Evening star., 1940-01-09
The Political Mill
Third-Term Tom oms Beot at Dinner
As Roosevelt Leaves 'No-Roce' Impression

at the close of the 1896 presidential
campaign, was at its lowest ebb. 1t
had carried only two States, Maine
and Vermont, in the contest. 1t
had seen swept out of office many
more Republican Governors and
members of Congress. 1t was as
fiat on Its back as any party has
ever been and staged q comeback.
Only last night reference was
made by Democratic speakers to the
fact that the Republicans had OBJ
tanned enough money to pay the
debt. The caustic comment was
made that the Republican contri-
buttons came from rnoneyed people
who would see that they had their
quid pro quo If the G. o. P. returned
to power after the 1910 elections. It
Is somewhat difficult to understand
this Democratic attitude toward the
Republican contributors in the light
of the contributions by the United
Mine Workers of America and the
c. I. o. in the 1885 campaign-more
than half a million dollars-and
the demands made upon the admin
istration thereafter by John L. Lewis
and his followers. Or the large con-
tributlons that came to Democratic
Golfers at that time and since then
from some of the wealthiest persons
In the country-some of whom have
since been placed in important gov
ernmental posts.
Stuck to Debt Task.
Mr.. Hamilton's position, after
the defeat of ALT M. Landon of
Kansas in the presidential race
in 1886, was not enviable. The posi-
tion of chairman of a defeated
national political organization never
is. Efforts were made in some
quarters to dislodge him. But Mr..
Hamilton stuck to his job-which
he conceived to be the repayment
of the national committees debt
as well as helping to rebuild the
Republican party.
The Republican committee has
not only made 1t possible now to
fully liquidate its debt, but it has
operated on a "pay-as-you-g basis
for the last three years. So it will
be able to go into the next cam
paign without the burden of great
debt. 1t is a l0-to-1 bet that the
committee in that campaign will do
its best not to roll up a deficit, but
will keep within the contributions
which are made as the weeks roll
by
The Democratic National Com
mittee the first of the year also
had a deficit amounting to be-
tween 100000 and 100000. The
receipts expected from the Jack
son Day dinners will more than
pay off the debt and give the
Democrats perhaps couple Of hum
dred thousand dollars as nest egg
for the coming campaign.
Recalls First Jackson Dinner.
Chairman Hamilton issued his
statement that the Republican debt
had been wiped out shortly before
the Democrats were filing into the
Mayfower Hotel for the Jackson
Day dinner. He said that it was
particularly gratifying to make the
announcement on jackson Day
since the original Jackson Day
dinner was given here los years
ago "in honor of the extinguish-
ment of the national debt"
AN announcement of this kind"
said Mr.. Hamilton, lis in full keep
ing with the Jacksonian tradition
of extinguishing debt Surely it
is a more appropriate way in which
to honor the memory of Old Hick-
ory than the dinners which will be
held tonight by the deficit spenders
who. instead of following his
precepts and making an honest
effort to balance the Federal budget,
have increased the national debt by
81 billions of dollars IN the last
seven years"