Evening star., 1939-05-01

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of intervening
events affecting DaV'o Lawrence
the 1910 election are we'll recognized.
The Democrats have as their one
best bet a possible economic recovery
or upsWing, but the present Congress
has not yet tackled the things that
are deterring recovery and the Re-
publicans, with the characteristic at
titude of minority party, are not
hurrying things along.
It's just about year now to the
time when the two national party
conventions will be getting under
way. In II months some things, Of
course, can be done to turn politi-
cal tide, but when deep currents set
in the task is not easy. The Repub-
licans at the moment have the bet
ter outlook for many rtasons, prin-
cipal among which is that the DEM
ocrats are fighting among them
selves. The prospects of internal
peace are remote because the eX-
tremists among the New Dealers
feel that the other side should come
the whole way and the independent
Democrats in Congress feel that the
administration is grudgingly giving
an inch where it ought to give foot.
G. o. P. Functions Smoothly.
Anyway, the Republicans are Sc
cretly rejoicing because they have
unparalleled harmony in their ranks
and their organization work is func-
tioning smoothly. Take the Re-
publican National Committee head
quarters. 1t is in efficient operation,
despite the discouragements that
faced it in 1886. John Hamilton
has turned out to be a capable man
ager and has brought order out of
chaos. He has learned that it is
not speech-making or keynoting
which is important, but laying the
foundations for effective party Or
ganization in the States and coun-
ties of the country. He has, more
over, reorganized the finances so
that no longer do a few large con-
tributors rule the roost, but there
are thousands of small contributors.
The Republicans have made their
greatest inroads among the small
businessmen and the workers in
the middle class and have recovered
good bit of the strength they once
had in the rural areas.
Party organization is not mystic
affair. Hard work and perseverance
and tact will build a loyal party
operation, and it was fortunate
thing for the Republicans that Mr.
Hamilton didn't listen to the defeat
lists when the 1886 election was over,
but started instead to wipe out the
deficit and build a permanent party
mechanism When the time comes
for platform making the country
will find, for instance, that the
Glenn Frank committee will have
q greater influence in making the
party program progressive than has
been suspected by the ultra-con-
servatives. Perhaps the most effec-
tive piece of work done by Chairman
Hamilton has been to bring about
close cooperation between his
headquarters and the members of
Congress In this the Republicans
are copying the successful expert
ence of Democratic headquarters in
the days of the Hoover administra-
ton. Certainly so far as minority
tactics are concerned the Repub-
lcans are not missing many bets.
Democrats Handicapped.
The Democratic party organiza-
ton, on the other hand, is under a
severe handicap. Charles Michel
son, able publicity director, no
longer has the field to himself, as
Frank Waltman, Republican director
of publicity, is good match for
him. 1t is only fair to say, however,
that If Mr.. Nicholson were in
charge of the party organization
himself he would do much better
Job than he is able to do now. For
he is a capable political manager.
But it so happens that the chairman
of the Democratic National Com
mittee, James Farley, is being talked
about as a candidate for the Dem
ocratic nomination for President or
vice president. No party organiza-
ton with a potential candidate at
the helm can do as effective work
as when it has as leader a man who
is clearly out of personal politics
altogether and has only the task
of keeping the party together.
The same enthusiasm which Jim
Farley had in 1882 and 1886 is neces-
sarily lacking today because the
party organizations are composed IN
no small part of Federal officehold-
ers who want to 60 along with the
New Deal, but inside the ranks are
anti-New Dealers who follow the
same line of policy as some of the in
dependent Democrats in Congress.
What is happening to the Demo
cratic party organization is neither
surprising nor unusual. 1t always
develops inside majority party
especially when there are number
of candidates in the field for the
presidential nomination. Also this
time there is an overwhelming un-