Evening star., 1936-12-06
HAMILTON TO GET
CONFIDENCE VOTE
Chairman's Plan to Ask
Showdown Hailed as
Clever Move.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

BY G. GOULD L1NCOLN.
Chairman John Hamilton's an
nouncement he intends to submit his
resignation at q meeting Of the Re-
publican National Committee In
Chicago. December II, is interpreted
here rs meaning that he Is seeking
"vote of confidence"
He will get it, in the opinion OF
Republican leaders In Congress now
In Washington. Furthermore, many
members of the National Committee
who will have to support or reject
Hamilton's resignation have already
signified they will support him and
give the vote of confidence.
Hamiltons determination to call the
committee together and ask for a
showdown was a clever move. Already
there had been some "sniping" at the
national chairman, with demands here
and there that he retire. Representa-
tive James Hamilton Fish Of New
York, in a recent radio address, de-
manded that Hamilton, as defeated
leader. step out.
Hamilton willing to Go.
Long before the Fish speech. how
ever. Hamilton had let it be known
that he did not care to remain as
chairman if the Republican leaders.
the national committmen, the State
ehairmen and the leaders in Congress
wished him to get out. AS he put it
in private conversation. he did not
care to remain If he had to fight
Republicans as we'll as Democrats.
Senator Borah Of Idaho, who has
been an outspoken critic Of the Re-
publican "old guard" said yesterday:
In view of the men who would
select q successor to Hamilton, see
nothing to be gained by change in
the chairmanship."
The Idaho Senator was unwilling
10 amplify at this time his comment.
Borah occupies an extraordinary po-
sition as a result of the recent elec-
tions. He received three or four
thousand more votes in his own state
than did President Roosevelt.
McNary Also Cautious.
Senator McNary Of Oregon, the Re-
publican leader of the Senate. who
was reelected while Roosevelt was
carrying his State, although his
margin Of victory was less than that
of the President, was unwilling to
comment upon Chairman Hamilton s
offer to resign. It is believed, how
ever, that he sees no good purpose to
be accomplished by driving Hamilton
out of the Craftsmanship at this time.
So far as could be learned here to-
day no successor to Hamilton as chair
man has been put forward. The
members of the Republican National
Committee have almost two weeks in
which to discuss the matter before
they meet in Chicago to vote on
Hamilton's resignation. Hamilton
himself, it was said here. has no in
tention whatever of seeking to in
huence the members in the matter.
The meeting will be untrammeled and
Embossed, so far as he is concerned.
No effort will be made by Hamilton to
line up the members to vote for him.
Old antagonisms in the committee
may be smoldering. Charles D. Hilles
of New York, q veteran member of
the committee, has not always seen
eye to eye with the youthful chair
man. But Hilles is anathema to Rep
resentative Fish, for example, and to
others of the more progressive group
in the Republican party. For Hilles
symbolizes to them the "Old Guard 4"
Hilles has always had a following in
the committee. But that the Ma
tional Committee would follow them
IN an effort to substitute new chair
man for Hamilton is so doubtful as to
appear an improbability, or even an
impossibility. Hilles has been reported
in dispatches from New York as re-
serving comment on the proposal of
Hamilton to resign.
Old Guard Is Out.
II there is to be selection of new
national chairman for the G. o. p. the
new chairman will not be picked from
the Old Guard, or from those who
may be considered as afiliated with
the conservative group. The demands
from many sources are that the
9. o. p. shall be liberalized.
This feeling has grown apace since
the national election. To put it
badly, Republicans in important
places believe that the future of the
Republican party depends upon re-
gaining the confidence of the farmers
and Of labor. Some of them frankly
admit, of the record, that the party
did nothing for number of years for
either the farmer or for labor.
1t may be expected that in the
coming Congress Republicans, includ-
ing those who have in the past been
regarded as strongly intrenched in
conservatism, will be found supporting
measures which are advocated both
by the farmers and by labor. For
example. if a bill is put forward to
limit hours of labor, even to the 30
hour . week limit, many of the Re-
publicans will get behind it. But
while the Republicans are leaning to
such legislation, they will insist that
It be constitutional.
Must Appeal to Business.
The Republicans have always stood
well with business because they have
stood for sound money and for the
protective tariff. Doubtless they will
continue 80 to stand. But If the
party is to stage comeback, it must
stand for measures which will appeal
also to labor and the farmers, in the
opinion of Republican members of
Congress. In the recent campaign
the G. o. p. generally had the support
OF business, although many of the
small business men" went over lock,
stock and barrel to the New Deal
President. But the support of busi-
ness alone is not enough to win a ma
tional election as has recently been
demonstrated. In the election, q huge
per cent of labor, q large per cent
Of the farmers and of the colored
voters all lined up for Roosevelt and
Garner.