Evening star., 1936-02-06
THE POLITICAL
MILL
By G.. Could Lincoln.

in search Of the Republican presidential
nomination it will be with a large num-
Der of electoral votes pledged to him in
agricultural States of the West, If some
of his advisers have their way. He is
to be primarily a candidate Of the West.
He is not to be Western candidate
put forward by the East, earmarked by
big business. That appears to be the
present strategy of the Landon camp.
Kansas Republicans have already in
dorsed the candidacy of Gov. Landon
for the G. o. P. presidential nomina-
ton. And Kansas is great agricul-
tural State. Gov. Landon carried the
State in 1882 and again in 1884, both
heavily Democratic years. The asser-
ton is confidently made by Republicans.
and admitted by some Kansas Demo-
Gratis who ought to know what they are
talking about that Landon will carry the
State again next Fall If he is named to
run against Franklin D. Roosevelt for
the presidency.
Within short time it is expected that
the Republicans in Oklahoma will give
Landon an Endorsement for the preSiden-
tial nomination. Gov. Landon is slated
to speak February % in Lincoln, Nebr,
and he is expected to go in considerable
detail into his own ideas Of what should
be done to help the farmers Nebraska
is a next-door neighbor of Kansas. De-
spite the redoubtable Norris, who has an
nounced he will campaign for Roosevelt,
this State might well cast its electoral
votes for Landon in November. And the
friends of Landon say that in Nebraska
he will have much support for the presi-
dental nomination, Notwithstanding the
fact that former Representative Robert
Simmons is doing all he can to boost the
candidacy Of Senator Borah of Idaho.
Landon, it is further asserted, may
count on support from Colorado, Wyo-
ming and Missouri in his quest for the
presidential nomination. Endorsements
in these States may come fairly quickly.
Then. with the backing of a half dozen
or more Western States in his pocket, the
Kansas Governor will turn his face East.
He will come to speak in New York or
Boston, or both, and to let the Eastern
people see him and know his ideas. 1t is
obvious that in the end the successful
candidate for the Republican nomination
at the Cleveland convention next June
must have the votes of the great Eastern
must make his bid for them sooner or
later. If he waits too long, some one
else may have won the Endorsement of
these States. But when he comes into
the East. perhaps in March or early
April, it will be wearing a Western label.
The announced entry of Senator
Borah into the Ohio primary for the
af dalaoafoS fo ha
| National Convention, and the expected
announcement that Col. Frank Knox of
| Illinois will also enter that primary, is
giving the Landon camp something to
| think about. Ohio has 50 delegates. a
! large and important group. If they are
| lined-up either for Borah or Knox. so
! much the worse for Landon. On the
| other hand, if Landon should enter the
| Ohio primary and not win, it would be
| setback for his candidacy. 1t had been
| the plan of the Landon forces to keep
out of the Ohio primary up until Borah's
entry and the expected announcement of
Knox turned up. AS a matter of fact,
| it was Landon's purpose not to 60 into
Ohio if Borah entered that primary alone,
in the hope that the State Republican
| organization. determined to send "fa-
vorite SON. delegation would be able to
! take the measure of the Idaho Senator.
! Even with Knox in the race, Landon's S
| supporters are very doubtful that the
| Kansas Governor will give his assent to
the entry of his name in the Ohio pri-
mary.
The Roosevelt high command may not
be exercised over the revolt against the
New Deal in the South, exemplified by
Gov. Talmadge of Georgia and the recent
| Macon convention of "Jeffersonian
Democrats" but they do not like it. There
is talk now of having the President make
| swing through the Southland, with
| addresses delivered in Texas, Arkansas
and elsewhere, thereby putting on Roose-
| velt demonstrations that should be
crushing to the anti-Roosevelt forces.
The President is expected to 60 to Texas
anyway for the celebration there of the
| centennial of Texas freedom from
Mexico. The principal celebration is to
be in Dallas, where a centennial expo
Sition will be opened.
***
Postmaster General James A. Farley,
| chairman of the Democratic National
Committee, tried his hand at hitting
back at Al Smith last night in a speech
| at Roosevelt dinner in Miami. Fla. He
did not mention the redoubtable former
New York Governor by name. But Mr..
Farley did all he could to cast doubt
and reflection of the charges made by
Smith at the recent American Liberty
League dinner against the Roosevelt
administration. He smeared the Liberty
League, of which Smith is prominent
member. A personal attack by Farley on
AL Smith, doubtless, would not have sat
so well in New York. Farley is not only
national chairman of the Democratic
party, but he is also Democratic State
chairman for New York. He has trouble
enough on his hands in the Empire State
without starting free-for-al fight, with
Smith as his principal target.
| X X
| There are still those who persist that
the nominee of the Republican National
Convention at Cleveland next June has
not yet been mentioned publicly. They
sound very much like the famous Mr..
Misunderstanding for something to turn
up. Sometimes something does turn up.
| William Jennings Bryan, for example,
turned up in 1896-with a speech in the
Democratic National Convention of that
year which won him the presidential
nomination. If the Republicans have
any orators like Bryan up their sleeves
| it is quite true they have not yet pro-
! duced them.
| Tvop,odiofeIv folIouyipo tho Aroor;oot1