Evening star., 1936-08-12
KANSAS LAbOR|TE
ASSA|LS LANDON
Charges Governor "Con'
troIIed" by School Book
and Power trusts"
Nv tlt Associated Press.

. Nv TIT Associated Press.
: Alf M. Landon's record as Governor
:. of Kansas was the subject today OF
= criticism and praise from opposite
: sides of the campaign fence.
: Leslie Doud official of the pro-
Roosevelt Labor's Non Partisan
league. asserted the Landon admin
istration is controlled" by the school
book trust and the light and lower
trust" while Oscar Stauffer. Kansas
editor. said in a speech under Repub-
lican auspices that Landon changed
a deficit in the Kansas Highway De-
partment into surplus while reduc-
ing automobile license taxes.
Mai George l.. Berry. president of
Labors Non-Partisan League, made
public a report which Doud submitted
to him. Doud, who is editor OF the
Kansas Labor Weekly at Topeka, was
quoted as saying:
The Landon administration in
Kansas is controlled and dominated
by two outstanding interests-the
school book trust and the light and
power trust. OF the two. the school
book trust is the most rotten, and the
stencil of it reaches to the high
heavens. The light and power trust
reaches into other business groups,
however. and is the direct alliance be-
tween Landon and the big business
OF Kansas.
;,,I,
Dean Ackers. general manager OF
the Kansas Power e. Light Co., Is
president of the State Chamber OF
Commerce and the direct link be-
tween the United States Chamber Of
Commerce and the Landon State ad.
ministration. Landon selected Acker!
to head the Kansas Emergency Relief
Administration and through him has
been exercised a control over the ex'
peoditure of all relief funds in Kansas
Thus Landon has had his finger
right in the expenditure of the Fed.
eral Governments money in Kansas
without which today Kansas woulc
be in the most desperate plight it ha:
ever known since the days of Sockles.
Jerry Simpson"
Doud said the State prints its oWr
school text books. but there is 6
heavy royalty paid allegedly to the
owners of copyrights, so that if the
State prints these books at approx
mately 40 per cent less cost than they
can be turned out in commercial
shop, it sells them to school children
at from 25 to 40 per cent higher tha'.
the same books sell to children il
other States"
The allegation is" Doud added
"that the State is in the grip of
ring of school book representatives
who are splitting the royalty fees"
Holds School Children Suffer.
Turning to other school matters
Doud contended "Landou economic!
have been accomplished at the eX'
pense" of school children.
Stauffer, who is editor of the Ar.
kansas City. Kans., Traveller, said tht
economies have in no way adversely
affected the educational system"
The Kansas common Schools" he
said in a broadcast last night on the
radio series being conducted by Will
liam Hard, ARE directly and wholly
under the supervision of local school
boards. The Governor has no juris-
diction over them.
1T is. nevertheless. to be noted that
q larger percentage of the local Kan
saS tax dollar is now spent on schools
than before the depression.
1T is also to be noted that Gov
Iandon successfully resisted an effort
to put fixed limit on local expendi-
tional amendment. On this point
the Kansas teachers have frequently
expressed their gratitude to him"
Auto License Tax Reduced.
Speaking of Highway Department
finances, Stauffer said Landon con-
Verted a deficit of S1,600.000 to a
surplus of S500,000 in 18 months,
while at the same time he reduced
the tax on an automobile license from
a minimum of So to a minimum
OF ST.
Stauffer asserted the influence of
.Landon on local expenditures has been
e''mainly through the cash basis or
pay as you go law" He said this
forbids communities ito spend money
which they do not have"
kansas property taxes" Stauffer
concluded, have been reduced 80 per
cent since 1929"
He said the Governor was not trying
TO "monopolize" credit for this and
had attributed it to efforts of thou
sands Of local officers