Evening star., 1936-06-13
BY WILL p. KENNEDY,
staff Correspondent of The Star.

CLEVELAND. June 13-They gave
him degree of doctor of politics to-
day-that young, curly and red
headed, jaw -bandaged, tireless, always
courteous, man of the House." at
Cleveland-John Hamilton, apt pupil
under the veteran party Strategist, the
late David Mulvane, who helped or
ganize and was chairman of the Grass
Roots Conference, and saw his two
elder proteges nominated for PreSi-
dent and Vice President, by the Re-
publican National Convention. To him
was entrusted the task of curing the
ills of the Republican party and elect
ing the Republican ticket, which
seemed hopeless until he took hold. He
was elected new chairman of the Re-
publican National Committee and
Landon-Knox campaign manager.
John Hamilton, at "A, personifles
the rebirth Of the G. o. P. He has
the vitality and activity and spring of
a youngster; he has matured judg-
ment in politics learned at the elbow
of one David Mulvane, who in his day
Was OIlC Vi ILlC IiOOt dcluIC. 4CSOAA
full and powerful men in the party;
he has presence and personality; he is
courteous, conSiderate, affable without
being unctuous or obsequious; he is a
real boss without the old school meth
ods of sticking out a beligerent jaw,
chewing the juicy stub of a cigar, and
pounding the table with his fist; he
listens even better than he speaks; he
is always eager for responsible advice;
never lodges an issue; is always frank,
pleasant, and can make quick deci-
sionS.
Youth Takes Hold.
And yet-while old stagers like
Jim" Watson, Senators Simeon Fess
and Arthur Capper. George Moses,
John @. Tilson, William M. Calder.
Bob Lucas-yes, and DR.. Hubert Work.
who have been party leaders-cooled
their heels in hotel lobbies and told
of the good old days of politics, this
young man-who has been in the ma
tional political arena only four years
stepped out and made" the ticket.
In the closing hours Of the conven-
ton he told the delegates-"We will
elect this ticket in November"-and
John Hamilton is known as a politi-
clan who keeps his word. He isn't a
backslapper, with a sweaty palm bois-
ferrous greeting-but they follow him
and work with him and laugh at hours
and fatigue. That Is his record at
Cleveland.
Seldom is big man "hero" to
his private secretary or stenographer,
but John Hamilton is to his secretary,
Miss Eileen Odaniel, who quit her
job in Washington with the Repub-
lican National Committee last April
to help him as campaign manager
for Gov. ALI Landon of Kansas, testi-
fies: He is the hardest worker I
have ever seen, and expects every
one else to work hard, too, but he is
such a grand person every one does
work tirelessly because they enjoy
working with him."
Throughout the days of the con-
vention, he never lost his head.
was never snappy in giving orders,
always conciliatory-even to the ex-
tent of taking an hour Of his most
valuable time on the busiest last day
to personally call on Senator Vanden-
berg, offering all he could.
New Nominating Technique.
They called him a hurricane
maker" when he brought the 10000
persons in the convention hall to
their feet cheering wild and long
by pronouncing three words. alfred
Mossman Landon." The harping
critics said it was an anti-climax
because he had departed from the
time honored Observation-Disclosures
to-name" technique, withholding the
name until the very last, meanwhile.
using all his eloquence to whip the
audience to high pitch of restraint
so that the explosion would be greater.
All poppycock. 1t was deliberately
done, a part of his forthrightness and
franknesS.
He named Landon early in his
speech and kept repeating his name
throughout. It was new in conven-
tior nominating oratory-and it was
extremely effective. The great gather
ing was thrown into frenzy of cheer
ing any old timer might envy. An
other illustration of the type of
leader he is-during the stop Lam
don" drive, on much the same princi-
pie as the old foot ball slogan hold 'em
Yale"-this young general, who might
have been fretful and worried while
nursing bandaged jaw, the result of
infection from q razor scratch, was
calm and smiling, unruffied, always
optimistic. He. radiated confidence.
He saw one great Strategic weakness
In the set up Of the opposition. It
was a three-way opposition. without
cohesion. they couldn't co-ordinate.