The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-09-29


 Washington, Sept. 29-The Re- publican National Committee Is cer- tain to call a national convention of the party for 1898.
 G. O. P. leaders and workers throughout the country are insist ent. They want action" Only a few of the older hands, 1t appears, are worrying as to what the con- vention will be like and what will come out of it.
 The party will have to agree on 3 statement of party principles and look over its presidential pos- abilities for 194O. The pOssibili- ties range between that of a glori- OuS rejuvenatiOn and that of a headache before, during and after.
 Two or three months ago, Her. bert HoOver's private battle for this national convention appeared to have been squelched by ex- Gov. Alfred M. Landon's coldness toward the project.
 But Hoover's influence with the national committee remains strong. The Roosevelt court plan was beat en down, the Black-Klan incident has popped up and party workers are raring to go-even though they're not sure where. Ex-Govern- or Landon will now accede to the convention proposal.
 
 Draft Party Policy
 Potential presidential candidates and others who don't think 1t would be an especially good idea are wor- rying lest MT. Hoover leap back into party control. Word passed around by certain friends of the ex-Pres- ident that he wouldn't accept nomination in 1940 somehow has failed to receive widespread accept ance.
 The anticipated conventions declaration of fundamental Re- publican principles" was causing some worry when the party's na- tiOnal executive committee met here to pass the job of calling the big meeting along to the full com mittee. The g.o.p. is still the out standing haven for reactionaries and conservatives, but it has a large and increasingly vocal num- Der of important men who insist the party must be liberalized.
 Fundamental issues cover relief, farm legislation, labor, the Consti- tuition and some others. The idea now is to have 8 few outstanding Republicans-who would include Hoover, Landon, Frank Lowden, Senator Vandenberg of Michigan and Senate Minority Leader Charlie McNary of Oregon-sit down as a planning committee to exchange sentiment and work out rough draft of policy. Their real function would be to steer the convention and kepe 1t from chaos.
 All concerned are anxious that the convention not be 8 cut-and-dried affair, but seem equally anxious that 1t should run smoothly. MT. Hoover wants a positive program" but is said not to insist that the program be too specific-because 1940 is so far away.
 Vandenberg in 1940?
 Recent Republican conferences have produced as much informal nomination talk as you might ex- pect. Vandenberg is by all odds the outstanding man in such discus sions. There's some sentiment for Bridges of New Hampshire. Most Republicans who don't know young Lodge ask about him, although ex- pressing the opinion that he will still be too young for a presidential nomination in 1940. Westerners look to McNary for leadership. Hoover has strength in the nation al committee machinery which is reflected to some degree among the rank and file.
 John D. M. Hamilton appears to have solidified his position and in- fluence as national chairman. This fact was partly indicated by resig- nation of once powerful National Committeeman Charles D. Hilles of New York. The two had been con- sistently at outs. Hilles, who had been raising the big money in New York for the party for many, many years, had found his old power steadily dwindling. He hadn't been raising much money for the party treasury lately and other Republi- can leaders felt he could if he tried. There was some pointed criticism and Hilles quit.
 Copyright, 1887, NEA Service, Incl