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·THE RIPON The War .On Poverty In Mississippi F p.p. 5-7 JULY, 1967 @Copyright 1967 by VOL. III, NO. 7 The Ripon Society, Inc. Overkill at Omaha . e· The leaders of the Young Republican National The Rat Finks (the name is one they chose for Federation have convincingly demonstrated at their themselves) wrote and sang anti-Semitic, anti-Negro Omaha, Nebraska, convention that the success of radical and anti-Catholic songs at a number of Young Repub conservatism means everything to them while the success lican gatherings, enthusiastically supported Governor of the Republican Party means nothing. George Wallace of Alabama and generally styled them For Republicans throughout the country the last' selves after the Ku Klux Klan. Their leader, Richard few months have been exhilarating ones. It has been F. Plechner, became the chairman of New Jersey state exciting to belong again to a resurgent party. But the Young Republicans and a national Young Republican spirit of energy and growth and hope for the future vice chairman in 1965. was dashed at the Omaha convention of the Young Re Despite these developments, and in the face of in publican National Federation. creasing publicity, the National Young Republicans, in A minority party which had just begun to grow cluding Chairman Torn Van Sickle, refused to condemn and attract new voters was toLl that its Young Republi the Rat Finks or remove their leader from national can leaders prefer their organization to be narrow and office. They went so far as to repudiate the efforts of exclusive. those such as New Jersey state senior Republican Party A divided party which had just begun to realize a Chairman \'V'ebster B. Todd and the Eastern Regional new spirit of cooperation was told that the Young Re Young Republican organization, who had sought such publican leaders did not wish to cooperate. condemnation. The National YRs even threatened to A hopeful part)' which was pointing ahead to suspend the New Jersey Young Republican charter if victory in 1968 was told that its Young Repuhlican the anti-Rat Fink efforts continued. Finally in June of leaders are planning to repeat the misadventures of 1966 the Republican National Committee itself stepped 1964. in and adopted a strong resolution censuring the Rat All of this would be regrettable if it merely des Finks "for espousing bigotry and racial prejudice" and cribed the behavior of a special interest group, a single calling for the removal of Plechner.. After more foot candidate or a small faction. But the real tragedy lies dragging, the Young Republican Executive Committee in the fact that the disruptions in Omaha were the work accepted his resignation in August (but only by a 25 of young people who are accredited as official party to 19 vote) and then turned around and voted t? con leaders, chartered by the official Republican Party organ demn the senior National Committee and Chairman ization and financed by funds raised in its name. Bliss for their "interference." It finally passed a reso All this has come at a time when the Republican lution of "thanks and appreciation" to the Rat Fink National Committee has become more professional, leader "(or his efforts in behalf of the Young Republi more disciplined and more neutral, geared to advance can National Federation and to this country." the general party interest and not to be the tool of any Their leader had resigned (though in honor), but faction or candidate. Yet the Committee's youth auxil the Rat Finks continued to be influential in New Jersey. iary has flatly declared that it seeks to use one part of Finally, State Chairman Webster B. Todd, "fed up wi.th the party's professional apparatus as a weapon of one bad advertising," and with united support from his narrow faction which seeks to rule the party even at county chilirmen, prevailed upon county Young Republi the cost of ruining it. Its new chairman ran on a plat can leaders to dissolve and reconstitute the organization form which draws the battle lines even more sharply so as to free it from Rat Fink influence. The Rat Finks and threatens to break all Young Republican ties with announced they would retaliate at Omaha, where they the national party. knew they had support, and retaliate they did. Because they have come to recognize the importance of young voters and workers to the Republican resur NEW It was at Omaha that the Na- gence, senior part)' officials had 'worked quietly and JERSEY tional Young Republican leader· industriously to avoid these difficulties. They were REJ ECTED ship put the final touch on its coldly rebuffed and even the compromise agreements carefully designed effort to de they had apparently reached with outgoing Young Re fend the honor of the Rat Finks and to repudiate