Book Reviews : Party Committees and National Politics. By HUGH A. BONE. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1958. Pp. xv, 256. $4.50.)
| Author | Marko L. Haggard |
| Published date | 01 June 1960 |
| Date | 01 June 1960 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/106591296001300219 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
525
Flood
Control
in
Metropolitan
Los
Angeles.
By
RICHARD
BIGGER.
(Berkeley:
University
of
California
Press,
1959.
Pp.
194.
$4.00.)
This
is
a
comprehensive
report
upon
problems
of
flood
control
and
allied
problems
in
the
Los
Angeles
Metropolitan
area
which
should
be
an
excellent
guide
to
persons
interested
in
that
particular
problem
and
in
special
districts
in
general.
A
fairly
complete
bibliography
is
contained
in
the
book.
B.
R.
K.
Party
Committees
and
National
Politics.
By
HUGH
A.
BONE.
(Seattle:
University
of
Washington
Press,
1958.
Pp.
xv,
256.
$4.50.)
It
is
not
without
significance
that
this
is
the
only
contemporary
book-length
treatment
of
the
role
of
the
national
party
organizations.
In
part
this
reflects
an
empirical
judgment
on
the
part
of
political
scientists
concerning
the
national
committee’s
real
political
significance
and,
in
part,
it
reflects
the
problems
con-
fronting
the
observer
who
seeks
to
analyze
these
national
party
activities.
Many
difficulties
are
posed
for
the
student
in
this
area
of
investigation.
First,
there
is
a
striking
paucity
of
records.
Most
of
the
important
decisions
are
made
by
telephone
and
in
secret
conferences.
Second,
the
organizations
operate
without
by
laws.
Third,
the
practice
of
keeping
a
permanent
headquarters
open
con-
tinuously
is
relatively
new.
Fourth,
minutes
when
obtained
reveal
little.
Fifth,
in
the
absence
of
adequate
records,
the
investigator
must
rely
upon
interview
and
first-hand
observation
which
in
turn
poses
tremendous
operational
problems
including
the
fact
that
turnover
of
employees
is
very
high,
compounding
the
prob-
lems
of
perception
and
evaluation.
Sixth,
the
inherent
nature
of
many
staff
opera-
tions
results
in
a
fear
psychology
that
details
of
plans
and
strategies
must
be
kept
from
members
of
the
opposition
and
the
communication
media.
The
volume
has
three
purposes:
(1)
to
give
a
picture
of
the
organization
and
operation
of
the
national
committees
and
their
staffs;
(2)
to
point
out
the
limitations
under
which
these
committees
operate
and
to
place
them
in
relation-
ship
to
one
another
and
the
party
and;
(3)
to
speculate
on
the
function,
power,
and
future
of
the
national
committees
and
to
develop
a
few
general
theories
of
action
concerning
the
national
party
agencies.
The
book
proceeds
to
describe
the
operations of
national
committees,
House
and
Senate
campaign
committees
(these
chapters
are
largely
taken
from
the
articles
which
previously
appeared
in
the
Western
Political
Quarterly),
and
Senate
policy
committees.
The
reader
observes
their
major
areas
of
activity -
i.e.,
publicity,
finance,
campaign
schools,
and
co-operation
with
women’s,
ethnic
and
youth
groups -
and
the
relation
of
these
activities
to
the
work
of
state
and
local
committees.
Of
interest
to
the
student
of
politics
is
the
claim
of
the
author
that there
are
material
differences
in
organization
and
in
practice
between
the
Republican
and
the
Democratic
national
bureaucracies.
The
suggested
differences
in
style
and
nuances
should
lead
to
provocative
classroom
discussion.
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