The Republican., 1936-06-18

Otner cdnuludleS WlluuSly releaSeQ
their delegates.
Hamilton Presents Landon.
Before Hamilton began the nominat-
ing speech he read telegram from
Governor Landon which went into the
annals of political conventions as one
of the most courageous pieces of forth
rightness and honesty ever to be spoken
by a candidate for nomination. Gov
ernor LandOn wanted it understood be-
fore his name was presented that there
were certain planks in the platform
upon which he had placed interpreta-
tions which ought to be known.
He made it plain that, although the
platform expressed belief that labor
legislation with respect to minimum
hours, maximum wages and working
conditions could be done within the
Constitution as it now stands" he
would, if it were necessary, support a
constitutional amendment to accom-
plish such legislation.
He made it plain that while he
agreed that "the first requisite to a
sound and stable currency is bal
anced budget" the second requisite 'is
a currency expressed in terms of gold
and convertible into gold"
He was more definite than the plat
form in his ideas of restoring and ex-
panding the merit system in the fed
eral government. I'm carrying out this
pledge, 1 believe there should be in
cluded within the merit system every
position in the administrative service
below the rank of assistant secretaries
of major departments and agencies,
and that this inclusion should cover
the entire post Office department"
Applause Battles Meter.
The applause which greeted the read
ing of the telegram was second only to
that which followed Hamilton's presen-
tatiOn of LandOn's name to the COLI
vention. The cheering at this point was
even beyond the capacity of the huge
noise meter above the stage to regis
ter.
Delegation after delegation leaped to
its feet to begin the happy, hoilering,
whistling, singing, dancing band wagon
parade for Alf Landon. Everywhere the
banners swim with Landon" and the
posters with the governors picture
were raised. There were hundreds Of
them. In their enthusiasm, delegates
climbed chairs, pummeled each other
good naturedly and carried on gener-
ally with all the reckless abandon Of
college crowd after a big football
game. 1t was an hour before Hamilton
could resume talking.
Hamilton dwelt upon the manner in
which the forty-eight-year-old COVER
nor had administered the affairs Of
his state simply, efficiently, like busi-
ness man "who had had to meet the
Saturday night payroll would. He
pointed out the difference between the
Landon methods and the Roosevelt
methods.
Through three and one-half years
we have heard much talk of emer-
gency. Emergency has been advanced
as an argument for the breaking Of
campaign pledges, for a reckless spend
ing of public funds, for the creation Of
a bureaucracy, for the appointment of
public officials for reasons Of personal
loyalty rather than merit, and for a
bewildering succession of Inconsistent
and impracticable measures which have
retarded recovery and created uncer-
tainty.
Faced RooseVelt's Problems.
"Yet Gov. Landon was elected to his
office at the same time that the New
Deal administration was elected to
power. He faced in his capacity as a
state executive emergencies of the
same kind that confronted the national
executive. He faced also the same
question of whether he should in that
emergency break the pledges he had
made in that campaign, or whether he
should keep those pledges. The answers
given by the new President and the
new governor were different and they
were in character. For, as we have
seen from the public record Of the two
of them, their characters were diff
ferent."
Landon for Unity.
Hamilton struck what proved to be
the popular note when he declared:
Behind Governor Landon, as stand
ard bearer Of the Republican party,
will rally united party, for he has a
genius for creating unity. Behind Gov
ernor Landon will rally that great
group of citizens, without regard to
party label, who wish to see perform
ance and not propaganda, confidence
and not confusion. Behind Governor
Landon, carrying the standard of young
America, will rally that great section
of the people who wish to repudiate
the alien philosophers and outworn
theories, and who, without regard to
their own age, are young enough to
have faith that we can build a greater
country by carrying forward the dy-
manic American doctrines of hope, Of
tolerance, and Of effort"
After the nomination had been Sec
onded by Delegates Casper G. Bacon
Of Massachusetts, Gov. Frank Fitzger-