The daily independent., 1937-08-12

COP Readies For Congressional
Campaign; Party Leaders Ex-
pect Strong Comeback; Want
A More Effective Chairman;
Pay-HOur Act Held In House
Committee While O'COnnOu'
Took Son To Camp; Senator
Hatch And Judge BrattOn, EX-
Partners, Give Each Other
Boosts.
Washington-The skids are un-
der John Hamilton as Chairman
of the Republican National Com
mite. He is almost sure to go.
Plan is to replace him by the
! first of the year, so that his sue
cessor will have ample time to
get ready for a revival of COP
activity in next springs crucial
congressional primaries,
Leaders in the custer drive are
ALT Landon, who originally sell
ected Hamilton as National Chair
man, and Joe Pew, Pennsylvania
oil magnate and a heavy contri-
butor. Also opposed are several
other veteran party chiefs, prl-
vately never enthusiastic over
Hamilton.
A group of the laUoer held a
secret meeting in New York re-
Gently at which they discussed
ways and means of getting rid of
John. All were optimistic about
the chances of the Republican
Party staging a strong comeback
in Congress next year, but all a
greed it could not be done effect
lively under John Hamilton.
This sentiment was conveyed
to Alf Landon and Colonel Knox.
In fact, the Colonel got a report
from an old friend who was pre-
sent and joined in the Hamilton
anvil chorus.
Landon and Knox have eX-
changed several letters and held
one conference regarding Hamil-
ton since the 1886 campaign. and
it is a safe bet that John will soon
feel the thrill OF the SkidS under
his keel.
Note-EXcept for his own vote
and thai of Ralph Williams, Nat
ional Committeeman from Ore
gon. Hamilton cannot count de-
finitely on support from any other
members of the National Commit
tee. Hamilton receives S25,000 a
year and expenses. but can be re-
moved at any time.
Sham Cray
Illustrative of the holloWncSS of
the congressional clamor for ad-
journment is the inside story Of
why it took so long TO bring the
wage-hour bill before the House
The fact that John O'ConnOr
was busy taking his son to camp
was one reason. Southern OppOSi-
ton was another.
The House Labor Committee re-
ported the measure out a week
ago Tuesday. 1t was expected that
the Rules Committee would meet
the next day, decide on the num-
ber Of hours of debate, and be-
gin that debate on Thursday.
But nothing of the kind hap
pened.
Instead. a full week went by be-
fore the Rules Committee met on
the question. Reason: Of the
ten Democrats on The committee
the five Southern members had
evinced marked hostility to the
bill. Fearing that they would vote
with the Republicans to shelve it,
Administration leaders wanted to
be sure of the presence Of Repre-
sentative John O'Conner, hard
boiled chairman Of the committee.
He, however, had other plans.
He was taking his young son to a
summer camp and could not be
bothered. So the works had to be
shuS down until O'Connor got
back.
The bill, incidentally. faces just
as rough going in the House as it
experienced in the Senate.
The Southern contingent, in
Guiding several Administration
leaders, are planning to assault it
with important restrictive amend
ments, chiefly one to exempt all
plants employing 20, or fewer
workers. The Senate rejected two
Southern amendments of this
kind, one to exclude 10-man and
another 5man plants.
Another serious handicap 20 the
bill is that fact that its floor
leader is Mrs. Mary Norton,
chairman Of the Labor Commit
tee.
Unlike Senator Hugo Black, the
bills manager in the Senate who
is Fundamentally for the legisla-
lion and is an extremely able par
Humanitarian, Mrs. Norton is
neither. The Administration is
leaning heavily on Representative
Robert RamSpeck. Georgia liberal
and next in rank to Mrs. Norton
on the committee, to push the bill
through.
New Mexico Back Scratching
Senator Hatch of New Mexico
and ex-senator Bratton, of the
same State, arc operating a nice
little merry -gO-rOund of their own.