Arkansas State press., 1944-04-14
WNU Service, Union Trust Building
Washington. ID. C..


Washington. d. c.
Bombs n day will cease burst
ing. ships will sail the seas nndis-
turbed by torpedoes, and cities will
no longer be levelled, but politics
knows no armistiee.
- The political forces are already
laying down their preliminary bar
RACES.
Two weeks ago. ! reported a visit
to Republican headquarters up on
Connecticut avenue and | attempted
to outline the job that Chairman Of
the Republican National committee,
Harrison ~spangler, has laid out for
himself.
e. Since then, | have been admitted
into the front lines in the Demo-
cratic sector and now that ! am
back safe in limb and, | hope, sound
in mind, ! shall attempt to report
the strategy that Field Marshal
Hannegan's cohorts to be en-
ploying. Democratic Chairman Han
negan is a young man. who has
served in the ranks and worked his
way up from ward politics to City
Chairman for st. Louis whence he
leapt to the national Craftsmanship.
Just to give you a little of the
atmosphere in which the Democrat
ic GHQ operates, let me say a word
about a gathering held recently in
the Maylower Hotel (Which also
houses the Democratic headquar-
ters) Just a few blocks down Con-
neeticut venue from the old resi-
dence that the COP has taken yer
This gathering was the occasion
Of the retirement of Charley Michel
son and the assumption of his duties
as Number One publicity man for
the Democratic committee by tall
and p~ersonable Paul Porter. who
said he felt as II somebody had put
him down in Carnegie Hall, handed
him Kriesler's violin, and said:
"Now,play."
That was a pat remark. We all
know Charley Nicholson. We all
know Porter, who has been around
Washington in n important job or
another ever since the New Deal
began dealing. And we know the
typewriter OF Charley Nicholson is
as hard for anyone but its possessor
to play upon as Kreisler's fiddle
would be. However, when l was up
at Democratic headquarters a few
days later, there was Charley APP
parently giving such aid and com
fort and encouragement as might :
be needed from the wings.
One thing that makes it hard for
the Democrats is that the Republi-
cans are in a position TO lift their
copyright.
As one Democrat explained it to
me, it is like this:
Nobody will have a chance to do
the job that Charley Nicholson did
for us from 1922 on until the cleo
ton OF FDR. The trouble is the
Republicans are in a position to use
his theme song adapted. of course.
to suit their needs.
They have already started to do
to the administration Just what
Nicholson did TO Hoover. They have
started to attack the war agencies
and all of the administration depart
ments and activities, exposing ev-
cry blunder, playing up failures and
trying to show that everything the
people think are burdens and annoy
ances can be traced directly to the
administration.
And you know this wise old
veteran added, what you write and
say about how bad the other guy is
makes a lot better reading than
what you say about how good you
think YOU are"
That is n obstacle Chairman
flanagan is up against although the
real responsibility falls on the Shout
ders of Michelson's successor, Paul
Porter, and they are broad Shout
ders with a very good newspaper
he ad between them.
But flanagan has another, bigger
problem. Ii Is a job for a master
mechanic. 1t is a repair job on the
Democratic machine which is
euphemistically designated In the
language Of party politics as the "or.
Eani2ation.