Evening star., 1936-06-12
ECONOMY REGIME
SAW CUT IN TAXES
Governor a Plain Man OF
Even Temper Who Takes
Things as They Come.

Republican presidential NOM
ination by performing two miracles
Of government simultaneously-oal-
ancing the Kansas budget and reduc-
ing State taxes.
More than that he achieved these
impossible" things at time when
governmental budgets in most other
States and at Washington were being
unbalanced right and left and when
taxes were being boosted rather than
reduced.
How did he do it?
Well ask Gov. Landon and he
will explain it was really a simple
matter of cutting government ex-
penses, stopping public waste and
placing government-State, county
and municipal-on cash, pay-as-
you-go basis.
Nothing seems particularly comph-
Gated to Gov. Landon. He is a plain
man OF even temper, who takes things
as they come. works quietly and tire
lessly to solve the problems that con-
front him and generally succeeds in
finding a solution without a great
DiScards Alfred
In Favor Of All.
Simplicity being his watch word, 1t
was but natural that he should discard
the more dignifed Alfred with which
he was christened in favor of the
shorter, friendly ALI which he now
signs to official documents.
He did not curtail his name for
political purpoSeS-to show the voters
what a plain. man of-the- people he
is. He has been ALI Landon for so
many years his friends have forgot
ten lust when it started, but the
consensus is he officially adopted the
abbreviated form during his years
of prospecting in Kansas and Okla
homa for oil.
Oil-yeS, his critics have sought
10 smear him with the "taint Of oiP'
and all its implications of corporate
greed and corrupt political influence.
But the oil which Alf Landon dug
for and obtained after many dlSap-
pointmentS. came out OF the ground
clean and went to the consumer that
way-and in spite of, rather than be-
cause of, great oil SyndicateS. Landon
always was an independent oil pro-
ducer and as such has stood free
from corporation entanglements which
might now rear their ugly heads at
his candidacy for high Office.
Washington newspaper cor
respondent. William P. Helm, OF the
Kansas City Journal-Post, is credited
IN some quarters with having been
the first TO mention Landon as q
possible nominee of the Republican
party for President. In a dispatch
shortly after Landons stunning vic
tory over his Democratic opponent
in a year when Kansas went over
whelmingly Democratic nationally,
Helm suggested Landon's Variability
for the G. O. P. nomination.
Followers Organize
To Secure Support.
In Kansas, where Landon is q by
word, it was not long before his fol-
lowers were organizing Landon-for-
President Clubs and planning to Sc
cure national support for his candi-
dacy.
But Landon, while obviously recep-
tive to the suggestion that he run for
President would not turn a hand to
promote his own candidacy in the
nation at large.
Repeatedly he baft1ed his supporters
by refusing invitations to go on speak
ing tours or to make radio addresses
on national issues If the people of
the United States wanted him TO run,
he confded to friends, he would do
so and be thankful of the compliment
but he couldn't bring himself around
to campaigning for himself with lot
of campaign pyrotechnicS and torch
parades.
The people of the United State
have never heard OF you" his advisers
would point out. They want to know
who you are and what you have done
and what you think about farm re-
lief and unemployment and other ma
tional problems
Lsndon would shake his head and
smile, it is said, and comment that
as Governor of Kansas he had q Job
TO do and he did not intend to neglect
that very important job for a lot of
Speech-making and ballyhoo. He has
made few radio addresses, but they
scarcely could be recorded as cam
peign documents.
His Personality
Wins New Friends.
Comparatively few persons outside
OF Kansas have heard him in the
flesh and thereby have missed a very
important asset of the Governor of
KanSas-his personality
1t has been said that Landon has
the same knack of making friends
that characteriZes President Roose-
welt. He has dissrming, friendly
smile on pleasant, straight forward
face, fringed at the top, more likely
than not, by unruly strands of his
-streaked hair.
He has viii Rogers air about him,
10 stranger, but he seldom wise
cracks" That does not mean he is
devoid Of sense of humor, for he is
not. He enjoys his family, his home.
his work and life generally. He can
rlde horse almost as we'll as Will
Rogers used to, and he is possessed of
much homely philosophy that comes
OF years in the open. roughing it in
the oil fields of the West.
He has worked hard for his money.
he is reported to have half a million
or more dollars and he has learned
how to save and how to spend Judi
ciously. The thriftiness which he ap-
piled to his own finances he has brought
to the State house with him. He
has proved to be just as careful of
his States money as of his own.
without impairing efficiency or cutting
down on necessary relief expenditures.
SlaShes Salaries
OF State officials.
One of his first moves upon en-
tering the Governors Office was to
order salary cuts of from 10 to IS
per cent of State officials. Prevented
by law from reducing the Governors