I l * T. - SUNOCO - JUNE 11, 1956 THURS. GOOD EVENING', EVERYBODY: Wasi^t that a fine song recital the G.O.P. staged this afternoon? The Convention was called to order, and the star Spangled Banner was sung. Then there was a resounding rendition of Glory, Glory, Hallelulia, and the Bells of Saint Mary — with evangelical fervor. After which the session was adjourned till tonight. That was a shock of disaopointment to the delegates who had assembled in high expectation of big doings. An old lady delegate from Iowa was heard to exclaim in deep disgust that she hadn’t come to Cleveland to attend a revival meeting. She could go to all the revivals she wanted back In Iowa. The surprise adjournment was caused by a rumpus — two of them. The Resolutions committee drafting the platform got into one -- with the Nominating Committee. Which should come first, the chicken or the egg? I mean -- the platform or the nomination? The nominators wanted to nominate first, and LEAD - 2 let the platform come second. The platform builders wanted to have their handiwork of planks to take precedence on the program. The Platform Committee believes, it Is said, that if the grand acclaim of nomination came first, the platform, their own artistic creation, would be lost in anti-climax. to bat this afternoon. They were all tangled uo in a last- minute battle over a couple of planks. And here we find a theatrical flare-up. the break of dawn, in fact. Casey Hogate of the Wall Street Journal tells me the dopsters and prognosticators are so interested in political aspects, that they have missed some of the sheer theatrical quality of today’s Republican doings. All along the name that had the platform carpenters scared was -- pacified the Idaho statesman by taking some of his pet ideas and nailing them firmly In place as planks. For example - Borah’s However, the platform committee was not ready to go The platform dramatics began early today — before Borah LEAD - 5 isolation policy, against the League of Nations, against the WorldCourt.^ The Elder Statesman from the West was satisfied. But__ nobody had thought of Landon, the sure-thing nominee, with e verything set to hand him the big plum* Commonly, you don’t expect a' prospective candidate to get into any platform fights and free-for-alls until he has the nomination in his pocket. He doesn’t jeopardize his chances by creating kx new enemies and enmities. Even Landon with his huge lead might have been expected to keep out of the platform rumpus —> with an easy slide into his own nomination. But not at all. And TF that takes us to the dim hours n of this morning. In a room in the Executive Mansion at Topeka kw a man is sitting at the telephone, the receiver glued to his ear. Long minutes tick by, almost as long as those three“years. He listenes patiently,/^e asks questions. He speaks deliberately, with mx determination. It’s a history-making telephone call* The man is aovernor Landon, the hundred-percent certain LEAD - 4 nominee. Here in Cleveland the platform committee has come to an all-around agreement, with the planks all nicely in place. But r-9 Governor Landon is concerned about the platform. Hence the telephone call; he*s inquiring about it. And the planks are being read to him over the phone. His disagrees with some of theip demands that they be changed, wise Old Guard Easterners putting something over on the in-experienced Westerners. Landon 1 intervened. So there it was: platform business tossed back I into the whirlwind of discussion. 1 ThaVs why the Convention met so expectantly and adjourned so swiftly today. That’s why the platform committee is wrangling, trying desperately to get straightened out for the session tonight. The report is that the bulk of the 1 contention concerns two planks. And they’re about what you*d expect. Each brings up the mention of a fighting word. One says -- Constitution. The other says — Gold. Governor Landon is said to be demanding that who platform L LEAD - 5 shall recommend that the Constitution be amended to permit States to regulate the wages and work of labor. We*ve been told that the Kansas Governor has been in favor of such an amendment ever since the Supreme Court knocked out the New York State law regulating wsrk and wages for women and children. The more conservative platform makers don't want advocate my suggestion of changing the Constitution. They/ the l£bor plank as the committee wrote it — with the expression that work and wages can be regulated by the States under the Constitution as it now stands. Now about that other word — gold. The gold plenk which the committee drafted, omits any mention of that phrase hitherto sacred to Republicanism — the Gold standard. Xkaplaa The plank is a compromise between the hard sunk money and the soft money The rumor is that Governor Landon wants the £> platform declare* for an ultimate return to gold. That’s what they’re scrapping about. It’s only natural that ever since the LEAD - 6 days of Bryan and free silver, the Republican platform without a Sold Standard decoration would seem like the Gospel without the Sermon on the Mount* 6L~ ju *) S jua . 6 '£-***#. r % cr^jgjL nssv-iejiJi |j2sJOi^v^v\, WHAT LANPON IS LIKE While this afternoon*s fight was going on behind closed doors, I spent considerable time trying to find out just what this man is like who is to be nominated for the Presidency by the Republican oarty tonight. One of the wisest men in the state of Kansas is Charles Sessions. He,s the editor of Senator Capper’s paper "The Topeka Capital." Editor Sessions has known Mr,i*andon all his life. He said to me:- "The American people are tired of smiles and showmanship. Governor Landon of Kansas," he added, "is just a straightforward, plain American, not very imposing to look at, but he has wisdom and he’s stubborn as a mule." This prominent Kansas editor added that Governor Landon would turn down his best friend if necessary, if it was for the public welfare. "But", I said, "President Roosevelt has immense personal charm, great powers of persuasion. Two of the principal