Evening star., 1936-02-17

Outstanding in the barrage of recent
speeches by Republican presidential
aspirants. avowed or receptive, is the
militant tone of unmistakable confidence
in which the G. o. P. faces the November
election. The defeatist attitude that
characterized the emotions Of the ele-
plants Spokesmen and leaders IN the
heyday of the New Deal has entirely
disappeared. Despair has given way to
sunny hope. Republicans talk nova
days in the accents of conquerors. To
this new state of mind is due the lively
scramble for the presidential nomina-
ton. No longer is it regarded the empty
honor it looked like while F. D. RS
political fortunes were indubitaly on
Nearly all Republican leaders today are
persuaded that Mr.. Roosevelt can be
beaten. The more optimistic among
them are convinced he's going to be de-
feated. They are relying not only upon
that bloc of roundly 100000 voters
who supported Hoover in 1928, but
upon the myried of Republicans who
supported Roosevelt and will sup
posedly return to the party fold this year,
to say nothing of the host of anti-New
ACdl OOAllON4 abo WLlO ale CAHNNOCo W
take a walk with AL Smith rather than
line up behind the Philadelphia nomi-
nee and platform. In general, Repub-
icans think they will win because they
expect heavy vote against" Roosevelt
rather than vote "for" his opponent,
just as in 1882 many voted against"
Hoover and not 'for" Roosevelt.
y X
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moments are unquestionably impressed
by the rising tide of opposition to the
President, both within their party ranks
and in many sections of the country,
especially in business quarters. They
retain rosy confidence, nevertheless, that
on the prosperity and recovery issue Mr..
Roosevelt will prove to be invincible nine
months hence. Increasingly fierce and
ruthless as the opposition attack on
grounds of waste, extravaganza, uncon-
Stitut1onahsm, and all the rest of it, is
destined to become, New Dealers believe
the state of the country's pocket nerve
will be the really decisive factor. If
things continue to go as at present, with
steadily improving trade in all key lines,
with rising prices for stocks and bonds,
and satisfactory returns for farm pro-
duce, Jim Farley and his lieutenants
think the future may safely be viewed
through rose-tinted Spectacles. The fly
in the ointment is unemployment. If
that is not drastically reduced during
the next few months through betterment
of business conditions, it will not be so
easy to sell recovery and prosperity to
the electorate.
HereaboutS the impression prevails
that the master -minding in Governor
Landon's preconvention campaign is
largely the achievement of a former
Washington newspaper correspondent,
Roy A. Roberts, now managing editor of
the Kansas City Star. He represented
that paper in the Capital press gallery
from 1915 until 1928 and during success
sive periods was president of both the
National Press Club and the Gridiron
Club. Roberts is an acute political OBJ
server with wide acquaintance among
politicians and public men in all parts
of the country. A native Kansan, he
was a fellow student of Governor Lam,
don at the State university in Lawrence
between 1905 and 1903. If the Topeka
executive becomes the G. o. p. standard
;s 1;l-elv IN work oiIt that wav II