Evening star., 1936-06-15


eas being born. Farley now corrobo-
rates that view by saying:
Every single Republican who had
had a part in shaping party policies
for the last generation was passed over
in favor of man who 18 months ago
was unheard of by 95 per cent of the
American people"
The little band Of progressives from
Kansas who dominated the RepUb-
hcan Convention can feel happy today
that Farley accepts as a fact that
the old Republicanism is dead and
that a new party has been born. Not
so we'll did the Republicans fare at
the hands Of Senator Norris. who sees
in Gov. Landon the same old forces
of reaction"
Gives Hint of Tactics.
The Farley statement issued over
the week end Is significant of the
kind Of strategy that is going to be
pursued by the Democratic high COM
mand. Mr. Landon is to be accused
of having been something of New
Dealer himself in the earlier days Of
his eovernorship.
To the charge that he was in favor
Of some New Deal policies, Landon
will probably plead guilty with the
engaging frankneSs that has charac-
terized his attitude as Governor. He
will concede as so many liberals have
conceded, as this writer and many
others have conceded. namely, that
the New Deal obiectives were always
creditable, but that the administra-
tion's legislative formula for putting
those objectives into effect has been
q curious mixture Of spoilsmanship in
politics, price-fXing and virtual
monopoly as in the n. r. A. and q
miSmanagement OF the finances in
such way as to endanger true liberal
reforms.
Chairman Farley, on the other
hand, is absolutely right when he
picks out certain planks in the Re-
publican platform that face both
ways" The experts in phrase making
that means different things to diff
ferent groups wrote some of those
planks over the protest of the Landon
leaders. There will be smiles. how
ever. over this sentence from Farley's
comment:
The Republican party has made an
accomplished art of the difficult busi-
ness of facing both ways in a national
election. Once again it proposes to
be all things to all men,"
That's precisely wha. the anti-New
Deal critics have been saying about
Mr. Roosevelt's alternate swings to the
right and the left.
Story illustrates.
Probably this aspect of the cam
paign is best illustrated by a story that
Is going the rounds of Washington
about the campaign address of Re
publican aspirant for Congress in the
recent primaries in a Western State.
He is reported to have said:
Now, you farmers take all the
money you can get from the A A. A. or
from the Federal Government, be-
rause, after all, it is your money the
peoples money, but don't forget to
vote the Republican ticket this year,
Just TO show those folks in Washing
ton that you can't be bribed."
Unquestionably, the Landon cam
paign will look much more progressive
and will honestly be more progressive
than. the Eastern conservatives will
welcome. The Republican platform
contains recognition of the demand
for lod-age pensions and social secur-
ity and of Federal financing of loans
to the States for relief. Four years
ago the Republican party was asleep
at the switch.
Landon does not want to turn his
back on the worthwhile agencies of
government. such as the Securities
Exchange Commission, which is de-
signed to protect the investor. But
this will not prevent him from at
tacking the misuse of power by gov
ernmental commissions who overstep
the bounds in the exercise of police
power against innocent citizens.
Stress Administration Of Objectiyes.
In other words, the Republican
nominee will contend that the objec-
tivss may be piotls, but the method of
administration means everything.
Likewise, he probably will contend
that all the liberal objectives may be
conceded. but they fall to the ground
II q solvent Government Is not main
tained.
The Democratic strategy. it now ap-
pears. will be TO charge that Landon
is Just an imitation Of the New Deal
and that the original, the Roosevelt
regime, Ia better than the imitation.
Anyway, the Democrats can hardly
call Landon a reactionary and be at
all persuasive about IL. Hence the
other attack, 10 assume that the Kan
eas Governor Ia New Dealer, but
that he cannot possibly accomplish
his purpose with a group OF reaction
aries in his party begging him down,
s probably the way the Farley attack
will shape up.
Yet when all this Is fully expounAed,
It may be found that the real issue
of the campaign will center on the
words picked up out of Mr.. Roose-
velt's remarks by Senator Steiwer In
his keynote speech. 1t was the SEN
tence in which President Roosevelt
in a message to Congress on March
10, 1888, said: For three long years
the Federal Government has been on
the road to bankruptcy"
Those three long years" of Hoover
In which Mr.. Roosevelt said $4,000
600, 900 deficit was accumulated has
now been matched by three long
years" of Roosevelt in which a deficit
Of $1,000, 100000 has been accumu-
lated. And if the campaign theme
longs ignore both these three-year
periods, the question will then turn on
what is going to happen to Federal
finances In the next three long
years" =
(copyright. 1850
y