The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-07
Disguised Victory
Credited to Landon
BY RAYMOND CLAPPER

VXTASHINGTON, May Although the head
w lines list Gov Landon as having lost Cali
fornia, you will find number of persons here who
think he may have won a victory in disguise.
In the first place, the "unnstructed slate of dele
gates, backed by the Hoover group, contains num-
Der OF persons favorable to Landon Not Hoover, but
others who see Landon the most practical choice.
In the second place. Landon. is now spared the
handicap of having to go into the Cleveland conver
tion-he won't be there personally of course-flyng
the Hearst banner. In fact, the primary fight in
California largely centered around Hearst number
of leaders friendly to Landon refused to support the
delegate slate which placed in the field by Hearst
on his own initiative. Hearst rather than Landon
was the issue in California.
Something significant occurred in the South
Dakota primary. There Landon and Senator Borah
met in their first head-on clash Landon to be sure
not formally entered, but slate of delegates
openly avowed its intention to vote for his nomina-
ton. South Dakota is real hard times, grass-roots
territory, inclined to be inflationst against Wall
Street. against monopoly. There if anywhere Borah
should find track suited to his gait
But he nosed out by Landon.
The result materially weakens the leverage which
Senator Borah has been expected to exert at the
Cleveland convention, and increased Landons sta
ture as favorte in the debatable farm belt which
the Republicans must have to win.
Speaking of winning, if you were a Republican
presidential candidate, what kind of campaign would
you run?
You could try it in one of two ways. You could
use the anything to win" method, employing the
tactics of the Liberty League make dog food speech
eS call Roosevelt Communist, Sictator and nit
wit combined in short follow the pattern laid down
thus far by the Republicans and the anti-Roosevelt
groups generally.
nR you could proceed in way that, whatever the
" outcome, you would be left standing before the
country as man who had conducted a campaign
marked by fairness. intelligence, intellectual in
tegrty-and above all as one who had contributed
to the Qualification of national problems. Then,
whether you won lost the election, you would win
because you would have preserved the respect of
the country for yourself and you would have laid
sound foundations upon which the Republican Party
could rebuild for the future.
With the first type of campaign, II you win by
smearng Misrepresentation, and by seeking to dis
credit some of the finest ideals that have been in
troduced into American politics. it would be cynical
victory which in time would not reflect great credit
on the Republican Party If you lost it would be so
much the worse for both you and the party
Getting down to the practical side of it, the Re-
publicans to win, must capture the independent
vote which is held to Roosevelt by fear of hay
ing the old crowd thrust back into power Many
persons undoubtedly swallowing Roosevelts mis-
takes his follow-through his waStefuneSs and the
bald politics which mars certain parts of his Ad-
mnistration solely because they see no alternative
which will save the better things for which Roosevelt
does stand.
Also there viii be perhaps five and one-half mil
lion new yoters-possibly balance of power-going
to the polls for the first time The candidate who
wins going to have to win his share Of that young
vote