Evening star., 1942-12-06
COP Hopes 10 Reach
Week Agreement
On New Chairman
Willkie Is Key Foctor
In St. Louis Meeting
Starting Tomorrow
sy a Staff correspondent Of tn. s,,,

sy Staff Correspondent of The Star.
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 5.-The van
guard OF the Republican National
Committee. including Representa-
tive Joseph w. Martin, jr., chair
man, rolled into this snow-covered
city late today with the question
OF a new national chairman still up
IN the air. Some members ex-
pressed hope that an agreement
could be reached before the COM
mittee gets down to business Mon
day morning,
A lot of maneuyering Is under
way. Some already on the scene
are laying down three qualifications
for the man who will take over
when Mr.. Martin surrenders the post
from which he is resigning. First,
that he must be from west of the
Alleghanies. Second, that he must
be a full-time chairman, ready to
take up his residence in Washing
ton and run the national headquar-
ters.
Up to date, no such paragon is in
sight. 1t may be that one or more
of these qualifications must be
waived, II chairman is to be found
WilIkie is Center of Fight.
Under the surface, but neverthe-
less very much in the conversation.
is the fight by large section of the
committee on Wendell L. Willkie,
titular head of the Republican party.
Mr.. Willkie has not endeared him
self to many of the Republicans.
particular in the West and Mid
west, since his presidential campaign
in 1910. His open and determined
fight against the so-called pre- Pearl
Harbor isolationists, in the recent
campaign, is anathema to them.
Some committee members are
preaching an open break with Mr.
Willkie-even to the extent Of elect
ing as nation chairman Werner W.
Schroeder, national committeeman
from Illinois.
He has been plastered with the
tsolationist label because he comes
from Chicago, the home of the
isolationist Chicago Tribune, and of
Senator Brooks. a leading isolation
ist before this country entered the
war. Mr.. Willkie has turned
thumbs down on Mr.. Schroeder and
has said If the committee should
elect Mr.. Schroeder chairman, he
will publicly repudiate Mr.. Schroe-
der and the committee and all its
works.
Move Is Opposed.
Calmer heads in the party. how
ever, are conseling against such a
move. In the first place, they in
sist it would be stupid to bring
about such rift in the party They
recognize that Mr. Willkie still has
a following In the second place.
they point out that no one knows
today what the situation will be in
1914. and Mr.. Willkie might be the
COPS fair-haired boy by that time.
Mr.. Willkie is recognized as a re-
sourceful gentleman.
At the present writing it appears
that Mr.. Wilikie has been successful
in his effort to stop Mr. Schroeder.
Even some of the anti-Willkie Re-
publicans here admit this. They
say that probably the entire men,
bership of the committee from the
industrial States of the East would
vote solidly against Mr.. Schroeder.
Further, some of the Western Re-
publicans would go along with the
Fasteners in this fight.
Former Representative John B,
Eollister of Ohio. law partner of
Senator Taft, has much support for
the chairmanship although he does
not meet two Of the suggested quail
fcations He is from State which /.
has a presidential candidate-Gov. /
John w. Bricker And he would
not, it is said. agree to give up his |
law practice and spend all his time
in Washington looking after the !
affairs Of the party.
Senator Taft. who holds the proxy
of David S. ingalls,, Ohio committee
man, is expressing his sympathy for
Mr.. Schroeder. whom he says has
heen unJustly attacked as an lsola-
zionist, Mr.. Taft has even gone so
far as to say that he would vote for
Mr.. Schroeder However, there is
S rong possibility that Mr., Schroe-
ders name will not be presented to
the committee for action.
Missourian Supported.
It has been suggested that Barak
T, Mattingly, national committeeman
for Missouri, would be a good COM
promise candidate.
Outside of Mr.. Schroeder and Mr..
Hollister, Westerners whose names
have been suggested include Harri-
son E. Spangler of Iowa, veteran
member of the committee; Ralph
Gates, Republican State chairman
of Indiana; Gov. Ralph Carr of
Colorado. Clarence Buddington Kel-
land. national committeeman for
Arizona; Frederick Baker of Wash