LANDON NOMINATED

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 June 1936, Page 7

LANDON NOMINATED

REPUBLICANS UNANIMOUS OUTLINE OF PLATFORM [BY CABLE —PBESS ASSN. COPYRIGHT.] CLEVELAND, June 12. The Republican Party’s platform, in social and economic questions, is in many respects a mirror of the Democrat Party New Deal, save that it advocates the delegation of the powers and responsibilities to the States, instead of to the Federal Government. It advocates the distribution of relief through local agencies, with Federal grants in aid of these, but the States to share the cost of such relief. It also advocates that there only be meritorious public works undertaken. It condemns President Roosevelt’s social security law, and advocates, instead, necessary payments to citizens over the age of sixty-five to protect them from want. The funds for this would be obtained direct from wide-spread Federal taxation. The platform further advocates unemployment insurance to be undertaken by the States.

In a Labour plank, it acknowledges Labour’s right to collective bargaining “by representatives of their own choosing,” which is the language of Section 7 A of the National Industrial Recovery Act. It further approves of the adoption of State laws and of inter-State compacts to abolish sweat-shops, and child labour, and to protect women and children in respect of maximum hours and minimum wages. It says: “This can be done within the Constitution as .it now stands.”

The agricultural plank opposes crop control. It advocates a “national land use programme,” also family-type farms, some system of export bounties for surplus agricultural products, and the protection of American farmers against the importation of livestock, dairy, and agricultural products.

The controversial monopoly plank

in the platform was a victory for Senator Borah. He dictated its wording. Private monopoly is condemned. The enforcement of criminal as well as civil Isyws against monopolies and trusts is promised. Finally, the regulation of business is advocated by new, independent tribunals under specific laws.

Twice the Convention assembled and twice went into recess because the Platform Committee were unable r.o come to any agreement on the exact phraseology of the planks. Senator Borah was summoned during the day again to make his wishes known. The platform, when finished, was about 3,500 words long. It combines ..11 of the old traditional expressions in which political promises are framed, and yet it combines therewith, to ■ n extraordinary degree, new phrases. The “New Deal,” to that extent, will give the Democrats a marked psychological advantage. The platform makes the following pledges on issues of international significance:—lt affirms faith in the protective tariff, and advocates the repeal of the reciprocal trade agreement law, and the end of the secret negotiation of trade agreements. It promises a restoration of the principle of a flexible tariff, and it opposes further -devaluation of the dollar. The platform demands the repeal of all laws whereby Congress delegates to the President the power to issue and regulate currency. It advocates international stabilisation of currency, but it does not indicate when it is to be done.

The foreign affairs plank opposes foreign alliances or political commitments, as demanded by Senator Borah, and it opposes American entry to the world court, or the League of Nations. It advocates international cooperation. It urges the limitation of armaments and of the traffic in arms. It pledges every effort to collect the war debts, and condemns the Roosevelt Government’s failure to re-open negotiations with the debtor nations. 1 The platform was unanimously adopted immediately that its reading was finished by the chairman. LANDON’S OBJECTIONS After a few moments of the approval of the platform, the States’ delegations, from Alabama and Illinois, deferred to Kansas and Governor Landon’t campaign manager, Mr. John Hamilton rose and read a telegram from Governor Landon, which caused a wild sensation. It stated that he disagreed with two of the planks of the platform. He said, first that, if necessary, he will approve of a Constitutional amendment for the protecting of women and children in industry in respect of wages and hours. Second, he stated that he interprets sound currency to mean currency in terms of gold, and convertible into gold: but that the latter would not be sought until it can bp achieved without injury to domestic economy and foreign trade. Mr. Hamilton then put the name of Air. Landon for nomination, and the delegates began the expected demonstation, headed by the Kansas banners. Virtually all of the State delegations, aided by every conceivable noise-making device, paraded on the Convention floor. It was in the best manner of American Conventions —

noisy and very artificial. Governor Landon’s daughter and father were occupying a box in one corner of the hall. Two enterprising wireless men, walking seemingly over the heads of the spectators, hurled the microphone towards Miss Peggy Landon. She laughed, but, aside from sending a “hello” to her father, who. was listening in at Topeka, she would say nothing. No other State would offer a candidate. There were only seconding speeches by Senator Vandenberg and other aspirants and representatives, who announced their withdrawal, and the path was quite clear for Governor Landon.

The hall was in tremendous excitement, as State by State the voting started. One by one, the chairmen of the various Delegations rose to cast their full voting strength for Governor Landon. It was an unbroken parade, until the West Virginia State Chairman, Mr. Bachman, who is Senator Borah’s manager, cast sixteen votes for Governor Landon, and one —his own —for Senator Borah. Sixteen of the Wisconsin delegates voted for Senator Borah, and six for Governor Landon’. At the end of the poll call, however, the Wisconsin delegation put forward a motion that the nomination be made unanimous, and this was carried with a thunderous burst of applause. Following Mr. Hamilton’s nomination speech, there was a rush by the previous opposition candidates to express their approval of Governor Landon. In addition to half a dozen

scheduled addresses, every candidate, with the exception of Senator Borah, who had departed for Washington, spoke in seconding the nomination of the Kansas Governor. These included Senator Knox, Messrs. Nice, Dickinson and Vandenburg. The strong pledge to Governor Landon given by Mr. Vandenberg was taken by many as an indication that he would accept the Viced’residential nomination, the voting tor which was postponed until to-morrow. > “In this Convention, I belong to but one block, and it has but one slogan ‘Stop Roosevelt!’” said Mr. Vandenburg.

after he had left Cleveland, Senator Borah added something of a discordant note to an otherwise seemingly harmonious Republican situation. According to reports from Akron, he is stunned at Mr. Landon’s interpretation of the currency plank as meaning a return to gold and controvertibility of currency to gold when possible, and also Mr. Landon’s insistence on support for ’a constitutional amendment, ;to allow-the States tn protect labouring; wofnep and children if other means fail to gain the desired objective. • ‘ ..J 7 < KNOX AS .yiCErPRESIDENT. (Recd. Jupe 13#'1i).30 a.m.) v • CLEVELAND. June 12. plr. Knox- was nominated as VicePresident, at the Republican Convention.