Evening star., 1936-10-17
CALIFORNIA DASH
COUP F0RLAND0N
Roosevelt Abandoned Plan
to Visit Coast-Time
Full Up to Nov. 3.
BY JAY G. HAYDEN.
Special Dispatch TO The Star.

fClt III Ills Suuucil hLu uiouindO eh-
nouncement that he will dash to
California for a speech at Los Angeles
on october 20, before beginning his
final swing through the territory east
Of the Mississippi.
President Roosevelt originally had
scheduled tour all the way to the
Coast, but this was abandoned when
it seemed that the Republicans had
given up any hope of winning elec-
toral votes west Of the Rockies. With
his time already booked until election
day, it now seems unlikely that the
President can follow Gov. Landon to
the West Coast.
This development Is comparable to
Gov. Landon's last-minute trip to
Maine, before the September election
in that State. There. also, the Demo-
Gratis had been lulled into the belief
that the Republican presidential cam
didate was not going to take hand
in the situation. The announcement
that he would do so found President
Roosevelt touring the South-too far
away to change his plans and compete
with Gov. Landon for the Maine vote.
Credited With Maine Sweep.
There Is little doubt that Gov
Landons speech at Portland saved the
day for Senator Wallace White and
thus gave the Republicans a clean
sweep in the Maine election.
Gov. Landon now is going to Cali
fornia in the firm belief that he can
win that State, and also convinced
that he has a chance to garner 16
electoral votes en- route, in Oklahoma,
New Mexico and Arizona.
The Republican headquarters, in
the last few days, has been flooded
with favorable reports from California.
The word is that there is taking shape
in that State a combination of con-
servatives, Republicans and Demo-
Gratis, against the New Deal. very
much like that which submerged
Upton Sinclair. the Democratic noni-
nee for Governor in 1894.
In September of that year. almost
everybody in California agreed that
Sinclair would sweep the State. and.
as late as the middle of October. he
appeared to be we'll in the lead. But
when the votes were counted, he re-
ceived 879,537 votes. as against l,13S,-
$40 for Frank Merriam, Republican,
and 302,5l9 for Haight, the Progress
siVe-Commonwealth candidate.
Strikes in the agricultural regions
| OF California and the threat Of an
other tie-up of maritime activities,
Of the sort that produced the general
strike in San Francisco two years ago,
are said to be important factors now
in turning the voters of California in
the conservative direction.
Los Angeles Turns to G.. o. P.
Particularly it is asserted that the
Los Angeles district, which polls
nearly half Of the votes in the State
and was the principal stronghold of
Sinclairism, is turning back to its
traditional Republican allegiance. 1t
/ is in an effort to stimulate this trend
that Mr.. Landon has decided to take
time out of his Eastern campaign to
| speak at Los Angeles.
Another factor that has caused Mr.
Landon to view California with a new
hope Is the statement of DR.. Francis
E. Townsend. advising his old-age
pension following to vote for Landon
DR.. Townsend launched his movement
from Long Beach. and Southern Cali
fornia all along has been his strong
est stamping ground.
The Los Angeles section is populated
largely by retired farmers from Iowa
Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and other
States in the Middle West. Almost
all of these were Republicans before
the depression, with the result OF
making Southern California one o.
the most strongly Republican district.
in the United States. In 1928, fol
example, Herbert Hoover carried Los
Angeles County with $4,000 votes to
100000 for Alfred E. Smith. But in
1882, when great majority of the
people of Los Angeles had lost their
jobs and their savings, the county
gave Roosevelt $4,000 votes to 373. .0OC
for Hoover.
Count On Northern Section.
The Republicans are confident now
that, if Los Angeles can be turned
back to anything approaching an even
break between Landon and Roosevelt
the northern sections of California
can be depended on to give them the
victory.
Politicians have not forgotten that
California provided the surprising up.
set that gave Woodrow Wilson tn,
presidency over Charles Evans Hughe.
by margin of % electoral votes ir
1916. Wilson'S plurality in California
was less than 1000 in a total vote O,
approximately million.
Hughes defeat in California in thai
year was charged to the fact that h,
visited San Francisco without callins
on Senator Hiram w. johnson. anc
there are intimations that johnson
may prove to be factor in the situa.
ton this year. In 1882 he indorsee
Roosevelt and spoke for him in seyera
States. This year johnson has sale
nothing publicly. His friends say tha
he dislikes many features Of the New
Deal, and particularly he is at logger.
heads with the dominant group In ths
Democratic party in California, headed
by Senator William G. McAdoo.
One very large reason why johnson
supported Roosevelt in 1892 was Her.
bert Hoover. johnson and Hoover fo,
years had been bitter political enemies
So much so that Hoover left johnson
out when he invited the other mem.
bers Of the Senate Foreign Relation.
Committee to dinner at the White
House. Now Hoover is pretty well re.
moved from the political picture, and
this is another factor which nigh,
tend to bring johnson back into the
Republican camp.
New Mexico, Arizona Cheer G, O. p
| The impression which Mr.. Landor
makes during his visit to California
very possibly will decide Senator John.
sons course.