Evening star., 1950-02-09
The Political Mil
6. O. P. Leaders Tearing
Holes in Party Ranks
Women Might Save Party
BY Continued Thinking
The Political Mil
By Gould Lincoln

If the Republicans in Congress stop
expressing disappointment" over a state
ment of principles and objectives,
adopted by large majorities of the Re-
publicans in the House and Senate, and
otherwise tearing holes in the party
ranks, the COP. may do we'll in the
elections of 1850.
Monday night it looked as though the
Republican women might save the party.
They put on the best and biggest rally
here that has been held in years-the
buck box" Lincoln Day supper party
given in the Uline Arena. 1t was big
because more than $4,000 persons at
tended, with delegations from every
State in the Union, many of them
brought here by special trains. 1t was
good because of an idea, the first new
idea for political gatherings since Jim"
Farley and his advisers in the Demo-
cratic National Committee thought up
the plan for raising campaign funds by
charging the faithful 500 a plate for
Jefferson jackson dinner parties.
Was Woman's Idea.
This new idea came from Mrs. A.
Burks Summers, a member Of the
League of Republican Women's Clubs
and chairman of the supper committee.
1t was to substitute for the usual Lincoln
Day dinners, given in expensive hotels,
rally and supper. for which admission
was single dollar, and the supper lin
box) another dollar. Mrs. Summers
thought was that such party would be
kind OF grass roots affair. 1t turned
out that way. A large part of the gath
ering were young people, who wouldn't
have gone to stuffed shirt dinner, at
five or 10 dollars, on a bet.
The character and kind of entertain
ment provided at this Lincoln Day sup
per helped out, too. For example, the
speakers, Republican members of Con-
gress. were held to less than a minute
speech Any one can listen to speaker
for a minute and cheer-whereas if he
had to listen to the same speaker for
an hour, he might groan. Good music,
singing and dancing-and door prizes
filled out the program. One of the door,
prizes-of which there were 70 presented
by Republicans in all the States and
territories-waS a deep-freeze, which
the announcer said had been paid for''
"a jibe at the free deep-freezers which
the Presidents military aid, Mai. Gen.
Harry Vaughan, presented to high
officials of the Administration, paid for
by perfume company.
The Democrats, who sought in adj
vance to make fun of and belittle the
Republican box supper, are staging soon
a bigger, and they hope better, Jeffer-
Son-JackSon Dinner here-again at 500
plate-in an armory capable of seat
ing 5000. This will be twice as large as
any other dinner they have held. With
Federal jobs in the ofing, they need no
other door prizes to bring In the faith
full.
No Joke to Democrats.
But the Lincoln Day box supper has
ceased to be joke to the Democrats. AS
for the Republicans-the idea is being
picked up throughout the country.
where Lincoln Day parties are in course
of preparation.
The same day the Lincoln box supper
was staged here, the Republicans won
victory in New Jerseys 7th Congress
sional district, electing their candidate
for the House by an almost two -and-a-
half-to-one vote over the Democrat.
This is strong Republican district.
However. the Republican percentage Of
the vote cast in this election was II per
cent higher than in the contest for this
House seat in 1948. This, too, gave the
2eSPuDAAOoAlo O C1ld1lCC W NIlCCls
Yet scarcely dozen hours had passed
before there was an outcrop of "disap-
pointed statements" aimed at the new
declaration of party principles. Maybe
these Republicans really like to adver-
tise dissension in the party ranks. Sena-
tor Lodge of Massachusetts, was particu-
larry regretful because the declaration
of support for civil rights legislation
had not been written out in more detail.
His comments gave some of the Truman
Fair Dealers in the Senate chance to
shed crocodile tears over the "disap-
pointing. attitude of the Republican
declaration. the Fair Dealers knowing
all the time their own party leader,
Senator Lucas of Illinois is delaying,
and delaying some more, consideration
of the FEPC bill and other civil rights
legislation by producing programs of
immateriar legislation and asking the
Senate to consider them.