Evening star., 1940-12-08
Martin or HoI|ister
Expected 10 Lead
6. 0. P. Until 1912
Neither Anxious for Job,
But May Serve if a
Director Is Chosen
BY GOULD LINCOLN.

4uc CldlI IIldIlolllp VI LIE fIepuO.
lican National Committee, for the
next two years at least. appears to
lie between Representative Martin
of Massachusetts,, the, present chair
man, and former Representative
Hollister Of Ohio.
1t has been suggested that Wendell
L. Willkie, 1910 presidential candi-
date, take over the job. or that Rep
resentative White of Ohio, who tried
for the senatorial nomination this
year, be selected for chairman. The
odds. however. are for the retention
of Mr. Martin or the election of Mr..
Hollister.
Neither Mr.. Hollister nor Mr.. Mar
tin is anxious for the job. If either
carries on as national chairman, 1t
will be necessary to appoint an "ex-
ecutive director" Neither Mr.. Hol-
lister nor Mr.: Martin can give a full
time performance. Mr.. Hollister has
his law practice to look after in Gin
cinnati, where he is a partner in the
firm of Senator Taft. Nor does he
w loll W 81 lIllO lllC buolllCSSO VI i dlSs
ing money for the national commit
tee when that work could be handled
by an executive director.
Long Session Seen.
Mr.. Martin is minority leader of
the House, and while Congress is in
session, he will have his hands full.
If next year is to be anything like
the present, Congress may be in al
most continuous session. 1t is argued
he would of necessity have an assist
ant as executive director, who could
travel on organization work and
raise funds to keep the national Or
ganization functioning.
The immediate task Of the Re-
publicans-and one which they in
tend turning their attention to
without delay-is getting ready for
the 1912 congressional elections.
They believe they have real chance
of carrying the House two years
hence. Many of the congressional
districts were carried by Democrats
In the last election by narrow mar
gins There will be no presidential
election to complicate the congress
sional races in 1912.
Republican leaders say that either
Mr. Hollister or Mr.. Martin would be
the ideal man to head the cam
paign for 1912 Mr.. HolliSter was
elected to the House to fill the place
left vacant when the late Speaker
Nicholas Longworth died. He made
a fine record and is widely known
and liked by House members.
Martins 1888 Work Recalled.
Mr.. Martin, in addition to having
proved himself an excellent leader
of the House Republicans during the
present Congress, was chairman of
the Republican Congressional Com
mittee in 1888, when the G. o. P.
staged big comeback and took some
IS seats away from the Democrats.
Remembering the work that Mr..
Martin did so successfully in 1888,
Republican House members are COM
ing forward now with demands that
he be retained as national chair
man. They believe, too, that with
MIR. Martin as head of the national
committee there will be closer CO.
operation between the national or
ganization and the elected repre-
sentatives of the Republican party
in Congress.
There is need for that kind of CO.
operation. During the last few years
some of the Republicans in Con-
gress were critical of John Hamilton,
who served as national committee
man until the nomination of Mr..
Willkie and who subsequently served
as executive director under Mr.. Mar
tin. There would be no such criti-
cism Of Mr.. Martin by members of
the Senate and House. it is said.
Martin Eyes Speakers Chair.
Mr.. Hollister would not consider
taking full-time job as national
chairman with a salary of S25,OOO,
which was paid to Mr.. Hamilton. Mr..
Martin is anxious to become Speaker
of the House in the event the Re-
publicans win majority two or four
years hence, and he would not think
OF giving up his present position to
become a paid chairman.
Selection of an executive director,
to serve under either Mr.. Martin or
Mr.. Hollister, in the event either of
them serves as national chairman,
would arouse considerable interest.
1t has been suggested that Oren
Root, who started and headed the
Willkie-for president Clubs during
the last campaign, would be good
man for the job. The theory is that
Mr.. Root could mold the Willkie
clubs into the Republican organiza-
ton, or the Republican organization
into the Willkie clubs, depending on
the point of view.
Republican politicians say. how
ever, that what is needed in the
Office of executive director is a man
who knows politics from the ground
up. He should be the politician,
machine politician if you will, who
knows how to deal with all the polit-
ical leaders from the precinct cap
tain up. He would be the man to
do the spade work of organization,
with the policy making left to the
national chairman. In their opinion
Mr.. Root would be misflt in such
a place.
Willkie Unlikely to Take 1t.
AS for Mr. Willkie and his chances
Of becoming national chairman, the
opinion is expressed that Mr.. Willkie
does not want the job and would
not take it. Presumably he still
has to work for a living. which
means he will take employment of
one kind or another 1t is not likely
he would accept paid job as ma
tional chairman. If he becomes the
head of a corporation or chief
counsel for big business, his use
fulness as Republican national
chairman would be gone with the
wind.
If there was one thing demon
strated by the recent presidential
election it is that the G. o. P.
must put forward candidates who
appeal to the working man and
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