Evening star., 1936-08-11

ment thus far as an organizer.
This may be unpleasant news to
Republicans and rather joyful news
for the Democrats, but it is re-
porter's duty to set forth the trend
of the battle irrespective of which
side 1t helps or hurts.
There are, of course, two major
factors in a national campaign. One
has to do with the strategy or speeches
of the candidate, and the other has
to do with the precinct organiza-
tionS far and wide. In this cam
paign the Republicans are sorely in
need of intensive local organization
work. Farley has been busy for three
long years building nationally an Or
ganiZation which is almost as we'll
knit as the Tammany machine in
New York. Jim Farley told me the
other day he expected to make very
few speeches. but to sit at the head
quarters desk. And to his credit as
political general 1t must be said
he Is one of those rare individuals
who knows how to run national po-
litical organization with almost the
same ease as if it were a county
operation. The President may or
may not appreciate it, but with Farley
in command he need not worry bit
about campaign organization.
Criticize Too Many Speeches.
Hamilton has had a good deal Of
publicity. Some of his speeches have
been effective not only because they
were aggressive, but because he
seemed to strike at New Deal weak
nesses. But it is beginning to be said
in quarters not at all friendly to the
New Deal and just as interested in
Republican success as is Hamilton,
that the national chairman is over
doing the speech making.
Whatever the merits of that aspect,
the fact remains that while Hamilton
has been away from headquarters
there has been little cohesion and lots
of lost motion. In the last few days
1t Is understood that the situation
became so clearly matter for prompt
adjustment that Chairman Hamilton
decided to bring in an Office executive
to develop a better administration
mechanism. He selected Arthur A.
Ballantine of New York, giving him
the title of assistant to the chairman
Situation Improves.
Overnight there has been notice.
able Improvement in the morale OF
the headquarters, though it is appar-
ent real progress will not be made
until the chairman himself gets back
on the job and begins to find out
that the folks with political experience
in the various States have been un-
able to get things decided at Chicago
and have been trying to find out how
they could get the necessary co-opera-
ton nationally for their local actlvl-
ties.
Ballantine was Undersecretary OF
the Treasury in the last admlnlstra-
ton and was asked by the late Secre-
tary William Woodin to stay on
through the bank holiday. 1t is said
that his plan for opening the banks
was the one finally adopted by the
New Deal. Anyway Ballantine, who
is an eminent attorney in New York,
is an energetic executive and should
be able to start the all-important work
of co-ordinating the activities of the
headquarters under Hamiltons direc-
ton. 1t should be noted, however,
that the Republican army is not get
ting under way very rapidly, whereas
the New Deal organization is already
functioning. Organization work to
get out the vote will be factor in
winning the electoral ballot of many
a State this time and the Republicans
have gotten off to poor start.
Copyright, 1850