Evening star., 1936-07-12
Double Duty in
Political Jobs
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

the circumstance that Postmaster Gen.
eral Farley, for a considerable period.
has held the post Of chairman Of the
Democratic National Committee as well
as the Craftsmanship of the New York
State Democratic Committee. 1t has
been something Of tradition In both
political parties that the national COM
mittee chairman, upon the election of
the head Of the ticket, Is named Post
master General. That cabinet post is
presumed to be more closely in touch
with the local political machinery
throughout the country than any orner
With 40-odd thousand poStmasters, each
supposedly political leader in his own
community, the head of the entire postal
system is in q position of undoubtec
leadership.
To be sure, postmasterS and employees
OF the Post ONCE Department are not
supposed to engage in electioneering, but
the rule against such activity has never
been stoutly enforced Conversations
around the cracker barrel in country
stores, where the post ONCE usually is
located, can not humanity be kept from
the subject Of politics in q presidential
year.
Mr. Farley is not the only high Federal
official who has retained his position with
the national committee of one party or
the other.
1t is somewhat surprising that the fire
at the present time has been concen-
trated on the Postmaster General. The
Vice President of the United States, who
Is certainly to be regarded as one OF
the most potent Of Democratic politicians
is member Of the Democratic National
Committee from Texas.
But then also there are other mem
befs OF the Democratic National Com
mittee who today sit in the Senate
Senator McAdoo of California is national
committeeman from his State and the
same is true of Senators Chavez of New
Mexico. Gerry Of Rhode Island, Nc
Kellar of Tennessee and Byrd OF Virginia
One Republican National Committee
chairman who concurrently was Post
master General was Frank n. Hitch
cock, but he held the two posts at the
same time for only a few weeks. He
was chairman of the committee from
1908 to the latter part of March in 1909
He took office as Postmaster General
March 4, 1909, serving until 1918.
~ ~
On the whole it has been customary
for men who have been chairman TO
resign upon being called into the cabinet.
Will H. Hays, for example, who was
chairman in 1920, resigned soon after
he became Postmaster General in 1921.
Then Hubert Work, committee chair
man. was both Postmaster General and
,f 1ba T,ata h,,k ..
same time Walter F. Brown served as
Postmaster General from 1929 to 1888
In Herbert Hoover's administration and
in 1882 he became a member of the Re-
publican National Committee for Ohio.
He held the two positions simultaneously,
but he was not the committee chair
man.
Another famous Republican political
leader was Harry S. New. He was chair
man of the National Committee from
1907 to 1908 but was not chairman when
he served as Postmaster General. from
1928 to 1929, nor when, later, he entered
the United States Senate However.
George B. Cortelyou, the man who served
as private secretary to the President,
Postmaster General, Secretary of Com
merce and Labor and Secretary of the
Treasury. was chairman of the Repub-
lican National Committee when he held
the Treasury portfolio.
One of the most active of Democratic
politicians, one who came close to the
nomination for President of the United
States, Is William G. McAdoo. When he
was Secretary Of the Treasury in the
Wilson cabinet and number of other
things besides he was a member OF
the Executive Committee Of the Demo-
cratic National Committee
Simeon D. FeSS of Ohio was chairman
of the Republican National Committee
at the same time he was United States
Senator from Ohio, and that remarkable
Old Roman, Boies Penrose of Pennsyl-
vania. once regarded as the greatest of
Republican party bosses, served as chair
man of the Republican National Com
nittee while he was sitting in the Senate.
But Mark Hanna, who had been chair
man in 1896. relinquished that post
upon entering the Senate in 1897.
Double duty has not been confined to
men. Representative Ruth Pratt OF
New York served in the House when
she was Republican national committee
WOuldu 1OE 1lcI 0tdVC, dlLu wi o. 1SuUil
Hanna Mccormick Simms was commit
teewoman for Illinois when she grad
uated into the House.
Taking another step back in political
history, it is found that Don Cameron,
having succeeded his father, Simon
Cameron, as a United States Senator
from Pennsylvania. was still in his
Senate seat when he became chairman
of the Republican National Committee,
in 1880. Matthew Quay. another Penn
Sylvania Senator and famous political
boss, was both chairman of the Repub-
lican National Committee and United
States Senator in 1887. But the holding
Of those two jobs has been by no means
so rare as the holding of the chairman
ship and Job in the cabinet.
~ ~
Neither party appears to show more
of a leaning toward these double jobs
than the other, and, even though Mr.
Farley has been attacked for his use
Of his dual capacity to extend Demo-
cratic patronage, he cannot be said to
stand alone. When Cordell Hull, the
distinguished Secretary of State, was
Senator he also was chairman OF the
Democratic National Committee.
The position Of member or chairman
of either national committee pays no
compensation. Indeed, man or woman
serving in such a capacity is likely to be
out of pocket. But the position does
carry great deal of political weight and
q national committeeman often is able
tn dictate uatronape apDointmentS There