Evening star., 1936-07-11
PARLEY.
SHUNS Sd PARTY.
No Demand From Rank and
File for Affiiiati0n, Lead
erS Assert.

srecial Dispatch to The Star.
CLEVELAND, Ohio, July IL (N.A
N.A.).-Organization Of a new politi-
cal party, or amalgamation with the
Lemke- Union third party, is not on
the program Of the National Townsend
Convention, which opens Wednesday
In Cleveland.
A definite announcement that no
third party movement Is contemplated
was made yesterday by Gilmour Young,
national secretary Of the Townsend
organization,
There is no Official thought Of a
third party at the present time"
Young said. Whatever the conven-
ton decides. it will have to come
spontaneously from the delegates
themselves.
In the estimation of the leaders
the main business before the con-
vention will be to give the Town.
send movement a more systematic
organization and assessment of dues
and to plan q drive for new members.
The leaders expect to continue their
efforts to control congressional elec-
tions. They claim now to control
the vote in IS States, and expect rs
by November.
No Demand From Members.
II there is any concerted demand
among the Townsend members them
selves to form new political party or
to join with the Lemke. and Father
Coughlin groups the leaders have
not sensed 1t. An analysis of The
mail which comes to Townsend head
quarters does not indicate that there
is any such widespread demand, the
leaders say.
Young is anticipating as many as
10000 visitors and delegates here. The
number coming by special trains and
In motor caravans is estimated a.
$4,000 to $4,000. But thousands OF
other Townsend members living within
. days driving distance from Cleve-
land are expected, and nobody knows
just how many thousands Of those
visitors there will be.
AAAC M oh6CAAi-Albo
posed of Young, Frank A. Arbuckle
of Los Angeles and DR.. Frank Dyer
convention secretary, has arranged fol
5000 hotel rooms and 1000 rooms in
private homes. They estimate that
these facilities will provide accom-
modations for $4,000 people. If more
than that come, additional rooms ir
private homes must be found for them
Seven Trains Due Tuesday.
Seven special trains are due Tuesday
evening. The largest, from San Fran
cisco, will have II cars. Others are
being made up in Denver, Seattle,
Portland, Los Angeles, Chicago, Florida
and New York City.
About the time the special trains
get to the city there will be a flag
raising ceremony of greeting in the
public square. Mayor Harold H Bur-
ton will deliver an address of well
come, the flag will be raised by Frank
Beckett, Cleveland Civil War veteran;
DR.. Francis E. Townsend, father of
the old age revolving pension plan,
will speak, and there will be a musi-
cal program.
Convention sessions will be held in
Cleveland's public hall, where the Re-
publican party last month picked
Gov. All M. Landon of Kansas as
its standard bearer. Sessions will be
held only in the morning and after
noon, because the hall is engaged
each evening for the Radioland pro-
gram in connection with the Great
Lakes Exposition,
Boards Work TIE Be Cut Out.
The National Board of Directors of
the movement will meet Monday at
Hotel Cleveland to pick a convention
chairman. The board also will de-
wise something for the National Ad-
visory Board to do. This board is
composed of the citizen maximi" of
each Of the 48 States.
The keynote speech will be deliv-
cred at the Wednesday morning
opening session by Otto A. Case,
treasurer Of the State of Washington.
Beyond that the program is uncertain
and subject to the whims of the con-
vention. The usual Committees on
Resolutions, Credentials and Order of
Business will be appointed. Until the
Resolutions Committee starts to sub
NIT reports, most Of the business will
consist Of listening to inspirational
and educational speeches.
Possibly 200 resolutions will be sub
mitted to the convention. It is DR..
Townsend's idea that the convention
should pass on every question raised.
The work of the committee will be
largely sorting and polishing the vari-
Gus resolutions that are offered.
5000, 200 Members Claimed.
According to Young, the Townsend
movement now has 5000, 900 active
and 100000 associate mem
bers and there are $500 Townsend
clubs In the United States, more than
double the number a year ago.
The dues, paid only by active mem
bers, started out at 10 cents q year.
This amount was increased to IL
cents and finally to IS cents, with 40
per cent Of the amounts collected
going to the State managers for Or
ganization work in their State.
(Copyrisht 1895. by the North American