Evening star., 1936-11-22
REPUBLICAN PARTY'S
FATE WEAK LEADERSHIP
Failure of LandOn to Reconcile East and
WestFactions or Even to Garry Own
State Handicap of Future.


don seemed to have given his assent;
certainly he did not veto the Hearst
movement. Since Mr.. Hearst was
known as a strong opponent OF Mr..
Hoover, since he had attacked Mr..
Hoover during the latter's presidency
as violently as he subsequently at
tackled Mr.. Roosevelt's presidency, Mr..
Hearst's action was interpreted as an
attempt to submerge Mr.. Hoover in
his own State. And 1t looked as II
Gov. Landon had united with Mr..
Hearst in the latters longtime hos
tility toward Mr.. Hoover. In the end
Mr.. Hesrst's movement was defeated;
the harmony slate - delegates to the
Republican National Convention was
elected.
The early discrimination against Mr..
Hoover was continued during the CAM
paign. Although at the Republican
National Convention at Cleveland, Mr..
Hoover had made by far the best
speech, and received, from the con-
vention and from the country. greater
plaudits than any other speaker-in
spite OF this, during the campaign,
newspapers we're permitted to learn.
and print, from Landon headquarters
at Chicago, that the national cam
paign managers did not prefer that
Mr.. Hoover should make any speeches
in the campaign. When local Re-
publican managers in some States re-
quested that Mr.. Hoover speak in their
States, the suggestion was in some
cases vetoed. A similar attitude was
taken about proposals that Mr. Hoo
ver's Secretary Of the Treasury, Mr..
Ogden L. Mills, should speak in the
campaign. A similar attitude of we
don't want you" was taken against
other former Republican leaders.
actually. as the campaign pro-
ceeded, Gov. Iandon, in his own
speeches. came to express some OF the
point of view Of conservative and East
ern Republicans, strikingly so in his
attitude on the tariff and his attack on
Secretary Hulls reciprocity treaties.
This gave seeming of instability to
his campaign. and as a consequence,
in the campaign as whole, Gov. Lam
don failed to please wholly either the
Western Republicans or the Eastern
ones)
Impression on Visitors.
There is much question whether the
discrimination against former Repub-
lican leaders proceeded from Gov.
Lsndon personally There is some
evidence that it came from some of
his associates, and from only a few
of these. A Midwestern Governor,
finding himself presidential nominee
under the circumstances that Gov.
Landon experienced. cannot possibly
give his personal judgment to every
thing that arises in the compaign.
Ali the evidence says that Mr.. Lam
don is An able man of broad mind and
fine personality. When he was emere-
ing into national prominence a large
number of persons went to Topeka for
the direct purpose Of sizing him up"
These surveying visitors included
leaders of thought, business men and
newspaper writer's. From the number
of them with whom l subsequently
talked, feel justified in saying that
all came back from Topeka feeling
strong dependence on Gov. Landon's
personality, high confidence that he
was capable of measuring up to the
presidency.
The Republican party organization
is now, as a matter of course, in the
hands OF Gov. Landon and his cam
paign manager, John D. Hamilton.
This is in accordance with custom.
Always the candidate Of a party.
whether elected or defeated, becomes
head Of the party until another cam
didate is chosen four years later.
The party machinery will operate
under Mr.. Hamilton presumably until
1910; certainly until, and if, party
leaders decide upon a change.
But the question is open: What line
of thought is the Republican party
now TO reflect? Will it be as it was
in the recent campaign. primarily
and self-consciously a party Of the
Western Republicans? Or will 1t re-
fleet primarily the Eastern conserva-
tive Republicans? Or will something
quite new happen, something now un-
foreseen?
Certainly the policy of being a West
ern Republican party does not have
success to recommend 1t. The party,
rejecting Midwestern leadership, did
not carry nor come near carrying. one
Western State. 1t did not carry Gov.
Landon's own State.
The stark fact Is that much. very
much Of the Western rank and file Of
Republican voters has, for the time
at least. gone over to the New Deal.
Much of it went in 1882 and voted for
Mr.. Roosevelt that year. Practically
none of that was Gov. Landon able
to bring back. On the contrary, more
Of it went for Mr.. Roosevelt in 1886.
So here is the Republican psrty-in
the leadership of men who reflect a
territory they cannot carry and eSs-
posed to resist leadership from the
Eastern and conservative action OF
the party.
tCopyright. 1850