Show ua r washington I 1 have said in these columns many times that politics Qs is a business if any politics body desires proof Is business of that statement I 1 think I 1 am able now to offer the best possible evidence ot of the truth of that statement lately W forbes morgan treasurer of the democratic national committee has demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt what politics as a business actually means ile he did so in the recent announcement no that the democratic national committee would seek to build up a war chest of that the vast new deal party machinery can go on at top speed that the momentum gained by the successful presidential campaign of 1936 can be maintained and that the party can continue to function as a cohesive unit through which millions of voters may speak I 1 it appears that mr morgan will not succeed in getting anything like together but it is very significant that he is thinking in terms so large as those mentioned in his announcement it means simply that the present control of the new deal party is determined to carry out to the nth degree the theory of its chairman james A farley only recently re appointed as postmaster general of the united states mr farley plays politics in in exactly the same manner th that at he would engage in a business venture ile he takes chances when the stakes are high he knows his men his workers and moreover he knows how to get the best results out of the material he has his operations are not unlike the functions of a sales manager of a great concern he sells what he has to the voters and if any salesman fails to function mr farley looks for r replacements e we might illustrate the farley methods further by reviewing some of the methods he employed in the last four years for when it comes to raising money the democratic national committee under chairman farley is both businesslike and versatile it will be recalled how whenever the pretext arose the democratic national committee sponsored such things as dinners to which the faithful partisans were asked to buy tickets usually high priced tickets for an ordinary banquet it will be recalled also how elaborate programs of the democratic national convention were sold by the hundreds of thousands how those programs were loaded to the gun whales with advertising of concerns that could not well refuse to buy advertising space how victory dinners were given and how finally the inaugural ceremony when mr roosevelt took office was turned into a gigantic political rally that spread itself into every hotel in washington that had space for great dinners and dances these things are but a few which demonstrated the farley versatility but they prove to my mind that if the democratic national committee sets out to build up a real war chest it will accomplish com exactly its objective the committee setup set up is the most pretentious yet attempted by any political organization it has a large and exceedingly efficient staff of trained men and women and it runs like the well oiled machine that it is it will cost money to keep that machine running at high speed but mr farley recognizes how elections are won ills his philosophy is that the early bird catches the worm and so although there s not another election for two years the democratic national committee is making ready for that election campaign right now unless the wise political students around washington are badly mistaken mr farley will know pretty well when the congressional and senatorial candidates take to the stump early in 1933 just what the last two years of the roosevelt administration will be like it goes without saying that he will be prepared for them in contrast to the circumstances I 1 have just related it must be disheartening hearten irig to wit gu P ness the feeble al contrast most futile efforts that are shown around republican headquarters of course old time politicians always say that a winning horse can be financed never a loser john D al hamilton the republican national chairman rode a losing horse he came out of the race saddled with a gigantic deficit deficits for losing political parties are not as easily f financed alced as united states treasury deficits these days and so mr hamilton is having his troubles in that direction as well as finding any enthusiasm among republican party workers but that does docs not excuse the republican national committee nor mr hamilton after all it is to be remembered that approximately voters cast their ballots for the republican presidential nominee governor landon of kansas that is not a small number any way you examine it it is a powerful segment of the american population but it is powerful only to the extent that its leadership develops enthusiasm for the fight and capacity to take it on the chin when victory goes the other way among the new dealers who can be classified as sound politicians there is considerable regret at the failure of the republican leadership to get going president roosevelt himself would like to see more opposition because it would make his task much easier and would prevent some of the unsound legislation from seeping through congress on account of a lack of opposition furthermore ther more if there were more republican fight there would be less chance of splits in the democratic ranks in congress democratic leaders entertain a very real fear of this possibility a a 0 from among the corps of political writers in washington I 1 hear much criticism of criticize the republicans republicans who are variously described as being dead on their feet they are certainly doing less than nothing they have allowed the democratic national committee to carry the ball on every play they have offered no publicity by way of criticism of new deal programs and they have developed no plans at all for reviving the republican organization or restoring life to the party workers I 1 am not saying that mr hamilton is is wholly to blame for this condition ile he must accept responsibility however because he is the titular head of the organization it would seem therefore that unless mr hamilton awakens and shows some fight there will be fewer republicans public ans in the house or senate after the 1933 1938 elections than there are now the national chairman of the republicans according to all discussion that I 1 hear sooner or later will have to start cooking or depart from the kitchen otherwise the voters which the republican party has as a nucleus upon which to build will become so badly disorganized so dis heartened and discouraged that it will be impossible to reunite them part of the republicans difficulties are traceable directly to capitol hill I 1 simply cannot understand why senator mcnary of oregon continues to serve as republican leader in the senate when in the opinion of most observers he has failed to justify his title in any way it will be recalled that he did nothing in behalf of governor lan dons candidacy against mr roosevelt nor has he shown either the capacity or the desire to carry on as an opposition leader should carry on since the new congress convened again this is not the fault of chairman hamilton frankly I 1 think it is the fault of the few republicans public ans in the senate if they had any fight in them or any faith in their party label they would insist upon a militant leadership on their side of the senate chamber small as their number is there are much greater signs of fight among the house republicans they are trying signs of to make them ficht ft cit selves heard but t the h e preponderance of democratic strength in the house coupled with the gag rules which have been applied without stint or limit by the democratic majority precludes republican leader snell and his associates from doing very much for their party in the house where senators have the privilege of unlimited debate house members are allotted time and lately the time allotted to the republicans has been infinitesimal that of course is one of the spoils of victory and the democrats cannot be blamed for asserting their power but the point of it all is that while democratic chairman farley has his team on its toes full of fight ready to go chairman hamilton has not even been vocal personally much less has he been able to stir up fight among his associates it is a situation from which most anything may emerge mr hamilton sought and was given a vote of confidence by his own national committee shortly after the election ile he cannot say now that his hands are tied insofar as the authority of leadership is concerned so it is made to appear that unless the present leaders of the republicans rea really ily enter the arena unless they show their ability to carry the fight to the enemy it seems rather lik likely ely that new leaders will come from the ranks of the republicans and the present group will become has beens 0 wistern western newspaper union |