Evening star., 1936-06-14
REVOLUTION. COMPLETE
IN REPUBLICAN PARTY
"Old Guard" Hooverites, Progressives
All Disappear as Men From
West Take Control.

spicuous as recalcitrants by putting
cepted. They propose to accept re-
sponsibility for the party and for the
country, and they are willing to make
compromises to achieve what Is work.
able.
The opportunity Of the new man
came to them through the series Of
defeats, cumulatively disastrous, which
befell the party in three successive
election years. The setback suffered
by the Republicans in the congress
sional elections of 1880 was serious,
the defeat in the presidential election
of 1882 was disastrous, the one in the
congressional and State elections of
1884 carried calamity even further.
Four Governors Elected.
In this last election, 1884, only four
Republican Governors we're elected.
One was a relatively young Kansan
named Alfred M. Landon. To some
newspaper men in Kansas and in Kan
Sas City, Mo. it occurred that Mr..
Landon was presidential timber and,
in the circumstances, peculiarly avail
able. They proceeded to present him
to the country. The country liked the
picture. When the country got some
contact with him personally its liking
was increased
AS the presidential year 1885 ap-
preached. some six possibilities for
the Republican presidential nominal
ton emerged. None made much head
way except Gov Landon. 1t seemed
apparent he had personality that wins
confidence. With nearly all the older
Republican leaders gone to political
limbo or purgatory, and with the
new crop small, Gov. Landon stood
out. A procession of leaders of
thought, leaders of affairs and news
paper men journeyed to Topeka to
take close look at the rising sun.
Practically all returned with favor
able impressions. Gov. Landon grew.
In some primary elections it became
apparent the voters approved him.
He and friends of his dominated the
Republican National Convention.
With Gov. Landon come his ideas.
They are the ideas of the West, but
not of the politically isolated West
They are the ideas of the West
modified to take care of responsibility
of managing the whole Nation at a
time when the Nations concerns are
peculiarly grave.
Ideas to Be Revealed.
Just what the new ideas are will
become more clear later on. SonT
of them are in the platform, which
Gov. Landon's friends dominated,
More will appear in Gov Landon's
coming addresses. All the new pro-
gram will look to responsibility fos
the country as a whole. All will be-
prudent. But in spite of all CON-
sideration for the country as a whole,
some Of the new Western ideas will
seem novel to the Republican party
of the past.
Yet, Mr.. Landon is a business man.
His whole concern, before he became
Governor, was business. In business
the whole Of the private part of his
career has been spent. He comes
nearer to being exclusively a business
man than any President We ever have
had
What is the chance of the new
Republican party, under Mr.. Landon's
leadership, winning the election?
There is no group of Republicans, old
or new, that he alienates. How much
affirmative appeal, how many persons
not hitherto Republican he can at
tract to him by his ideas or his
personality. remains to be discovered
when his personality and ideas emerge.
Until that happens the chance OF
the Republicans winning next Novem-
Der rests mainly on the number Of
voters who will vote not so much
for Gov. Landon as against Nu.
Roosevelt.
(Copyright l936D