Victory Dinner

"Just wait 'til '48" said the slogan on the menu. But Republican National Committeemen, meeting in Washington's Statler Hotel for their first victory dinner in 18 years, could hardly be expected to do that.

Between bites of roast turkey, candied sweet potatoes and lettuce salad, they licked happy lips over the words of National Chairman B. Carroll Reece: "The verdict of the people in the recent election constituted a directive to both the legislative and executive branches." In effect, Carroll Reece was telling the President: get along with the G.O.P. or else.

To power-hungry Republicans there was even pleasanter food for thought in another Reece suggestion: give the Republicans control of such independent agencies as the Interstate Commerce, Federal Trade and Federal Communications Commissions.

Massachusetts' Joe Martin, soon to be Speaker of the House, mumbled a few words about not doing "any gloating." But the committeemen hardly listened; they were there to celebrate and to contemplate the future--which looked unmistakably rosy.

They had had a day of enthusiastic politicking: a business session in the morning, an informal lunch, a closed session in the afternoon. Then they all went over to the swank Sulgrave Club, where Chairman Reece (standing with his wife in the receiving line) pump-handled the visiting firemen: Connecticut's hand some new Representative John Davis Lodge and wife (onetime dancer Francesca Braggiotti); retiring liaison man John Danaher; Indiana's Charles Halleck, probably next House majority leader; and all the other GOPsters from far & near who put up the cash and get out the vote.

"Get In There." These were the men who would pick the 1948 GOPresidential nominee, and the corners were full of gossip. Said Wisconsin's greying, amiable Tom Coleman: "Out there it's all Stassen and Dewey." Said Pennsylvania's G. Mason Owlett: "Regular Republicans are sore about those Western speeches Tom Dewey has made, and about his FEPC bill and things like that. I know they get pretty annoyed at some of Dewey's tactics." Said Michigan's Congressman Roy Woodruff: "Arthur Vandenberg is the kind of man the nation needs." Despite these differences, there was little doubt that a big percentage of the committeemen thought Tom Dewey was their boy.* No committeeman, Tom Dewey was not at the dinner; he was returning from a four weeks' vacation at Sea Island, and Miami, where he wrenched his shoul der playing golf.

As the happy GOPsters heaved up from the table and packed their bags for the trip home, they heard some words of caution from caustic old author-politico Clarence Budington Kelland: "What this party's got to do is get in there and earn the victory it won at the polls."

*For once the polls agreed with the pros. In a Gallup poll this week Dewey led with 52% (up 12% since elections), followed by Harold Stassen with 17% (down 5%).

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