typically regarded as the titular leader of the party and often his choice for Chairman

remained in position. On occasion, a factional split could occur and the RNC might

vote to oust a sitting Chairman and replace him with someone more sympathetic to a

rival interest.

 Although the chairmanship necessitated a good bit of neutrality, one group

could gain an advantage over another since the Chairman made appointments to the

Executive Committee, the Convention Committee, and any number of other minor

positions. These small groups had a great deal of power within the larger organization

and could tilt the political playing field for or against a candidate or group. The

executive also had a free hand at staffing the headquarters' bureaucracy and allocating

funds for various programs. The Chairman, therefore, played a critical role in steering

the party in a particular direction and keeping the RNC and their supporters energized

and committed to their cause.

 The RNC and its Chairman had a great deal of leeway in their roles and duties.

In the early post-war period there were few Federal regulations governing the

operation of a political party. The most important, the Hatch Act, limited campaign

contributions to and spending by the national committees.30 The RNC had no written

internal bylaws and operated mainly through precedent and tradition. The Chairman

could expand or contract the scope of committee activities, appoint special

committees to study a given issue, or hire and fire paid staff members at will. Prior to

1936, most of the bureaucratic staff positions were temporary. Publicity directors, for

example, came in to produce campaign literature and manage press relations during

the summer and fall leading up to the election and were unemployed by December. In

the 1930s, as mass media grew and the political system became geared toward narrow

30 See Alexander Heard, The Costs of Democracy (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press,
1960) 347-8.