The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-07
THE SOURCE OF LANNON'S STRENGTH

IT is significant we believe, that of all of the DO
tential Republican presidential nominees. the one
most in the public eye is not Senator Borah, nor
Senator Vandenberg, nor Col. Knox, but none other
than Gov. ALT Landon.
Why this spectacular rise of Landon? Geography
is against him. So is precedent Never before has
any one thought seriously of looking for presidential
timber in state such Kansas which has too few
electoral votes for either party to worry about
He is not colorfu His experience in government
has been very limited. His record is unimpressive
except for one thing-a balanced state budget.
And even that is not very impressive to those who
bother to consider that the balanced budget is due
in part to state constitutional and statutory limits
on spending, in part to such benefits of Roosevelts
recovery efforts the AAA checks which have en-
abed Kansas citizens to pay taxes again, and in
part to the Federal government carrying much of
the states relief burden.
But who bothers to think of such collateral fac
tors? Kansas budget is balanced. Landon is Gov
ernor ana ne gets the credits When people think of
Kansas and Landon they think of state living
within its means and Governor who believes that
1t Is the most fundamental of all policies.
And why are more and more people thinking
more and more of Kansas and Landon? Because
OF the contrast-to Washington and Roosevelt.
The Federal government is now ending it's sixth
year of living beyond its income-three under Hoo
yer and three under Roosevelt And it is now head
ing into seventh year of red ink at the end of
which the gross national debt threatens to be double
what is in 1890
IT was an economic necessity for the Roosevelt
Administration to repel the defation of the early
tnftles by the only way it could be repelled-by eer-
gency spending But the public has never thought
of-neyer been allowed to think of-the depression
as anything other than emergency. And the
Roosevelt policy Of inationary borrowing and spend
Ing IS beginning to look too much like permanent
policy. So people are getting uneasy They long to
get their feet on the ground again
They hear sane, reasoning speech, such as Ian
don made from Topeka few days ago-a speech
which wisely contained shrill and stupid cries
against socialism and dwet not upon such shibboeths
as states rights but speech which dealt calmly
witch the folly of debts and the wisdom of pav-as
you-go policy. And people who have had recent and
painful personal experience with debts think more
and more of Kansas and Landon
This campaign should be fought out on the social
and economic issues of the New Deal versus the old
But the fiscal issue is crowding out all the others
And that's the reason for Landon.
II President Roosevelt doesn't want Landon for
an opponent, and if he doesn't want the fiscal issue
to dominate the campaign. it is time for him to
recall his own warning of March 10, 1888 In his
economy message to Congress- on that day. the
President said:
Too often in recent history liberal governments
have been wrecked OIL rocks of loose fiscal policy :