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Show Republicans in Action All Ready To Mend Fences By BYRON PRICE ... Chief ef Bareaa, the Aeaaciaied Press, Wsshiagtoa February has awakened the first post-election signs of life in that hardy but storm-scarred American perennial known as the Republican party. After weeks of reverie, the Important Impor-tant figures of the party are beginning begin-ning to translate thought Into action. Senator Watson has sounded a rallying rally-ing call. Vice President Curtis has taken the chairmanship of a special reconstruction committee. President Hoover himself hss consented to spesk his political mind in a public address in New York. It is true the speclficstlons still sre a little vague. But it Is Important to know that the ssp Is rising again, and that buds sre swelling on the brsnches so mercilessly merciless-ly stripped of their foliage in the greet freese of last November. e e e Senator Watson's sddreas of February Feb-ruary 4 really amounted te the first major Republicsn campaign s peach since the election. In his stuck on the Democratic record thus f sr, he reminded the country coun-try thst sixteen millions voted the Republicsn Re-publicsn ticket in November and "have not changed their opinion." It waa a call, not only to rally Republicanism, Re-publicanism, but to rally around old-Una old-Una Republicanism. The inference from the personnel of the new volunteer vol-unteer committee headed by Vice President Curtis Is thst the "regulars" will control It too. If the Curtis committee reelly becomes be-comes s power in the party, how will it get on with the Hoover-constituted nstionsl committee, containing among Its members many new-comers to whom old guardsmen were wont to refer privately during the last campaign cam-paign as "Hoover's boy scouts?" e e e The sniwer of slmost sll well-informed politicians is thst these groups never will get on together at alt Reports persist that Mr. Hoover will choose to run again in 1938. Certainly Cer-tainly his friends show no disposition disposi-tion to step sside from control of the party orgsnixation. Some of the most highly-placed men In th party saviseo vne presto mw wwv- tion to clesn out the whole slate of party officials. Nothing of the kind hss happened. It now appears thst Everett Senders, Send-ers, the Hoover-picked nstionsl chairman, chair-man, will not resign for some months to come. He msy not resign at all without a fight But how real will be Mr. Ssnders' party control, with the greatly in creased western insurgent bloc entirely en-tirely out of hsnd, snd Vice President Presi-dent Curtis snd his old guard friends setting up a reorgantsstion machine of their own? eae Not much of this csn be expected to come to the surtsce in the near future. fu-ture. For several reasons, the outward attitude of most perty leeders for the next yesr or so will be one of reticence ret-icence and waiting. But below-decks, things will be lively enough from now on. |