Evening star., 1936-06-13

tween lSl2 ano
David Lawrence. 1896 IL that the
descendants of the Bull Moose move
ment have won the presidential nom
nation this week and are in a posi-
ton to do inside the party what Theo-
dore Roosevelt failed to do outside
the party.
Gov. Landon found himself up
against political manipulators when
he tried to get q straightforward
plank on the monetary question. And
he found himself up against q stone
wall when he sought to prevent a
dispute over the vice presidential
nomination. As it was. the conven-
ton wound up in O kind Of anti
climax, with Landon men deeply dis
appointed that they did not get Sem
ator vandenberg for running mate.
On the surface the story Is that
the Michigan Senator refused to ac-
cept Most of the men in the press
stand believed this to be the fact.
But the story being told by various
well-informed sources Is that the
Michigan Senator was really too pro-
gresSive to suit the ultra -conserva-
tive elements in certain State dele
cations and that they would have
carried on a fight against him. Un-
der the circumstances, Vandenberg
declined to allow his name TO be
considered. Had he been drafted by
a unanimous vote Of the convention
the Michigan Senator would have ac-
cepted. He could not have disre-
garded a solemn call to service.
II was arranged that, II Vanden-
berg did allow his name to be con-
sidered, Frank Knox of Chicago would
withdraw. These two men are such
close friends that they would not
have fought against each other. Then
the effort to block Vandenberg, ac-
cording to the anti-Vandenberg
spokesmen here, would have turned to
some other candidate as the means
of preventing the Michigan Senator S
| nomination.
While this narrative Of events is di-
rectly contrary to the general i'm
preston, it is nevertheless supported
circumstantially by the fact that John
Hamilton, the Landon spokesman, re-
vealed that they were In no position
to force the issue and told the con-
vention he preferred to have Kansas
take no part in the controversy. This
meant wide-open contest and In
that contingency Senator Vandenberg
made his refusal to run absolute and
unequivocal.
Organizations Decided.
1t might be asked how it happens
that presidential nominee cannot
influence the selection of running
mate. 1t might be asked why the
Landon men were so glum when the
name OF Frank Knox was being
cheered by the delegates. The answer
is to be found in the closely knit Or
ganization in various State delega-
tions, which, without inspiration
from Knox himself, we're ready to
block the Vandenberg nomination if
he became even a passive candidate
and ready TO turn from Knox to some
other man for the vice presidential
nomination if the Chicago publisher
had Withdrawn.
Some of the anti-Vandenberg men
said he was plainly too much New
Dealer, that he had straddled in
1894, that he was too friendly to
Senator Borah and so on. Whatever
their reasons, the facts are that Van
denberg was not nominated for Vice
President, and this was direct slap
at progressiviSm.
Frank Knox, on the other hand.
was one of the Bull Moosers Of 1912.
He is today considered a conserva-
tive, not so much because of his ex-
pressed views, but because Of the ma
ture of the support he had behind him
in various State delegations here.
Landon No Conservative.
If the conservatives Of the East
think, incidentally, that in Gov. Lam
don they have nominated conServa-
tive, they are mistaken. He is Theo-
dore Roosevelt Republican, and before
the campaign is over the country will
know 1t. He will take what he finds
good in the New Deal and reject what
he believes to be bad. The platform
itself approves some of the New Deal
detectives on labor and agriculture,
though it urges that they be accom-
plished through a different legislative
formulae.
Speaking of the platform, the farm
plank is not at all palatable to the
Eastern conservatives nor are the
statements on social security and
minimum wages. But it should not
be assumed that this means the East
ern business interests so much as 1t
does mean the Republican politicians
from the East, who appear at this
convention to have been less concilia-