Evening star., 1935-10-11
LAND0N PICTURED
NEW DEAL FRIEND
William Allen White Says
Kansan Would Save Good
From Incompetents.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

WIuLe, eOlCOr OF the EmpOrla tkanS.)
Gazette, to get an honest and fair
minded appraisal.
When the reply was received, 1t was
not. of course, intended for publica-
ton, but Mr.. White, on being asked to
permit its publication, authorized the
following quotations:
II have known Gov. Landon since
his boyhood. His father and I were
good friends 80 years ago. His father
was a leader in the Rooseveltian re-
volt from 1909 to 1916, and the boy
was brought up in the way he should
go. He is not departing from it. On
the other hand, he has faithfully and
successfully tried not to be factionist
or partisan.
"As an administrator in Kansas. his
success has been due to the fact that
he has had no enemies to punish. and
no friends to reward whose lack of
merit made them liability to a good
executive. He has gone the full dis
tance in the Roosevelt relief program
in Kansas, and by tactful. courageous
leadership and cooperation with his
Legislature has brought Kansas, with
out wrangling or bargaining, into a
full measure Of cooperation with the
relief measures. He has not been
partisan in the least. He took over In
toto the relief organization set up by
the Democratic Governor who pre-
ceded him-an honest, intelligent pub
lie oficial.
Backs Relief Measure.
He is weli-to-do but not rich. AS a
Roosevelt Bull Mooser, he naturally
believes in using the Government as an
agency of human welfare. He has sup
ported all the relief measures of the
Roosevelt administration He is some
what for old-age pensions, but not
after the Townsend fashion, but as
an economy measure and as a means
Of readjusting unemployment also as
measure of social justice. He feels.
I fancy, as most Republicans in the
West feel where we are not surrounded
by industrial problems that job insur-
ance is difficult task-one which
must be solved eventually but which
cannot be brought down with a pot
shot. He Is supporting Senator Capper.
And probably would have voted in
Congress somewhere between Capper
and Vandenberg.
II am fairly well persuaded he is
not an infiationist. And if he doesn't
believe in anything he is bull-headed
Dutchman and isn't going to be bluffed
into it. He has certain Coolidgian
qualities in that he makes a poor
speech get lots Of votes.
"Landon has had almost as much
political experience as Coolidge had
when he was elected vice president.
And Landon is bigger man than
Coolidge was the day he went TO the
White House. But Coolidge took the
job when it was merely a job Of
executive leadership. Economically,
we were on an ascending spiral. He
faced no serious problems. He in
stituted no crucial policies. II Cool
idge were called to the White House
today, I believe he would make q
conspicuous failure. He is not the
man for this hour.
Tremendous Responsibilities.
"The impact Of the job in the White
House is tremendous. II man has
any latent subconscious powers they
are aroused by the overwhelming re.
sponsibility Few men fail to respond
to this awful challenge. Taft rallied
slowly, Harding failed. Mckinley only
partially rose, but he was growing
when he died. think Wilson met it
in a way, though sadly handicapped
by his temperamental peculiarities. I
am inclined to believe that Landon
would rise to it. I don't know. No
man knows. I don't think he knows.
think this is the reason why he
is modest. He stands in awe and fear
Of the terrible consequences Of q
failure to rise. I have talked very
little with him about the job, though
we have been dear and close friends
since his boyhood.
'Landon meets people well, Is Q
handshaker without being back
slapper-a nice distinction. In col.
lege, where first knew him, he be-
longed to the dancing fraternity. in"
troduced one Of the first tuxedoes into
the university 80 years ago. Has q
mind sufficiently well trained so that
he can read book clear through. He
has no facility Of expression in front
of a typewriter or a stenographer.
He fumbles and blunders through his
speeches, but in the end he has said
something.
Gov. Landon has stood with Ickes
consistently on oil control. He is
an oil man and has come to that
conclusion not as a politician. but as
Q practical independent operator. He
would not begin to yell about the
Guffy bill until he had studied the
soft coal industry. And If he believed
soft coal needed regulation. he would
vote for it. If not he wouldn't. But
the constitutionahty of the matter
wouldn't agonize him at the start. AZ
least that Is my judgment. He Is q
Legionnaire and was a good soldier.
My guess is he would be for the bonus.
But would try TO modify its imitation.
airy tendency.
Martial Law in Strike.
1--WE had serious strike in the lead
and zinc district Of Southeastern
Kansas recently. He declared martial
law. But instructed his military arm
to be particularly careful not to vio-
late the civil rights of the strikers
and not to look for trouble. So there
was no blood shed and no occasion,
for riot. I should say that on the
whole he would stress the bill Of rights
in the Constitution equally with the
property clause in the fourteenth
amendment, which is more than the
Liberty League does, and 1t would
probably be heartbroken at Landon,s.
ideas shout that bill Of rights.
Since he has been Governor, be.
cause Kansas is prohibition State,
he has observed the law without being
fussy and sanctimonious about 1t. 7,
first met him when ! was on the Dis
I'LL. A.