Evening star., 1936-07-19


Kansas will be notified"
next Thursday night that
~ he is the chosen candidate
of the Republican party for Presi-
dent. AS other presidential candi-
dates of the great political parties
have done in the past. Gov. Landon
will deliver a speech of acceptance.
That speech will sound the keynote
OF his campaign for election.
The Landon speech of acceptance
has been eagerly awaited by Repub-
licans and Democrats alike. The
Kansas Governor has been silent on
the issues of the campaign since his
nomination by the Republican Ma
tional Convention in Cleveland more
than month ago.
His utterances will be contraSted
inevitably with the speech of accept
ance delivered by President Franklin
D. Roosevelt at Franklin Field. when
the latter declared war on the eco
nomic royalists."
The notification" ceremony for
presidential candidates has grown up
with the years. 1t has been made
the occasion of the formal launching
of the campaign for his election by
the candidate In these days of radio
and the telephone and the telegraph
the presidential candidates are really
notified of their nominations almost
instantaneously.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
varied the program four years ago
by flying Immediately from New York
to Chicago to have his notification
on the last day of the Democratic
National Convention which noml-
mated him. He repeated that per-
formance by journeying to Philadel-
phia this year to formally accept his
nomination at vast and colorful
gathering in the stadium of the Uni
versity of PENNSYLVANIA. He was not,
however, establishing precedent.
For an illustrious predecessor. Col.
Theodore Roosevelt, stepped into the
convention hall in August, 1912, to
accept nomination at the hands OF
the then newly created Progressive
party. Senator Hiram johnson OF
California. then Governor, nominated
by the progressives for Vice President,
was beside his leader and also de-
livered his acceptance speech on the
spot. Col. Roosevelt, on that occa-
sion, beat the gun. For 1t was noE
until the next day that the commit
tee appointed to notify him OF his
nomination made its formal call on
him at his hotel to inform him OF
his selection by the convention.
Different in Early Days.
In the earlier days of the Republic
there was not so much pomp and cir
cumstance. nor such huge crowds at
tending the notification OF the presl-
Dental candidate. When Abraham
Lincoln had been nominated by the
Republicans in their famous Wlgwam
convention in Chicago, a committee
called on the future President the next
day, at his home in Springfield. Tne
committee went to the unpretentlous
Lincoln home curious and anxious 10
see the man the convention mad
chosen. Then, as now, however, there
were on the committee representatives
of each of the States whose delega-
tions had participated in the national
convention. Not few members OF
the committee we're more widely
known than the man they had come
to notify of his nomination. They
found a man with none OF the con-
ventions and none Of the manners
of the conventional statesman. Els
speech Of acceptance was extremely
brief
The members Of the committee
passed into the back parlor, where
they were greeted by Mrs. Lincoln.
In water, 1t Is recorded. Some OF Lin
coins friends had provided liquors
for the occasion. Lincoln, however,
declined to change the custom of his
home, even If he was a candidate for
President. ~
To many members of the Notifica-
ton Committee sent by the Republic
an National Convention to notify"
Landon, the Governor of Kansas is
still stranger. They win have as
much curiosity and as much anxiety,
perhaps. as had the members OF the
Notification Committee which called
on Lincoln in 1860.
The speech of notification to the
presidential candidate is made by the
permanent chairman of the national
convention which made the nomina.
ton. And custom also ordains that
the formal notification Of the vice
presidential candidate shall be made