Evening star., 1953-05-24
tHE SUNDAY STAR
VirginiiaG. P.
'ReUises Policy
On Patronage
Move Undercuts
Party Committeeman
Over Loss of 'PIums'
washington. D. C..
SUNDAY, MAY n, 1853
By Alex R. Preston
Stur SfuH Corresporden,

By Alex R. Preston
Ssor Ssoff Correspondent
LYNCHBURG, va, May 2s.-
Virginia Republicans, complain.
ing that "the Democrats got all
the cream when we're getting
only skinned milk" today cut
the ground out from under their
National Committee members in
the matter Of patronage.
A series Of appointments to
high places for last years Ei-
Senhower Democrats has left the
Republican leaders starved for
some OF the choicest plums on
the political tree.
The G. o. P. State Central
Committee met here today osten-
sibly to lay plans for the party
convention June 20 in Roanoke.
But without warning to observ-
ers. a well-planned maneuver
successfully passed without dis
cuSsiort a resolution revising the
policy on patronage.
By-passes Committee Men.
The resolution revises the plan
adopted in Alexandria last March
and, in effect. by-passes National
Committeeman Ted Dalton and
Floyd Landreth and the National
Committeewoman, Mrs. Fred Lo-
gan, Of Woodstock. in distrib-
uting political favors.
Robert Hope, of Alexandria,
introduced the resolution. Those
who had been in on the planning
kept quiet while others, taken by
surprise, didn't seem to under
stand it. They failed to vote no.
H. r. Heflin, Of Stafford Coun-
ty. was the one who made the
cream and skinned milk" anal
ogy.
i've heard an old saying that
II you can't beat 'em, join 'em,
but I never heard of beating
them and then joining them.
Harry Byrd, (Virginia's DEM
ocratic Senator who. aided Gen.
Eisenhower by refusing to in
dorse Gov. Stevenson) is hand
ling the patronage-he's the one
who's passing the plums out"
Saw Three Appointments.
Three top-level appointments
OF Eisenhower Democrats this
years have stuck in the Repub-
lican craw. They are Internal
Revenue Commissioner r. Cole
man Andrews, Assistant Secre-
tary of State Walter Robertson
and Howard Gordon, head of the
Production and Marketing Ad.
ultnistration.
Mr.. Dalton, who is a State
Senator from Radford, said he,
Mr.. Landreth and Mrs. Logan,
had considered 81 requests for
appointments. mostly for post
masterships and postal rural
route deliverymen.
I'VE. are not happy" he said,
with the way things have been
going. am not happy. Mr..
Hall National G. O. P. Chair
man Leonard HalD gave me his
word he was going to cooperate
with me on the recent PIMA
appointments. But they came
as surprise to me-"
The most recent appointments
objected to were announced last
week. They were Percival A.
Lewis. 52-year-old Manassas
farmer, to be head Of the PIMA
in Virginia; Roy B. Davis, jr..
Of Halifax, son of the Democratic
floor leader of the House Of
Delegates. and Everett D. Dun
can, Of Chilhowie. members Of
the PIMA.
Don't Follow Suggestions.
Albert w. Highsmith of Dam
vile protested that the National
Committee fails to follow recon-
mendationS of the State or
ganization.
"The truth Of the matter"
Mr.. Heflin repeated, rs that
Harry Byrd dispenses the pat
ronage in this State and I don't
like it,"
Mr.. Landreth, who is chair
man of the committee. doomed
Il don't like it either"
Mrs. Logan suggested that
Representative Wampler, one Of
three Republicans elected from
Virginia last fall. see Secretary
of Agriculture Benson. land find
out why he went over our heads
about these PIMA appointments"
Later. those backing the reso-
luton said they were dissatisfied
with the job being done by Vir-
ginia's National Committee mem
bers in getting Republicans ap-
pointed to- Federal jobs.
Plan "UnwOrkable."
The resolution said the pa.
tronage procedure adopted in
Alexandria last March has
proved impractical and unwork-
able"
Instead, the new" policy pro-
vides that all applications for
jobs at the local level shall be
approved by the local chairman
and Republican members Of
Congress from that district. II
any. Approval Of the central
committeeman shall be consid-
cred desirable but not essential"
The State chairman who gets
the recommendations is required
to forward them to the National
Committee within seven days.
Proponents said later that the
National Committee members
had been sitting on" recon-
mendation from the lower
echelon.
In other developments. Mr..
Woods made it plain that he
would nominate Senator Dalton
for Governor at the Roanoke
convention