Presented by President Henry V. Poor, 1948.
The effort by the Club on behalf of the National, Congressional, and State Legislative tickets, as well as much of the preliminary skirmishing in the mayoralty campaign of 1949, will afford the Club its greatest opportunity in many years to give force and meaning to the voice of Young Republicanism in greater New York.
Although campaign details are the responsibility of the Campaign Committee. There are three general phases in which all members may join: canvassing, speaking, and research. Those wishing to get into the middle of political activities in the strict sense are urged to select a district and familiarize themselves with it by meeting individual voters, stressing the importance of registering and voting, and explaining the superior merits of Republican candidates. Those wishing to address meetings on behalf of individual candidates, and in favor of Republican policies in general, will be able to appear before many types of organizations, particularly those comprising younger groups.
Equally important is the development of campaign issues and material for speeches, wherein the research facilities of the Club’s Committees on City, State, National, and Foreign Affairs will be utilized. In addition to their connection with the campaign, these Committees are the ones that feed to the Board of Governors and the Club as a whole resolution on matters in which they feel the Club should take a position. These Affairs Committees are the keepers of the Club’s conscience, and we rely on them in and out of campaign season.
Our most constant activity, stretching throughout the year with the exception of the midsummer months, is the weekly Downtown Luncheon. The caliber of speakers at these luncheons has been remarkably high, and they promise to continue not only as a source of pertinent, timely information but also as an occasion where members congregate to discuss political and club affairs.
With our membership well over a thousand for the first time in our history, we can make 1948 and 1949 a period in which the Club’s views and activities achieve greater recognition than ever before. The challenge of these two years is before each of us. I hope every member will make use of the Club’s facilities to spread the doctrines of Young Republicanism.