The Washington times., 1936-04-11
LandOn
Is Free
Man
By James T. Williams, yr.

~ S0USS " Htt0HnSS ".
The real need Is a Man, uoho
By the example of his o,Dn
courage, Utoor, certainty, and
SteGdtGStIeSs, tntlL dTGtO out the
highest qualities Of the people::
whose TeSolute sense OF dutv
tDilt brush opportunisn aside.
tDhoSe sympathy and truthful.
ness tDiu stir the heart and hold
fast the conscience of the
Nation. Leadership Of this sort
ne haze lGcke ID Frederick
Scott Oliver.
William Allen White, Kansas
Progressive, and true American,
has known Governor Landon
since Mr.. Landon was q young
man in college. Mr.. White also has
longtime and intimate acouain.
tanceship with the plain people Of
the whole prairie country. He
knows their hopes and fears, the
tenets Of their faith and the tenac.
ity Of their common sense. And he
knows America well enough to
realize that in their traits of char.
acter the plain people Of the
prairie States are "kin folks" Of
the plain people of the other States
Of the Union.
OWES NOTHING
Out Of the fullness of his knowl.
edge Of Governor Landon, Of his
prairie neighbors and his fellow
Americans in other parts Of the
country. Mr.. White has written an
editorial that every thoughtful
American should read. It appeared
in the Emporia Daily Gazette Of
April 1 last under the title 1.-THE
Hitch Hikers."
Describing the trek to Topeka
that has been going on now for a
year or more. Mr.. White says:
every day now sees some
visiting statesman drifting into
the Kansas State house to hitch,
hike ride on the LandOn band.
wagon. These hitch.hikers come
from all over the country and
the line will grow longer as the
spring deepens.
Governor LandOn does not
need them. His boom il going
better than his most ardent sup.
pOrterS dreamed it would 20 last
autumn. And the beautiful
thought Of 1t Il that he owes
no man anything for all his nc.
cumulated strength as . preSi.
dental candidate. He Is . free
man."
Despite the support that has
come to Governor Landon in the
last year from governors and edi.
tors, from leaders in various walks
Of life, Mr.. White points out that
Governor Landon has asked no
favors Of them, needs none. owes
them nothing and has promised
them nothing"
NO EXCEPTIONS
The Kansas editor does not ex.
cept even himself or his fellow
Kansans who are members Of the
group Of so-called original Ian.
don men," He continues:
"TO come down nearer home,
LandOn owes nobody in Kansas
as much Is . twisted, One-Sided
smile. LandOn owes none Of us
q tinker's red-resin dam pOliti.
cally.
Personally these men may be
his dear friends. Personally
they have been glad to serve
him. Politically, for all their
service he does not owe them one
Of Mr.. Hopkins "thin dimes.
For, If the whole outfit had been
against him, still his boom would
have been about where it Is
today.
"He is the product Of three
things: Geography, his own
good record, and, most Of all, q
passionate yearning in the
hearts Of the American people
for leadership; for leadership
that would clean out the here
sizes, maladminiStratiOn, and tax
menaces coming from the White
House."
HIS QUALIFICATIONS
OF Governor Landon's quaNfica.
lions to provide the leadership in
their national life for which the
plain people yearn today, his
Kansas neighbor Of the fearless
pen says:
Hes no Messiah - nothing
like it. LandOn is just . two
listed, kind-hearted, hard-bitten
preaCher-paying Methodist, who
believes in . better world here
ON earth. But he wants to pay
for it as he goes and take the
3O-day cash discount. And no
body il responsible for the
curious heFO-wOrShip that is
glamOring him - certainly none
Of the political hitch.hikerS."
This true revelation Of the man
in the State house at Topeka with
whom character Is long-Standing
habit" concludes with a petition
in which every American who
puts country above party can with
humblenesS Of heart write: