Evening star., 1937-11-02
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

The Democratic National Committee,
forehanded, is already making its plans
| for jackson Day" dinners to be held on
| January 8 in all the 48 States-and no
| dinner will be held for less than $25 per
| plate, according to the dictum of the
| national committee. The faithful had
better prepare to make their contribu-
| tions. If 1t Is not $25 then it may be $50
| or S100. The national committee plans
| to cover the country with these dinners,
| as the dew covers the fields on an August
night. The woM Is, not less than $25
| plate. These funds, realized from the
| jackson Day dinners, are to be used for
the campaign of 1938-when all the men,
bers OF the House, one-third of the Sem
ate membership and whole batch of
Governors and other State officials are
| to be elected.
Oliver A. Quayle, jr., acting treasurer
| Of the Democratic National Committee,
recently sent letters to all Democratic
State chairmen, outlining the plans for
raising money through the process Of
giving dinners. Mr.. Quayle travelled out
into the West not long ago with Chair
man James A. Farley of the national
committee and they discussed financing
methods and talked with number of
State chairmen along the way. Within
short time Mr.. Quayle will get together
with all State chairmen and go over the
whole matter.
In the meantime the State charmen
will obtain from all county charmen
lists of people who Ought" to support
dinner for the Democratic cause. If
the plans work out, each State in the
Union will hold at least one dinner. But
no State will hold more than four din
ners. And no other dinners, except those
sponsored by the Democratic National
Committee, will be permitted on Jack
son Day." These are to be the official
State dinners. held under the supervi-
sion OF the national committee. For each
OF these official State dinners, the COM
mittee guarantees to produce nationally
prominent speaker.
Dinner reservations may be paid for
in full when they are made or the reser-
vationists may make a partial payment
at first. In any case, the national COM
mittee will expect all the dinner tickets
contributions or whatever you wish to
call them-to be paid for within four
months from the date of the dinner. The
plans for organizing these dinners sound
almost military in precision. Each State
chairman appoints a dinner chairman
for the State. Then there is district
chairman for each dinner within the
State, and some one person to be ap-
pointed in each county-responsible to
the Democratic county chairman-to
help put the plan across. It's system!
Each county chairman or the person
responsible to him for these dinner ar
rangements is directed to send list of
all those who ought to attend these
dinners to the Democratic National Com
mittee in Washington. The national
committee proposes to give back to the
State organizations 25 per cent of the
net profits from these dinners to be used
by the State Democratic organizations
One thing is particularly to be stressed
that the Democratic National Com
mittee will not solicit other funds during
1888, certainly not from those attending
these dinners.
The Democratic national organization
has been rather successful in obtaining
funds in recent years, under the able
guidance of Chairman Jim" Farley.
Democrats who hold down jobs in WASH
ington understand very we'll by this time
what is expected Of them, when they
are invited to attend a $50 dinner or
even s100 dinner. And gradually, the
light Is breaking for Democrats all over
the country who have Federal or State
Offices under the Democratic administra-
ton. 1t is an effective way of raising
the necessary sinews of war And it is
figured that the man or woman who holds
an office because he or she is Demo-
crat ought to be willing to contribute to
the party's war chest. Of course, the
men and women invited to attend these
dinners do not all have public jobs. al
though many of them would like to get
them.
Raising campaign funds is a tough
Job any way you look at it. Political
campaigns cost tremendous amount
Of money nowadays whether they should
or not. If the Democrats go to men
and women who are beholden to the
party for the jobs they hold-on the
public pay roll-it is no more unethical
than shaking down manufacturers who
might be expected to benefit from the
administration in power which was a
method of operation by both the Repub-
AANoAio oAiO DCliioSA Ill tlic PdoC.
|
Elections today, although few and far
between, are counted upon to give some
trend of public and political opinion. If
La Guardia is reelected Mayor of New
York, the Republicans, who gave La
Guardia their party nomination, will
throw up their hats. The real claim
for the victory however, will be shouted
from the house tops by the American
Labor party. That party, organized by
the friends of John L. Lewis, Sidney Hill
man and the G. I. o., is considered the
nucleus for a national labor party to
take the field in 1910. If it makes good
in the New York election, it will get a
boost. The same outfit, although not
officially linked, is trying to stage the
election of a. mayor in another great in
dustrial city-Detroit There the C. I.
o. candidate for Mayor, Patrick H.
OBrien, claims to be the labor candidate.
These labor leaders announced last
year they were willing to go along with
Franklin D. Roosevelt but made 1t per-
fectly clear that they were not COM
mitted to the Democratic presidential
nominee in 1910. They said they would
look the situation over and get ready
L-A> ~&% %1@A1s. L 49,