and publican Chairman Tom Van Sickle were roared down humWate Repuhlican National Chairman Raymond C. at Omaha. Bliss, State Chairman Todd, the Republican National The Republican National Com Committee, the New Jersey State Committee and all RAT those who had worked to free the party of the Rat Fink FINKS mittee had moved last year to eliminate a weIl publicized em embarrassment. (Coutilllletl ot'cdctt/) DEFENDED barrassment to the party and to IIlC.hUICd with your FOItUl\I this month Is n. slmllnary I' its youth auxiliary - the prominence of the "Rat Fink" of tho response from thll national prpss to The Ripon extremists who controIled New Jersey's Young Repub Society's. Hesearch Paper "The Ncgath'c Income Tax!' lican organization. I ------------- -- ----- Plechner and a few cohorts were flown to the con- pointment himself. Van Sickle promised to recommend , vention where they urged that the regular delegation the compromise at the convention. ' be uns.eated and replaced by the Rat Finks. Chairman What happened at Omaha? Even this watered Van Slckle would not support the seating of Plechner down Bliss-Van Sickle compromise was rejected. ' but he did agree to oust the regulars. And thus unde; And so were almost all the rest of the Bliss recom tight control from their right-wing leaders, long known men.dations, which constituted a personal plea by the as "the Syndicate," the convention refused to seat the Nanonal Chairman for cooperation in building a: strong "clean" New Jersey delegation. er party. The only part of the Bliss request which was' .The rejected delegation had been chosen by the accepted allowed two National Committee members to New Jersey Young Republican officers and approved by si~ on the .Y oung Republican Executive Committe, but its board of directors. It had the endorsement of the Without bemg allowed to vote. This was the only part senior ~epubli~n State Cha!rman, the two New Jersey of the compromise package which Chairman Van Sickle Repubhcan National Commltteemen and the chairman endorsed enthusiastically, and he made it clear to the of each Republican county committee in the state. The delegates that t?is would expan? Young Republican in delegation was rejected by a vote of 383-229. This was fluence by helpmg them to obtam greater representation the first time in history that a National YR Convention on the Republican Coordinating Committee. The dele had excluded the delegation of an entire state. Many gates said "yes" to this single provision, yet there were normally conse.rvative delegates (including those from 278 intransigents who voted against even this modest Texas and Ohlo) refused to support the exclusionary effort to coordinate with the senior party. On all other move, demonstrating that it was not ideology but a sense proposals the votes were cast against the Alcorn Report of decency which was at issue. At the very same time against Chairman Bliss, against the National Commit~ that the rest of the party was fighting to present a more tee and against the State Chairman. ' attractive image, the Rat Fink image cast a dark shadow over the Young Republican gathering at Omaha. It must be remembered that the Alcorn report had received the ullanimous endorsement of the Republican OTHER Even as the Convention refused National Committe, even in its stronger form. The to c,ooperate with New Jersey Re- STATES compromise was supported by Chairman Bliss and most AS WELL publkan leaders, it also repudi- ated the wishes of the senior party senior party leaders ~11 over the nation. The party's in Rhode Island. State party leaders had revoked the fund raisers were particularly concerned that responsible charter of a Syndicate delegation before the convention GOP officials should not give away tens of thousands of bega;'l for lack of contribution to the party. The con dollars without some kind of control over how the ventlOn seat:d 0e unchartered delegation anyway. money was to be spent. And most elected officials had The Dlstrlct of Columbia delegation originally been quite frank about their desire to see the Young Repub.licans become mor.e a !art of. th~ regular party chos~n by the membership there was muscled out by the 'i team Instead of an unahgne orgamzatlon responsible Syndlcat~ ~h~rtly before the convention, but the appeal I of the victimIzed group was. ignored by the convention. only to its own hierarchy. To all of these people the A Syndicate delegation also replaced the Washington Young Republicans gave a completely negative response. I state delegation approved by Governor Evans. GOLDWATER, The greatest impetus to this re- fusal to cooperate came not from These convention actions were at variance with past REAGAN I Young Republican assurances to the Republican Na CONCUR the YR ranks but from Barry tional Committee.