Evening star., 1936-05-15

however, the likeness seems to STOP
If he had been a cowboy instead OF
a driller of oil wells, Landon might
have been a Will Rogers. AS it is,
he has the qualities of friendllness
and humor.
Shuns Political Deals.
With the Republican National Con-
vention only three weeks in the ohng.
and with nearly all the delegates now
chosen, Landon is far in the lead Tor
the nomination. His convention
campaign has been a marvel of shrewd
politics-of which he is master. 1t
has also been carried forward with
out deals" with any one. If he gets
the nomination he will be free, wear
ing no mans collar but his own.
Shrewd politics in this campaign
called for no deals The effort OF
Gov Landon has been to avoid caus-
ing friction among the Republicans
to the end that the presidential NOM
ination might be of some value to his
party-whether he became the candi-
date or not. He has looked ahead
to November.
The psychology of the Landon cam
paign for the presidential nomination
has been excellent. Because the peo-
pie wanted to know about this Kan
sas Governor who keeps his feet on
the ground and the States budget in
balance, millions and millions of
lished about him. Pictures of him
have been published from one end
of the country to the other. Despite
this wide publicity. the people are
still to see him in the flesh.
Seeker of Facts.
Three questions are asked about
him. First. what's he like and what
kind of a President would he make?
Second, can he be nominated? Third,
can he be elected? The first ques-
ton may be answered only after the
second and third questions are
answered afirmatively. No one knows
what a man will measure up to un-
til he has been tried. No one knows
what President will do until he be-
comes President. No one knew what
President Franklin D. Roosevelt would
do, anyway.
Criticisms of Landon include the
suggestion he has no grasp of the
problems that today confront the
country and the world; that his out
look has been confined to Kansas.
The answer to this is that the prob
lens of the day, so far as America
Is concerned, are found in Kansas
to as great an extent as in any other
State of the Union. And further, Gov
Landon Is not keeping his eyes and
ears shut. He is an avid seeker of
facts. He gets them himself and
has others get them for him.
For Social Security.
Within a month or two, Gov Lam
sas into special session so that it
may submit to the people an amend
ment to the State Constitution, needed
to make it possible for Kansas to go
forward with the Federal social Sc
curity act. Landon believes in social
security, but he thinks the Roosevelt
social security act is "cockeyed" un-
workable and has said so in his
speeches However, he does not in
tend to shut the people of his State
off from having part in the operation
of this act. He believes in giving
them a chance to express themselves
at the polls. If he gets to be Presi-
dent, then he may seek an amend
ment to the Federal social security
act. In the meantime, it is the only
act we have
Landon has always been like that.
He is the only Governor Of dry Kan
sas-dry for half century by law
who had the courage to come forward
and say that he believed the people
should have an opportunity to vote
on an amendment to repeal the pro-
hibition clause of the State Constitu-
ton. The people got it. They voted
down the repeal amendment. In the
Kaltenborn radio interview last week,
Gov. Landon effectively took the wet
and dry issue out of his campaign.
He said that the people had rendered
an overwhelming verdict that the
States should deal with the liquor
traffic, and he accepted that verdict.
In the same interview, the Governor
discussed his oil connections and
monopoly. He made it clear he had
always been an independent operator