The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-06-11

republican convention.
 While veteran party leaders, whose word once was law, wan- der airnlessly about the hotel lob- bies, the newspapermen ge1leralis- sirnos are sitting in the inner councils, shaping tactics, pulling wires, giving orders and dictating the platform.
 It's all very strange and bewil- dering to the old party wheel horses. But there is nothing they can do about 1t. The news men are in control. Old hands at the business of politics, they know all the ropes. Behind the scenes they are running the show and their various candidates with spirit and vigor.
 It Is something new in na- tiOnal politics, and the "bOys" are getting a great kick out of it.
 Land0n Staff
 The volume of pro-Landon pub- licity is solely and directly attri- butable to the fact that his carn- paign is being run almost entirely by press men.
 Landon headquarters here looks like the city-room of a newspaper. It is manned entirely by Tlews- men. The only exception is John Hamilton-and he was picked by the newspapermen.
 Dean of the Landon high com. mand is William Allen White, famous and enlightened publisher editor of the Emporia, Kas., Gazette. White has only a hand on the throttle of campaign tac- tics, but he is writing the Lan- don platform. Tn whatever form the republican platform finally emerges, 1t will bear the stamp of Whites views and pen.
 Henry J. Allen, former Kansas governor, ex-senator, and part owner of the Topeka State Jour- nal, is Whites old friend and right hand lieutenant.
 The combat strategist of the staff is chunky Roy Roberts, man. aging editor and former Wash- ington correspondent of the Kansas City Star. Roberts played a leading role in 1928 in building and guiding the Hoover boom. His speciality is political Hnanipu- lation ,and he Is doing his stuff in his best form.
 Other newsmen of the staff are Oscar Stauffer, owner of a group of small-town midwcstern papers, in charge of press rec latlOns; Jack Harris of the Hutchinson, Kas., News, Stauf- fer's assistant; Lacy Haynes, Topeka correspondent of the Kansas City Star, Roberts Man Friday; Rolla Clymer, Fl Dorado, Kas., Times, and Senator Ar- thur Capper, publisher of Cap- per's Weekly and the Topeka Capital, both contact men.
 Knox Brain TruSter
 Colonel Frank Knox, publisher of the Chicago Daily News, has Q small staff of press brain trus- terS. But what they lack in num- bers they amply make up ir agil- ity and industry.
 Qeneralissirno of the Knox cain- paign is former Senator George Moses, one-tirne newspaper pulp fisher and currently free-lance writer.
 Witty, imaginative and Q mas- ter at the art of getting over publicity, Moses has been the fountain head of the stop. Ian. don agitation. During the week preceding the opening of the convention, when news was scarce, Moses craftily utilized the situation to feed the large gathering of news-hungry re. pOrters with willy Anti-Landon propaganda.
 More in the background, but no- less active, is Roy Vernon, political editor of Knoxs paper. An ex- Washington correspondent, Vernon also had 8 big hand in develop ing the Hoover candidacy. Now he is doing his best for his boss. BOrah B0ttIer
 The press genius of the Borah camp is w. Kingsland Macy, part owner of chain of small New York papers. A moderate Liberal, Macy, was chairman of the New York State Republi- can Committee, but was busted last year by the Old Guard.
 Less experienced in national politics than his rival newspaper. men brain trusters, he lacks their contacts and sure touch and there- fore is not so effective in the vital sphere of publicity. But he is Q key man in Borah's inner coun- ell, and Borah makes no import ant decisions without consulting him.
 Vandenberg General
 Number One adviser by the side of Senator Arthur Vanden- berg, publisher of the Grand Rap- ids, Mich., Herald, is another Michigan newsrnan. Jay Hayden, veteran Washington correspon- ------- - - =.