Ke Alakai o Hawaii, Volume IX, Number 27, 15 October 1936 — Republicans Believe Landon Is "Safe"--For Them! [ARTICLE]

Republicans Believe Landon Is "Safe"--For Them!

When the National Association of Manufacturers decided at their annual convention last October to resort to the tactics of Mark Hanna and proceeded to adopt a "political platform," there was frequent use of the phrase "American system" in their credo, as being what they were anxious to return to with the minimum of delay. At that time there was not such pronounced "freedom of the press" in vogue. Even the orthodox Republican papers interpreted the ' American systena" to mean "the status quo anle," the era of unrestraint before Roosevelt, when there no Fiiper vision over issuance of securities; interest rates and bonuses were high, wide and handsome; the stock exchanges operated 6nly u£der their private codes of ethicsAbove all, no thougrht had been given to collective bargaining with employees, or better working conditions, or helping home owners and farmers from foreclosure of high interest mortgages, This, we learned, was what was meant by the "American system" and later we were to hear it- expressed in a diffeernt way by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States and Col. Frank Knox, the Republican nominee for Vice President, Plainly the Chicago eolonel was impatient at having *to waft- on Gov. Landon's long deferred speech of acceptance~before he could launeh his vehement demand for a of "free enterprise." The chamber hād called it competltion". Knox demanded ,a letting r down of bars*by the States as well as the Federai government and a straight-a-way course. However, it remained for the GOP Presidential nominee to employ the exf}ressiōn mueh more frequently and fc-rvently in his remarkable speech at Portland, Maine, With the zeal of a convert he chanted the phrase "freedom of enterprise" to the point of boredom and then he actual!y grew defiant. "To me," he said, "the Republican platform means ... ēnactment of such additioiial legislation as is necessary to put an end to monopoly ... and all special privilege ... If you do not belicve this, you had better not vote for me. For'l am pledged by the Eepublican platform to save our system of free etiterprise." There were monopolists sitting out front cheering the goyernor's monotonous mouthings about destroying monoPoly who did not believe him. They believed the estimate of him sent out to its customers by the Continental Bank Trust Company of New York last January to the effeet that Landon is '*safe/' So did the duPonts, the Morgans, the Archbolds, the ftockefellers, et al, who, in their own names, according to books of the Republican State committee reported by the Senatfe Committee on Campaign Bxpenditures, sent | a bountiful supply of cash into the Pine Tree State. Led i six stalwart Liberty Leaguers, who in August publicly announced they would not support any political party this year, these outsiders put up three-fourths of the entire G O P c*mpaign fund in Maine. Evidently they believed Gov. Landon would adhere to their interpretation oI the Republican platforiri, And in his speech he lost no time in convincing them. The burden of the Landon speeeh in Maine was sever,e criticism of the NKA, whieh he supported vigorously as governor of Kansas and vehemently as chairman of a eommittee of oil men in adopting the petroleum code, Wliile serving in that capacity he boldly demanded "the iron hand of a dictator for the oil industry.'' This admonition \vas rejepted by President Roosevelt, yet at Portland Candidate Landon accused tlie President of being a dictator and "waiiting to estjablish goveniment domination of industry and a^neuUu^e/" "Do we want the government forl)idding us to plant what we want ln our fields?" he askejd at Portland, de«pite his knowledge of the fact that farmers signed under the AAA of their own free will. Ami also despite the fact that the farni plank 111 the Republie hn platform support« the present farm program! The unvarnished truth is that there was no more voand seemīngīy sinoero supporier of the New peal in either party than Gov, T-andon, /" The only explanation of his Buffalo ind Portland speeches is that instead of thle plainfojks rfnsan haviag

"made over" the Republican party, as ( Biil' White and other deluded Jayhawkers hoped ( he Kimself has been made over by the voracious sea-rchers after freedom of enterprise.