Evening star., 1936-06-15
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

political arena has come to an end.
Hitherto 1t has been Roosevelt against
an unspecified and unsolicited Repub-
hcan. Now it is Roosevelt against
Landcn. The picture has changed almost
overnight 1t Is an old axiom In politics
that you can't beat somebody with
nobody. In other words, you have TO
have u candidate to run against another
candidate The Republicans have made
their choice. 1t Is q 48-year-old Kansas
Governor, who has already stepped out
in way to make the country understand
that he has ideas of his own, both about
the platform on which he Is running
and also about how the campaign shall
be run. In little less than f1ve months
the people will 60 to the polls to decide
between President Roosevelt and Gov
Landon. And from today on 1t will be
contest between the two.
The American people do not elect
Vice Presidents in a national election,
except incidentally. They elect Presi-
dents. The race is always between the
heads OF the two major party national
tickets. 1t will be contest this Fall
between Roosevelt and LandOn-nOt be-
b"CCH dIO AhOh. nOWCNCI, IHC
Republicans, as they have thought over
their selection for second place on the
national ticket. find themselves satisfied
with Knox. Knox Is hard-hitting cam
paigner, as he has shown in his campaign
for the presidential nomination during
the last few months.
The Democrats, judging from the
statement issued Saturday night by their
oh Dnof Faa cta
James A. Farley, would have preferred to
see Herbert Hoover. or one OF the old
figures in the @. o. p. nominated for
President. 1t is scarcely reasonable,
however, to expect the Republicans to
allow the Democrats to pick their candi-
date for them. Landon presents for the
Democrats a new problem. He has no
ties with the Hoover administration, at
which Roosevelt aimed his shafts in
1882. He is a candidate the Demo-
Gratis will have tough time laughing of,
although that seems to be their present
attitude and desire. Gov. Landon has
already seized the ball and started run
ming with it. His telegram to the Re-
publican National Convention, just be-
fore he was nominated. was a mastery
stroke. His declaration that he would
favor q constitutional amendment to
enable the States to deal with minimum
wages for women, etc, If it were found
necessary. is considerable Of q contrast
to the manner in which President
Roosevelt has held back from declaring
for a constitutional amendment TO vali-
date his New Deal legislation.
-
The Republicans are out to appeal TO
the West. The Democrats have counted
on a union between the South and West
to make the reelection of President
Roosevelt sure. Although they have
talked slibly of carrying all the States
in the Union, it is quite probable they
have understood that New England and
many of the big Eastern States are any,
thing but pleased with the New Deal.
II LandOn comes along now and takes
from them States west Of the Mississippi
River. as he is likely to do-although 1t
is too early to make exact predictions
the picture will be vastly changed for
the Roosevelt Democrats.
LandOn'S plan of campaign is still in
the making. If it Is anything like as
successful as his preconvention cam
paign. 1t will give the opposition plenty
to worry about before next November
rolls around. The probabilities are. how
ever, that his campaign will bring him
into the East at comparatively early
period. The people in this section of
the country have still to see and hear
him. He will be making no speeches
until after his formal notification of
nomination. which is expected to take
place ut his home in Kansas. The Re-
t.
States are already planning to make this
notification a big event, with thousands
coming to Topeka for the celebration
The date for the notification will be fixed
when Gov. Landon meets with the spe-
cial committee of the Republican Ma
tional Committee in Topeka tomorrow.
Within q few days the Democrats will
gather in Philadelphia for their big con-
vention. They are planning to renomi-
nate Roosevelt and Garner unanimously
and to make rs impressive q show as
possible. They have picked Philadelphia
for their convention because they hope
to be able to carry the Keystone State,
an old Republican stronghold, for Roose-
velt. Senator Guffey, the Democratic
boss Of the State. Is very confident that
this can be done. All looks harmonious
for the Democratic convention-so much
so that some of the interest which
usually attaches to national conventions
will be absent. There is the chance of q
good scrap, however, over the proposal to
abrogate the two-thirds rule for the
nomination Of presidential and vice
presidential candidates. rule that has
been in effect for more than 100 years
and which was inaugurated at the will of
Andrew Jackson Some of the Demo-
Gratis from the South are complaining
bitterly and promising to fight the pro-
posed change. The Roosevelt high COM
mand, however, seems intent upon doing
away with this rule.
What the Democrats do about their
platform also will be of considerable
interest. How far will they 60 toward
writing the principles of the New Deal
g e)vernment into that document? Will
they compromise? Will they re-enact
the party platform of 1892? The Repub-
licans have attacked Roosevelt again and
again-and so have a number Of the
Democrats-because, they say. he has
failed to carry out the pledges contained
In the 1882 Democratic platform.
~
The Republicans, at their national
convention, gave some thought to Gov.
H. Styles Bridges of New Hampshire,
when 1t came time to nominate Q vice
presidential candidate. Gov. Bridges is
80 years old. He belongs to the Young