The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1935-10-10
COP. Ready for, Fight
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moves 1Or UIlS 1900 ColiipdlSl. 1iiC
executive committee of the Repub-
lican national committee has held
a meeting here, session that start
ed and ended with enthusiasm
bubbling over The resaSon the
members gave for all their joy was
as expressed by Chairman Henry P.
Fletcher, that "the tide has definite
ly turned and we are going out to
defeat President Roosevelt for re-
election"
Whether all of this joy is justi-
fled, no one can tell, but certainly
the Republican wheelhorses for the
first time in almost five years have
shown signs of genuine fight. They
are convinced that Mr.. Roosevelt
and his New Deal are in a tailspin
and they are committed now to help
the present administration to con-
tinue until it crashes-help it by
calling attention to every shortcom-
ing and every mistake it has made.
While, as I said, the executive
committee meeting simply dubbed
over with enthusiasm, unbiased OBJ
servers could not help reaching the
conclusion after they watched the
situation that the committee did
very little of a constructive nature.
It may be that this group was not
intended to map out many plans,
but if it did not have that purpose,
one is inclined to rise and inquire:
Why hold meeting? tn
The one outstanding action taken
was the authorization given Chair
man Fletcher to establish young
Republican club division in the ma
tional committee headquarters here.
The rest of the session that lasted
all day apparently was given over
to the exchange of ideas. 49,.
See 1t as Good Sign
Rank and file Republicans may
take heart in the circumstances that
brought their party leadership to
headquarters four months earlier
than they originally meet. It is a
good sign, from the Republican
standpoint. 1t ought to mean that
they are all set to do business and
to keep doing business until they
have elected a candidate to the
Presidency in November, 1886. But
still, none of the Washington writ
ers was able to determine exactly
what is going to be done. The Wash
ington writer's can hardly be blam-
ed, if inside information that leaks
out is correct, because the execu-
tive committee really did not get
very far with any plans. I said above
that the wheelhorses appeared to
be full of fight There was every
evidence of this. There was also ev-
idence of possibilities, at least, that
there may be family fights. There
is no doubt that many members of
the national committee do not like
Chairman Fletcher. Likewise, Chair
man Fletcher is not enthusiastic
about certain members of the COM
mittee over which he presides. 1t
is made to appear, therefore, that
there may be some mudslinging be-
fore the machine is attuned for the
campaign next year.
Won't Help Either
1t may have been by coincidence
or it may have been by design but
whatever the reason, the action of
Robert H. Lucas, former executive
head of the Republican national
committee, in filing a libel suit
against one of the party members is
not going to help either Mr. Lucas
or Charles D. Hilles, national COM
mitteeman from New York. Mr..
Lucas has sued Mr.. Hilles and Frank
r. Kent, Baltimore newspaper col
umnist and political commentator,
for 100000 libel. He charged in
suit filed on the same day that the
executive committee met here that
Mr.. Hilles and Mr.. Kent were ''con-
spring" to destroy him politically.
1t is unlikely that Mr.. Lucas can
sustain his charges in court but
whether he can or cannot sustain
them, the court action against a
prominent member of his own par
ty, a man with whom he was asso-
ciated in party leadership, natur-
ally will have a disrupting influ-
ence.
Mr.. Kent said after learning of
the libel action that Mr.. Lucas was
acting "silly" and he was not alarm
ed at all. The comment here among
observers who know both MIR. Lucas
and Mr.. Kent seems to be that the
action was brought by MIR. Lucas in
order to upset Mr.. Hilles. Mr.. Lucas
has disliked Mr.. Hilles for years and
so, in the opinion of many astute
political writer's, Mr.. Lucas is seek
ing to wreck any political aspira-
lions Mr.. Hilles has by joining him
as defendant in a suit against Mr.
Kent.
Mr. Lucas, it will be remembered,
is the individual who got mixed up
in a rather sour mess in the effort
to beat Senator George w. Norris
in Nebraska. Senator Norris has
bolted the Republican party and