The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-03-31
WNU Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, ID. G.

WNU Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, d. G.
On recent sunshiny Washington
afternoon, / made a pilgrimage to
the Republican National committee
headquarters. AS I entered the
white-pillared portal Of the modest
little house they have rented on Con-
necticut avenue, a number OF
thoughts, which may be omens of
good or i'll in the coming election,
floated into my ken.
The house was once a private
home but now it is situated amidst
shops and restaurants and looks
across the avenue toward towering
apartment house taken over by the
Civilian Defense administration.
AS assembled the stairway to the
second floor office of Chairman Har-
rison Spangler, memories rushed
about me and I was transported
back to the days when the Republi-
can party was suffering in the slough
Of its deepest despond. The rooms
about me then housed one of the
many trade organizations created by
that wonderful and awful National
Recovery administration presided
over by the late and stormy Cen
eral Iron Pants Johnson.
And later, as / chatted with Mr..
Spangler, was reminded of another
circumstance, gently symbolic Of
the days when the elephant sulked,
impotent and neglected, in his tent
the Republican committee was
forced to move some two years ago
from it's snapper, modern quarters
on Lafayette Square where it could
gaze longingly at the White House
on the right hand, and not too hope
fully at the United States Chamber
of Commerce on the other. The
reason the committee had to move
was because it was only a tenant on
Lafayette Square and the CIO
(Which had tossed million into the
Democratic electioneering fund.- was
the landlord.
Tempora mutantur.
But if the times and the quarters
have changed, so have Republican
spirits. Roosevelt won't carry two
states Cor was it five?)," I was con-
fidentially informed by one Of the
modest laborers in the COP vine
yard.
Harrison Spangler made no tall
predictions to me. He made no pre-
dictions at all. He simply told me
about what he is doing, the results
so far obtained. He has a simple
faith that results already achieved
are the precursors Of victory.
Well-Used Word
Spangler's forte is organization,
and that's the word he uses most.
"The precinct is the squad" he
said. eff you have good squads, you
have a good regiment"
He has reduced the training of
the squad to very simple formula.
Get one energetic worker and as
sign him or her 20 Republican vot-
ers. See that they vote. Mark Han
ma used that system. 1t works. Iowa
(Spangler's own state) uses it. Many
others do.
The important word in the last
sentence is ''do." Important because
Spangler used it in the present tense.
In the days of the Blue Eagle, and
for many years thereafter, any
statement about an effective Repub-
lican political organization had to be
used in the past tense. But Temporal
mutantur, again. Spangler believes
that times have changed and have
been changing for some time.
Chairman Spangler is not starting
at scratch with his organizing; 26
states which have elected Repubi-
can governors, he pointed out to me,
already have pretty good machines
which are working now.
The chairman is a typical, sue
cessful businessman of middle
sized town Cedar Rapids, Iowa. in
the Middle West. His speech and
his speeches are pretty much basic
English except when he "rises to
pronounce" on party principles.
Then he uses good old substantial
political phrases marshaled in the
conventional manner. But like. all
pre-convention committee chairman
ships, his job is eschewing the over
specific. He can talk about candi-
dates, but not a candidate, pro or
con; he can talk about platforms
but not about planks.
He is, according to his associates,
a man of action. Already he has
visited all of the northern states
and that is what he is still doing,
dividing his time between the field
and the Washington Office. He likes