Evening star., 1936-06-16
The Story of Aft NJ. Landon
Chapter III:
BY RICHARD b. FOWLER.

n NJ O1uCI uCW8P&bCI utCti
and politicians around the To-
peka State House, probably the
most important thing about
Alf Landon is not that he accom-
plished what he did, but that 1t was
accomplished so peaceably in Kansas.
The oldest of them, reporter for a
Kansas City, Mo-, newspaper, after
watching the Landon legislation move
smoothly through three sessions Of
the Legislature, lighted cigar and
sat down to think.
When his friends gathered around
him, also in thinking poses. he I'M
loaded himself something like this:
Did you fellows think you would
ever live to see anything like this in
Kansas?
Il can remember 40 years OF State
politics. but never another time when
the lion and the lamb lay down to-
gether. Kansas has always lived on
fights - tights over anything - or
nothing. And now we don't even
have fight over q law. that puts
80, 900 politicians on a pay-as-you-go
basis. What the hell has happened
anyway"
Splits Sharp in 1882.
Somebody else remarked that not
since the Bull Moose split of 1912
had the factional hatreds in the Re-
publican party been as bitter and ap-
parently as hopeless as they were in
1882, the year ALI Landon went to
work to win his first campaign for
Governor. 1t was Democratic year;
Landon was elected; the Legislature
was evenly divided between Repub-
licans 1who were themselves divided
by the old factional lines) and Demo-
Gratis. And progressive, far-reaching
legislation went through on CREASED
wheels.
Which suggests that the Kansas
background is peculiarly important in
the story of ALI Landon.
There is, Of course, nothing unusual
about the people of Kansas. it is the
central State in the United States and
has drawn its population from every
where. They are a pretty fair cross
section Of American people, classified
roughly as rural (about half the pop
ulation living on farms and in Villages)
and well above the average Of the
country in education.
Rural, but hardly in the sense
meant by Thomas jefferson when he
put his political trust in farmers. In
fact, it means little except that fewer
than 10000 900 persons are spread out
over the ninth largest state in the
country
Spiritual influence from Bay State
Within that area Kansas has a pop
ulation as diverse as the population
OF America, with a spiritual influence
from pre-Civil War Massachusetts,. A
Kansan may be a Bohemian coal
miner or an Italian or Greek lead
and zinc miner from Southeastern
Kansas. He may be a Swedish salt
miner or Swedish farmer Ghere are
several counties Of them. A Kansan
may be a well driller from the oil
fields or q Republican farmer from
Emporia, a millionaire or a relief
client. He may be loud-talKlng
ranch hand from Western Kansas or a
minister from Winfield, which boasts
of being the safest town in the State
in which to rear children.
Farming as a dominant industry is
a background that makes for an ofth-
odox attitude toward church going and
family life. But it doesn't mean orth-
odox politics.
Kansas is q story OF constant move
nent, OF people who couldn't stand
still on anything. Out OF conflict over
many years have come some remark
able good results; but not until the
Landon Administration have Kansans
OF opposite beliefs been able to sit
down around the same council table