faction sought only to fulfill their own selfish interests, such as maintaining control of

patronage in the South, and thought they would squander the opportunity to build the

GOP as an aggressive, right-wing entity.94

 Coleman's correspondence with other Republicans can be read in two very

different ways. One possible interpretation is that Summerfield and Coleman were

simply two ambitious political partisans who, after a struggle for power, were

defeated and responded with a somewhat childish smear campaign to besmirch the

reputation of their victorious opponent. There is certainly a degree of self-interest in

Coleman's writing. His depiction of the Old Guard as the group who would "get rid of

the Summerfields and Colemans" shows an all-or-nothing mentality and an

unwillingness to compromise. Summerfield also saw this difference in strategy as a

sign that Gabrielson was opposed to a Republican victory in 1950. Summerfield and

Coleman, in their campaign to ruin Gabrielson came across as sore losers.

 Another interpretation is that Summerfield and Coleman believed that

Gabrielson was not taking full advantage of the national political situation and

thought that a dire situation deserved an extreme response. Their actions outside of

the squabble with Gabrielson make this view more plausible. Summerfield and

Coleman staked out a position well to the right of Gabrielson and his Taft faction

supporters. While both groups shared similar outlooks on the danger of socialism and

continued Democratic rule, they differed widely on the tone of their messages.

Summerfield and Coleman believed they were witnessing the last days of the

Republican Party. Sixteen years of electoral defeats, coupled with a current chairman

they had little respect for, made victory in 1950 seem impossible unless the GOP went

on the offensive and assailed the Democrats for every evil that had taken place since

94 Thomas E. Coleman, Letter to Joseph Wishart, 26 August 1950. Copy in Folder (Thomas Coleman
(2)), Box 1, Summerfield Papers.