935-04-22
G. 0. P. Regional Conferences.

The regional conference idea. as
means Of stirring up enthusiasm for
the Republican party, Is gaining
more and more impetus. 1t has been
indorsed by practically all the party
leaders. 1t remains, however, to put
the plans into execution. Although
the first public suggestion Of the re-
gional conference plan came out Of
the Middle West-out Of Kansas, as a
matter Of fact-New England is TAX
ing the lead in the matter. The Re-
publicans Of the six New England
States are preparing for a conference
in Boston the last of this month. The
measure Of success Of. this first con-
ference may have much to do with
the future Of the regional conference
idea.
william Allen White, whose name
has been intimately associated with
the regional conference plan, al
though he denies that he knew any,
thing about 1t until he read of it in
the newspapers. gave to the Repub-
lican leaders gathered at a luncheon
party in his honor at the Capitol
some common sense advice regarding
the projected conferences. He warned
that it would be great mistake to
make them mere mass meetings. To
do so would be to throw the doors
open to interminable discussion, to
the wild men of Borneo," and to
get nowhere constructively. There
should, as he said, be q measure of
authority" about these conferences.
In other words, the party organiza-
tions, national State and perhaps
county, should play their parts in the
development Of the conferences. In
this. it appears, Mr.. White is en-.
tirely sound.
Even though the conferences are
conducted with q measure of author
ity, as suggested by Mr.. White, they
Will not be in position to bind the
party nationally. That can be done
only by the G. o. P. in national con-
vention. under the party laws. How
ever, these conferences will do much
to stimulate interest and to arouse
the fighting spirit OF the Republicans,
which has been at q low ebb until
recently.
Mr.. White warned the regional con-
ferences against attempts to write
Republican party platforms. Here
again, only . national convention is
authorized to take such action. It
Is conceivable that a regional con.
ference held in Kansas City or Chi
cago or Des Moines for the States
Of the Middle West would write q
platform very different in some re-
spects from . regional conference of
the States of the Eastern Seaboard or
the States Of New England. To
produce three or four suggested party
platforms might serve only to bring
about dissension in the ranks. Nor
would 1t be wise, as Mr.. White said,
for these conferences to be used to
put forward candidates for office, par
ticularly the Office of President.
However, these Republican confer
ences might well write down general
principles to which the party ad-
heres. and proposes to adhere, and
also draw an indictment Of the oppo-
sition. More and more it is dawnine
upon the people Of this country that
the way Of the New Deal leads to
Federal socialism, and to q final
breakdown in the State and local
government. to the practical elimin-
alton Of the dual form of govern
ment set up when the Constitution
was written. The issue is not i'm
aginary. 1t is both serious and i'm
mediate.
Some of the old pI1raSes are still