Evening star., 1936-05-01

There's hardly politician in WASH
ington, Republican or Democrat, who
doesn't believe that the Landon write
in" primary landslide in Massachusetts,
puts the KanSan almost irretrievably out
in front for the G. o. P. presidential
nomination. AS the Bay State is con-
sidered symptomatic of New England
sentiment. most observers are ready to
conclude that the East in general is now
pretty solidly lined up for Landon. or will
be by the time the convention rolls
around, a bare six weeks hence. The
Governors feat in amaSSing a MaSsa-
chusetts preference vote five times big
ger than the total of all other aspirantS
put together is an impressive perform
ance. 1t comes as a particular blow to
the hopes of Col. Knox. native Bos-
tonian and adopted son of New Hamp-
shire. who, because of that background
had reason to expect that New England
would be for him at Cleveland The
poor showing made by Herbert Hoover.
whom Landon outdistanced In MaSSa-
chusetts, 10 to l. is hardly less destruc-
tive. In section of the country where
the former president might especially
have been supposed to command strength
there is now proved to be no noteworthy
element favoring his denomination.
Landon's friends concede that his
principal weakness, paradoxically. is his
strength so far in advance of the con-
vention They fear that he has become
so shining a mark that the Stephan
don" movement is bound to gain momen-
tum and may possibly prove disastrous
unless the Governor can be put over on
the first ballot The way things are
going, victory for him at that early stage
does not seem beyond the range of
possibilities. Yet the couple of hundred
votes, more or less, already actually
pledged to the Kansan, are far from the
500-odd majority necessary to a choice.
The irresistible" Landon strength of
which his boosters talk takes mainly
into consideration delegations that are
uninstructed or nominally for favorite
sons. but which are said to be Landon-
minded in fact. But it is admitted that
there can be many a slip before they are
corralled and hitched to the band wagon.
Stimulated by triumph in Massachu-
sets. the Landon campaign in the East
will now be intensively promoted from
headquarters just organized in New York
City under the general direction of John
Hamilton, the Governors pre-convention
manager. Brock Pemberton, theatrical
producer and native Kansan, Is chair.
man Of the committee In charge. His
organization Is to serve as clearing
house" for propagating the Landon
cause on this side Of the continent. One
of the difficulties which his Eastern
friends have not been able to surmount
is Landon's unwillingness to make
speech-making appearances in the At
lantic sesboard region. He has turned
down urgent invitations to talk in New
York and Philadelphia, or even at his
birthplace, in Mercer County. Pa. Word
comes from Topeka that there is no
chance of Landon's doing any spellbind-
ing in the East before the convention.
Mum Is evidently the Landon word. al
though, after two postponements. the
Governor Is now scheduled for broad
cast interview. on May Z, with Colunl-
bia news commentator.
President Roosevelts bumper Pennsyl-
vania primary vote holsters the hopes OF
the Farley -Guffey optimists that the
Keystone State will be found in the
Democratic electoral column in Novem-
Der. Senator Guffey Is so confident on
that score that he is now ready to talk
figures. He himself had $4,000 major
ity Ii 1884. and he predicts that Roose-