Evening star., 1951-09-25
The Political Mill:
Weeks Could Be Choice
To Succeed GubrieIson
6. o. P. Moy Shift choirmun
As Result of RFC Case
The Political Mill:
BY Gould Lincoln

As Result of RFC Case
BY Gould Lincoln
Republican Senators hot on the trail
of Democratic National Chairman Will
liam M. Boyle, jr., who has been accused
of using political influence to obtain
RFC loans for clients of his own, feel
that Mr.. Boyle's Republican counter
part. Guy George Gabrielson, has let
them down. How, they ask, can
they make capital out of the fact that
Mr.. Boyle contacted the RFC for loans
for his clients when at the same time
Republican National Chairman Gabriel
son went also to the same agency in
connection with loans to Carthage Hy-
drocol, Inc, of which Mr. Gabrielson is
president and general counsel? Mr. Ca
brielSon'S Republican critics insist he
has blunted, If not destroyed, the force
OF their campaign against Mr.. Boyle
and the Democrats.
None of these irate gentlemen saw
that Mr.. Gabrielson has done anything
illegal or immoral. Quite the contrary,
But they contend he has given an ex-
ample of ineptness and lack of politi-
cal sense to the nth degree. They
point out that the RFC loans to the
Gabrielson company were made before
Mr.. GabrielSon became Republican ma
t1onal chairman, as brought out last
year in the Fulbright investigation of
the use Of political influence to obtain
RFC loans. That was OK and still left
the Republicans free to gun for Demo-
cratic Chairman Boyle
Acted In Recent Weeks.
What burns them up is that Mr..
Gabrielson, in recent weeks and while
he was a top official of the G. O..P.
organization, again contacted the RFC
in connection with the loans to his
company. when he should have known
this would give the Democrats ammuni-
ton to shoot at Mr.. Gabrielson and
through him, the Republican organiza-
ton. Hence the shouts for Mr.. Ga
brielson to resign his Craftsmanship.
Mr.. Gabrielson so far, it is said, can't
see this at all. He feels he had a per-
feet right to act in the interest of Garth
age Hydrocol, Inc, and as he says, in
the preservation of the soundneSs of the
RFC loan. Further. he contends that as
chairman of the Republican National
Committee he has no Influence" with
this Government agency, dominated like
all the rest of the agencies, by the Tru-
man administration. He feels he has
done nothing wrong and is hot under
the collar because anyone should
think So
Probably lot will depend on whether
the present investigation by the Hoey
Committee OF the Senate develops solid
case against Mr.. Boyle and whether the
present outcry against Mr.. Gabrielson
dies down. But some Of the Republican
Senators insist there is no way out Of
the situation except Gabrielson resig-
nation. They hope to avoid any attempt
TO remove Mr.. Gabrielson as chairman at
the next meeting of the national COM
mittee, now scheduled for January, 1852.
New Leader Hard to Pick.
The Gabrielson affair is embarrassing
to the Republicans in another direction.
If he goes out. they. must find a new
chairman at time when any candidate
put UP may be pictured as supporter of
one of the possibilities" for the Republic
can presidential nomination - and so
anathema to the friends of the other
possibilities" The chairman of the
national committee, who oversees the
arrangements for the party's national
convention. is held to be in position to
favor a presidential candidate against
others.
It's going to be difficult to find the
right man for chairman among the mem
bership of the national committee whose
sympathies are not with Senator Taft
of Ohio, Gen. Eisenhower, Senator Dirk
sen of Illinois, Harold E. Stassen or
another presidential possibility. The
committee has four vice chairmen-Ezra
r. Whitla of Idaho. Werner W. Schroe-
der of Illinois, Mrs. Katharine Kennedy
Brown Of Ohio and Mrs. Horace H. Sayre
OF Oklahoma. Among its members are
two former national chairmen-Repre-
sentative Carroll Reece of Tennessee and
Harrison Spangler of Iowa. Other prom
inent members are Representative Clar-
ence Brown of Ohio, who managed the
Taft campaign in 1948 and former Sen
ator Harry Darby of Kansas, now strong
leader of the Eisenhower draft, former
Gov. Ralph F. Gates of Indiana, Ralph
H. Cake of Oregon. and former Senator
Sinclair Weeks of Massachusetts,. MIR.
Weeks Is national finance chairman for
the committee and, if he would take
the craftsmanship. is considered by
many as the most likely and most popu-
lar choice for chairman-if and when
Mr.. GabrielSon relinquishes the Office.