The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-05

O1 O1k014AAdO4O44s
 It was 8 completely closed door session, with newsmen barred, but here are the highlights
 First part of the meeting was monopolized by Congressman Ber- trand Gearhart of California in lengthy harangue on freezing Social Security taxes. He de- manded a united COP front against a tax increase. Most of his brethren agreed.
 Then Minority Leader Joe Martin discussed the elections, conducting a sort of seminar in which there seemed to be gen. eral agreement that Republican hopes had been too high = that, with the war still on, the na- tural desire not to change Ad- miniStratiOns had been under rated. Martin pointed to the need of a strong Congressional Republican organization, with . first-rate staff functioning at all times. This Is definite COP plan.
 Two lame-ducks, Cal Johnson of Illinois and Bill Miller of Con- necticut, spoke of the factors which. had led to their defeat. Johnson had expected defeat for some months, therefore did not blame the PAC. He said, how ever, that PAC was highly im- portant throughout the country, and urged that Republicans not be ashamed to learn from the Hillman organization.
 They are doing 8 model job of education and propaganda" Johnson said. "and we've got to be realistic about it. We can't do better than follow their ex- ample"
 Miller of Connecticut admitted freely that PAC had been the most effective single organization against him. He urged that the PAC methods be studied closely.
 '@They are doing something we've got to do il we're going to keep our party alive" Mill Ter said They're getting to the people with their story more ef- Actively than any other group" BACK TO COMMON MAN
 Reid Murray, reactionary Wis consin farm bloc member. then told his COP colleague: "The Re- publican party must get back to the common man. We're keep ing close to our farm populations, and it's up to you people in the industrial districts to keep close to labor and be certain labor will go along with you"
 Ben Jensen of Iowa chimed in to say: Instead of quarrel ing with labor, we Republicans have got to go out of our way to win labor support. My dis trict is agricultural, and you city men could do . lot worse than study the way we farm people have worked to stay close to our constituents"
 Only diScordant note, so far as PAC was concerned, was struck by lame-duck ':'Ham"' Fish. who ranted about Communist cOntrOI'i of the PAC. He demanded that Clarence Brown of Ohio explain what his House Campaign Ex- penditureS Committee had done about exposing Reds in the PAC. Brown said the committee was too busy to do very much on the subject and that the ruling from the Attorney General that PAC was legal had helped to steer them away from the subject.
 But we are planning to rec- ommend several changes i'm the Corrupt Practices Act" Brown continued. "And I intend to see to 1t that there Is an amend. .nient to prevent the sort of ac- tivity by labor unions that PAC engaged ln.-
 We sure you make it strong enough so thEt even the At- t0rney General can't write an opinion t0 excuse that sort of thing" NoaG Mason of Illinois advised.
 There was general agreement among the COP Congresmen that q lot of political capital could be made oS the current Admins. tration row between Attorney General Riddle and his busted as. sistant, Norman Littell.
 only Rripe about Governor Dewey came from ultra-reactio ary Harold Knutson Of Minnesota, who complained about the Los Angeles speech in which Dewey nledned nlla0ift aoeiai aoeurltp