The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-05

quently called the COP Brain Trust, which caused the Grand Old Party all sorts of secret head aches.
 In fact, the program Commit- tee, plus the question of holding the national convention before or after the Democratic convention, were the two chief problems on the confidential Republican agenda.
 The dilemma over the national convention date has been given more publicity than was welcome, by a well-known spokesman at Warm Springs. But the storm over the Program Committee so far has been kept under cover Yet the problem goes to the roots of the Republican Party and in- wolves the vital issue of conserva- tism and progressivism, plus prac- ticai fashioned politics.
 On the conservative side are the Hoover forces plus John Hamilton, chairman of the Republican Ma tional Committee. On the pro- gressive side are Ali Landon, Col onel Frank Knox, and veteran Re- publican leaders in Congress. Their enmity parallels that between the Garner and Roosevelt wings of the Democratic party.
 BIRTH OF A COMMITTEE
 Actually the Program Commit tee is the brain-child of Herbert Hoover, though probably he never dreamed his child would grow the way 1t did. It was he who first proposed that the Republicans hold a mid-term convention to formulate a 1888 Republican plat form.
 This was prior to the mid-term congressional elections of 1888, and the proposal brought immediate protests from the Landon group, which pointed to the fallacy of erecting a target for the Demo- crats to shoot at. What the Re- publicans should do, they said, was to concentrate on bombarding Democratic targets, and keep un- der cover themselves.
 After hot debate the logic of the Landon group prevailed, and as a compromise the Pro- gram Committee was evolved. At its helm was placed Glenn Frank, recently resigned presi- dent of the University of Wis consin, and as it's members were selected some of the brightest young man in the party.
 They went to work tn dead earnest, and at a secret meeting. March l, 1888, Glenn Frank set August as the date for completing the committees Program.
 ROUND ONE
 However, two things happened. One was that the majority of the ommittee-and 1t totaled 250 membeys-turned out to oe much more progressive than MT. Hoover and those who were paying the ex- penses. And the program which they proposed included social se- curity, public health and various New Deal measures.
 In fact, quite a few members wanted to draw up platform censoring Roosevelt for not gO- ing far enough. All this was source of keen disappointment to their sponsors, If not of irri- tation and disgust.
 This came to a head at the meeting held in Chicago in August, 1888, when the young progressives proposed their very liberal, quasi New Deal platform. Herbert Hoov- er's representatives, in turn, pro- posed a declaration of principle" reaffirming Republican support of the Constitution of the United States and the Supreme Court.
 Alexander Smith of New Jersey, who was spokesman for Hoover, urged such declaration of prin- ciple, and hinted that it would re-establish confidence among the Republican leaders who were con- tributing to the support of the committee. and convince them that the committee was not Com munistic".
 With the Program Committee deadlocked between the young prcgressives and the conserva- tives of it's executive Committee, the powerful LandOn forces also came into play.
 The Landonites argued that any program, whether liberal or con- servative. would be disastrous just before the 1888 elections. Almost every Republican running for Con- gress bombarded headquarters with telegrams demandirG thar