Evening star., 1938-11-30
The Republicans Problem

Inc NePuDIICOnS TrOD'eH
The Republican National Commit
tees meeting yesterday turned out
to be love feast with just enough
tang injected to make it interesting.
1t was, indeed, the first time in a
long, dreary period the Republicans
have had chance or any real cause
for rejoicing. The committeeman
and their guests-Republican men,
bers of Congress, some of them new
comerS-Were restrained, in some
degree, in their claims and retained
a certain degree of humility. How
ever, it was clear that they also be-
lieved a turn in the political lane
has been reached; that the G. O. P.
is on it's way back to control of the
governmental it does not stub its
toe
Not a little of the tang was in
jected by the energetic new national
committeeman from New York, Mr..
Kenneth F. Simpson. Mr.. Simpson
does not belong to the Old Guard.
In fact, he quite bumptiously an
nounced his position in a statement
to the press, even before the national
Committee had ratified his selection
by the Republican State Committee
of New York and elected him men,
ber of the national organization. Mr..
Simpson said in so many words that
the G. o. P. need not expect the peo-
pie to look to it for leadership unless
it was willing to discard Mr.. Hoover
and the American Liberty League
and other "reactionary influences of
the past"
To some it will appear that Mr..
Simpson spoke out of turn. How
ever, it is clear that Mr.. Simpson is
determined to prevent the remnant
of the Old Guard-the more con-
servative group of leaders-from re-
gaining a strangle hold on the Re-
publican party. Mr.. Simpson clearly
believes that, now it begins to look
as though the Republican party will
continue powerful political organi-
zation, the nservatives-who con-
trolled the party for so many years
are intent upon slipping back into the
seats of the mighty, unobtrusively
perhaps, but with every intent of
controlling the party. This, in the
opinion of Mr.. Simpson, would be
disastrous both for the party and
for the country.
The measure of victory obtained
by the Republican party in the recent
congressional and gubernatorial elec-
tions must be credited in large part
to the younger element and to the
younger leaders in the party. This
was true in the Middlewest and in
New England and the Middle Atlantic
States. If the older elements, the
more conservative elements, played
their part-as undoubtedly they did,
particularly in Pennsylvania-they
should at least remember that the
victory was not so much because the
people loved their brand of Repub
licanism, but because the people
turned in large measure against
New Deal administration that has
not brought recovery, either for
farm or factory.
Senator Vandenberg of Michigan
spoke word of warning at the
luncheon given for the Republican
National Committee, when he called
the victories at the polls not Repub-
lican but American" For the Mich
igan Senator believes-and he is
quite correct-that the upset of New
Deal candidates was brought about
not only by Republican voters but
by Democrats who have been unable
to continue to swallow all the policies
of the Roosevelt administration. If
the Republicans are wise enough to
realize this fact and to seek another
American" victory two years hence,
the party may be restored to power.
If they seek purely Republican vic
tory-a victory of the party and of
those policies for which it stood in
the sleek days of the twenties before
the fateful 1929-the country may
look elsewhere.
The country has been trained to
newer social standards in recent
years. 1t is not likely now to desire
return to those days in which no
S. E. c. maintained a salutary con-
troll over the security markets, for
example. There are certain steps
taken with regard to labor, certain
promises to the farmers which can
not be lightly laid aside. Some Of
the newer Republican leaders have