Evening star., 1936-07-13

AauOOn Is Qluer-
ent. I am convinced that if he is
elected President he will be the same
even-tempered, mild-mannered, natu-
raj person that he is today.
This is because the most important
quality in Gov. Landon's whole make
up is common sense. I have often
tried, in my quarter of century of
observation of men and affairs in
Washington, to pick out just what sim
gle quality of a human being is most
essential to the making of good
President of the United States I would
say common sense. I would put it
over and above experience in govern
mental affairs or technical knowledge
Of national problems.
For every President of the United
States gets an abundance of technical
advice-good, bad and indifferent. He
can get all the knowledge and data
that great governmental mechan-
ism can furnish. But can he tell good
advice from bad advice, the good ef-
fects of a proposed policy and the
harmful effects? If he has common
sense, he can tell in advance what
the repercussion of given policy will
be on the average man. Common
sense will tell him the average Amer
leans reaction, if he is good aver
age American himself with no delu-
sions or illusions of grandeur or with
any superman complex.
Landon Zone of the Folks"
One has to talk with Gov. Landon
only little while to realize that he
is lust one of the folks" He is one
of those middle-class Americans who
make up the backbone Of the Nation.
He has that sort Of objectivity which
the man Of the prairies possesses. Far
from the crowds of modern cities, far
from the turmoil of congestion that
has bred friction and dissension in
the populous centers, here out in the
open spaces all Of the people seem so
much better balanced in their poll
tics, 50 much less partisan and less
xanatical.
found, as I talked with the Gov
ernor, that he has lively apprecia-
ton Of what President Roosevelt has
attempted, but found also a keen
and penetrating understanding of
why Mr.. Roosevelt has failed to mesh
the various elements in our economic
system 20 as to get jobs for the TO-
100000 persons now on relief or on
the dole.
Not long ago Mr.. Roosevelt, in a
public letter, said it was essential
nowadays in Government to have a
man with his heart in the right
place." and that mistakes of the heart
were readily forgiven. But the true
public servant is the man with his
head, as well as his heart in the right
place, because when the peoples
money is wasted or when govern
mental power arbitrarily exercised
works grave injustice, the i'll effects
are such that the voters think only
of the wreckage and not of the in
tent.
Sees Big Task Ahead.
I found as we motored along-we
rode from Topeka to Kansas City
that Gov. Landon belives the time
has come for one of those painstak-
ing, plodding, follow-th through jobs to
be done in the White House that
come after period of panic and
depression. He is a different type
from President Roosevelt. Many a
business with a good idea has been
started by a person of the promoter
type. The promoter has the original
idea. He pioneers, but he does not
have the capacity to follow through
and do the organizing tasks necessary
to financial and administrative sue
cess. Gov. Landon has no fair for
publicity nor any fair for ballyhoo.
Nor does he criticize those who have
it. On the contrary, he strikes me
as the kind of man who believes
in approaching problems, however big
and however challenging. by the SIM
pie rules of common sense and nat
uralness.
For man with common sense is
fundamentally honest and sincere.
He is, above ALL honest with himself.
In Government, and especially in
politics, as we see 1t nowadays in
Washington, hypocrisy and deception
are the rule rather than the excep-
ton, so that the observer is rightly
tempted to grow cynical about public
policies, seeing often in them a bid
for votes or play to the galleries.
Refuses to Be Made Over.
Some of Gov. Landon's friends
would make him over to fit the pat
tern Of the modern political person.
ality. But the Kansas Governor will
not be made over. He remains what
he was before the nominations plain
person, an able person, man from
O typical prairie State" where the
rugged Americanism which won its
way in covered wagon days Is just as
virile, just as fair, just as honorable
when applied to these streamline days.
AS q man, as a possible chief ex-
ecutive Of the Nation, I like Gov.
Landon's manner and poise. Like
others who must preserve an inde-
pedet attitude, am looking forward
to reading his speeches to learn just
what his solutions are to be, what he
would retain in the New Deal and
what he would scrap, how he intends
to manage the enormous public debt
that has accumulated, and above all
what sort Of leadership he will exert
in the vast operations of our Federal
Government. On these things there
will doubtless be a disclosure in his
forthcoming acceptance speech.
tCopyright, 1850