THE PRESIDENCY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 165, 13 June 1936, Page 9

THE PRESIDENCY.

SENATOR LANDON NOMINATED. REPUBLICAN CHOICE. UNANIMOUS VOTE. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) CLEVELAND, June 11. Mr Alfred Landon, Governor of Kansas, has been nominated by the Republican Convention as the party’s candidate for the Presidency of the United States. Within a few moments of the approval of the piatlorm, States from mlabama to Illinois deferred to Kansas and Mr Landon’s campaign manager, Mr John Hamilton, rose and read a telegram irom Mr Landon which caused a mild sensation. It stated tliat lie disagreed with two planks ol tne piatlorm. First, if necessary, he will approve a constitutional amendment protecting women and children in industry in respect to wages and hours. Secondly, that ho interprets sound currency to mean currency in terms or golu and convertible into gold, but tne latter is not to be sougnt until it cau bo achieved- without injury to domestic economy and foreign trade. x\o otner State would offer a candidate. There were only seconding speeches by Senator Vandenberg and other aspirants' representatives who announced tneir witndriwval-and tho path was quite clear for Mr Landon. lire han was in tremendous excitement as the State-by-State voting started. Ono by one the chairmen or various delegations rose and cast their lull voting strength for Air Landon. it was an unbroken parade until the west Virginia chairman, Mr Buchman, Senator Dorati's manager, cast id votes lor Mr Jjandon and one, his own, tor Senator Borah. Sixteen of the Wisconsin delegates voted for Senator Borah and six for Mr Landon. At the end of the poll call, iiowever, the Wisconsin delegation put forward a motion that tue 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 previous opposition candidates to express approval of Mr Landon. In addition to half a dozen, scheduled addresses, every candidate with the exception ox Senator Borah, who had departed for \\ ashingtou, spoke in seconding the nomination of the Kansas Governor. These included Colonel lvnox and Senators Nice, Dickinson and Vanden-bc-rg, whose strong pledge to Mr Bandon was taken by many as an indication that he would accept the VicePresidential nomination, voting for which was postponed until to-morrow. “In this convention 1 belong to but one block, and it has but one slogan, ‘Stop Roosevelt,’ ” said Senator Vanden berg. Even after he left Cleveland, Mr Borah added something of a discordant note to the otherwise seemingly harmonious Republican situation. According to reports from Akron, he was stunned at Mr La.ndon’s interpretation of the currency plank as meaning a return to gold convertibility when possible, and his insistence on support of a constitutional amendment to allow States to protect labouring women and children ir other means tail to gain tho desired objective. REPUBLICAN PLATFORM. Twice the Republican convention assembled and twice it went into recess because the platform committee was unable to come to an agreement on the exact phraseology of tho planks. Senator Borah was summoned during the day to make his wishes known. The platform when finished was about 3500 words long. It combines all the old traditional expressions in which political promises were framed, yet combines with them to an extraorainary degree New Deal phrases. To that extent it will give Democrats a marked psychological advantage. It makes the following pledges on issues of international significance: It affirms faith in protective tariffs and advocates the repeal of the reciprocal trade agreement law and the end of secret negotiation of trade agreements; it promises the restoration of the principle of a flexible tariff and opposes further devaluation of the dollar; it demands the repeal of all laws whereby Congress delegates to the President power to issue and regulate currency; it advocates international stabilisation of currency, but 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 opposes American entry into the World Court or the League of Nations, and advocates international co-operation for limitation of armaments and traffic in arms; it pledges every effort to collect war debts and condemns tho Roosevelt Government’s failure to reopen negotiations with debtor nations. On social and economic questions the platform in many respects is a mirror of the New Deal save that it advocates delegation of powers and responsibilities to States instead of the Federal Government. It advocates distribution of relief through local agencies, with Federal grants in aid, but. States to share the cost of such relief. It also advocates only meritorious public works and condemns President Roosevelt’s Social Security Law and advocates instead necessary payments to citizens over 65 to protect them from want. Funds for this would be obtained direct from widespread Federal taxation. The platform further advocates unemployment insurance by States. The labour plank acknowledges labour’s right to collective bargaining “by representatives of their own choosing,” which is tho language of section 7a of the National Industrial Recovery Act. It further approves tho adoption ot State laws and inter-State compacts to abolish sweatshops and child labour and protect women and children in respect of maximum hours and minimum wages. “This can be done within the Constitution as it now stands.” The agricultural plank opposes crop control and advocates a “national land use programme,” family-type farms, some system of export bounties for suiplus agricultural products and protection for American farmers against the importation of live stock and dairy and agricultural products. Ihe controversial monopoly plank was a victory for Senator Borah. He dictated its wordin" Private monopoly is condemned and’ the enforcement of criminal as well as-civil laws against monopolies and trusts is promised for Friday. Finally regulation of business is advocated by new independent tribunals under specific laws. . The platform was unanimously adopted immediately the leading ivas finished by tlie chairman.

Alfred Landon went to Kansas when ho was about 10 years old, with Ins father, John Landon, of the State of Pennsylvania. Ho married young, but Ins wife died when

his daughter, Peggy Ann, was born. She is 18 now. Then followed years of oil business and a little politics from behind the scenes. He was chairman of the Republican : -■<» Central Committee for a number of years. THE VICE-PRESIDENCY. SENATOR KNOX NOAIINATED. Received June 13. 9 a.m. CLEVELAND (Ohio), June 12. Senator Knox was nominated for Vice-President at the Republican Convention. Senator Knox’s nomination occurred promptly after Senator Vandenberg. who was Senator Landon’s choice for a running mate, addressed a letter to the convention asking that his name he withdrawn. A dozen aspirants for the position were put to nomination by zealous friends, hut while the stream of oratory continued behind it tlio party leaders went about the business of choosing between Senator Vandenberg and Senator Knox, the former’s relinquishment making possible the selection of the Chicago publisher at the first ballot without a single dissenting vote. The convention then adjourned sine die after a telegram from Senator Landon was read stating that “this road would lead to victory in November.”