Evening star., 1936-06-08
c. O.P. LIBERALS"
TO ASSA|[ H|LLES
New Yorker Picked as "Old
Guarder" to Be Over
thrown.
BY CARLISLE BARGERON,
STAFF Correspondent Of The Star.


CLEVELAND, June 8.-The Re-
publicans, determined from the outset
of this campaign they had to have
an "old guard" so they could over
throw it an get liberal" apparently
have found it. Charlie Hilles, the
national committeeman from New
York, is to be it. One does not have
to be here long to realize that Hilles
is the one to be dramatized in song
and poetry as the old guard that John
Hamilton, Landon manager and the
young Lochinvar out of the West"
meets upon the field Of battle and
overthrows.
The Republicans had an awful time
when they embarked upon their rid
ding themselves of the old guard in
fluence" business AS they looked
around for old guardsmen of which to
rid themselves, they found that most
Of them were dead and gone. But ap-
parently by unanimous consent they
have struck upon Hilles. His in
fluence is to be gotten rid of. SO the
party then can go through the puri-
flying process that precedes going
liberal"
The result is that Hilles apparently
is to be made as uncomfortable as
was the late Senator Lodge, when the
Republicans met here before. OF
course, he is around so years old, but
it is not known just what he guards.
But he is the "old guard" which is to
be put in its place.
Developing for Months.
AS a matter of fact, the situation
around Charlie has been developing
for many months. In the earlier
days of the campaign there was much
railing and ranting within the party
about the utter necessity of getting
rid of the old guard. There have been
reams of stuff in the newspapers the
past few months and thousands of
words spoken to the effect that the
Republicans would have fat chance
against Mr.. Roosevelt unless they got
rid Of the ''old guard" There were
frequent dramatizations about how the
younger and onrushing element in the
party was moving in against the old
guard. 1t was out to give the party a
thorough cleansing, it was said.
All of this went on for months
without any one challenging it or
stopping to ask Just who this old
guard was.
The first newspaper men on the
scene out here wrote repeatedly about
how the aggressive young Landon
manager, John Hamilton, was shov-
ing the old guard into the background.
After much had been written along
this line it suddenly occurred to some
one that, after all, if there was to be
this continued aggressiveness against
the old guard there had to be an old
guard.
j. Henry Roraback Of Connecticut
fitted the picture, but before he could
be tagged he jumped to the Landon
bandwagon and ceased to be an old
guardsman who was trying to wreck
the great liberal movement Of John
Hamilton and Gov. Landon.
Shafts Directed at Him.
Thus it is that shafts are being di-
rected at Charlie Hilles all day long.
A reporter on q local paper, charged
with writing things that are funny,
wrote that as Hilles walked through
the lobby of the Cleveland Hotel, a
delegate made low, cultural sound
and grunted, 'Umph, big shot, en-"
The funny thing about it is that
Charlie seems not to have the slightest
desire to fight with any one, and GER
tainly no desire to bind the candidate
to a "reactionary' platform. This
writer's decided impression is that
nothing would suit Mr.. Hilles more
than for the Republican party to come
back into power, and naturally he
would like to be just as close to the
nominee as possible. But it is most
dificult to look upon him as boss" I"
either active or dethroned.
Just what Is running through his
mind Is not known. He Is said to have
retired here to country club. But It
is q fact that as early as last December
the so-called New York crowd, whose