mediums for reaching the nation now are the screen, and the radio. LANDON IS LIKE - 2 President Roosevelt is considered to be as nearly perfect in handling these mediums as any man alive. What kind of a spectacle will Governor nresent as the opposition candidate?" To this the elderly Kansas editor replied: "True, Mr. Landonfs words are somewhat fuzzy when he speaks over the radio. I know, because I have a radio station, and he often speake there". But, he added, "Governor Landon, I believe, has been taking some special training in public speaking. His skill has been improving during the past year." Just some sidelights on the man to be nominated tonight. HAMILTON 5 ^ The man to nominate Landon, of course, is John. Hamilton, his manager, the brilliant young lawyer from Kars as Oity who will mot certainly play a dominant part in Americai A poll tidal life -- if the Republicans happen to win next November, At any rate, as things, worked out this afternoon. the nomination speeches were not. made, we will hear them this evening, ' And here is a bit of inside dope: When John Hamilton gets through nominating his man for President, the seconding will be done by Colonel Frank Knox, Senator Tandenberg, Senator Steiwer in fact by all the other men who were supposedly in the race, except maybe Borah* -ZTrfcP ^ -fc£e , ; LANBON EEADQ.UARTEBS Between the morning and afternoon sessions I spent considerable time with an old schoolmate, Preston Burtis, a Kansan, We roamed around the Hollenden Hotel corridors, chatting with Landonites, Most of them were talking about who the Governor's running mate is likely to be. Colonel Ted Roosevelt is out here, and his followers say he should get the number two plum. Governor Nice of Maryland is mentioned, I have it on the best possible authority that Robert Taft of Ohio would like to be the second man on the ticket. This came as a surprise to me, because I*d been hearing that Mr, Taft was an aspiring young man who might be built during the next four years, built up as presidential timb er. Governor Bridges of New Hampshire is mentioned, but only in a whisper. As for Congressman Jim Wadsworth of New York, who was often referred to as a Vice-Presidential possibility until a few days ago, his name is no longer in evidence. X sup-nose the person who knows as much about all that I ANDO W READQ,UAPTERS - 2 is going on right now as any one else is Congressman Joe Martin froDa Massachusetts, floor leader for the Landon crowd. His job is to keep in touch with every situation. I scent "'art of the afternoon with him. He assured me that even now no man knows who the Vice Presidential nominee will be. But, he said he could see no reason why Colonel Frank Knox wouldn't be okay even if Illinois and Kansas are neighboring states. For after all, Colonel Knox, although now a Chicago publisher, is a New Englander, still has a home in New Hampshire, and is the publisher of a New Hampshire paper. Many of the Landon!tes are saying that George Peek might make an id^al running mate. Although a Republican* he was associated with the present New Deal administration until he repudiated it, therefore he might help pull the anti-Roosevelt Democratic vote. As for Senator Stelwer, the talk all along has been that he stood a grand chance of at least being the Vice- lamdon headquarters - 3 Presidential nominee, if he didn 't win first place on the ticket. But Senator Steiwer assures me that he doesn't ■x care to toe Vice President, In fact he may not run for the Senate again in Oregon, Feels that he owes it to his family to get out of politics and spend a few years in the worls of commerce, and earn a larger income. But as Frazier put it the Steiwer keynote speech the other night was like a man shooting his horse from under him. But how about Senator Vend into erg of Michigan? He has stated emphatically that he will not run for the Vice-Presidency; made that flat statement a number of times. But, here's a little inside information; The Landonites feel confident Senator Vandentoerg will toe the man. They think iw it will toe impossible for him to avoid taking it when it is offered to him. TICE PRESIDENT DAWES How about asking a former Vice President of the United States who he thinks will be nominated for the Vice Presidency? fllhen the afternoon session took that sudden recess, I walked uptown with one of the Elder Statesmen of the Republican party, as picturesque a vice-president as this country has ever had, of Hell-and Marla, and under-slung-pipe-fame -- General Cherles Dawes. The General says that Senator Vandenberg will not be the Vie© Presidential candidate, And, he* s equally positive as to who will be. His name is Colonel Frank Knox. After I had left former Tic©-President Dawes I scouted around and found that a number of large state delegations have today committed themselves to back Colonel Knox. So it l&oks to me as though the situation is this: Thex© may still be time for Senator Vandenberg to change hi s mind* If so, he * 11 get the second position the slate. Otherwise it will go to Colonel Knox. Former Tice President Dawes assured me that we are going to have a Republican landslide in the election next c November. He said he*s been making a careful analysis of the £i situation, and that all the signs point to a change in DAWES - 2 national administration. I asked him -- why this tremendous Landon popularity? His answer was: "-^or two reaoons -- a hale need budget, and common sense*n General Dawes says that’s what Landon stands for MECHANICAL The mechanical end of this convention has certainly been causing plenty of headaches. As a result of the long break in Senator Steiwer’s keynote speech, some, radio difficulties, and poor amplification in the auditorium, a special corps of sound engineers was rushed here. Tom Sabin, who handles radio matters for the Republican National Committee, tells me that experts from the General Electric Company at Schenectady were rushed here by plane during the night, and he is sure everything order t easier for the crowd in the auditorium tL hear, of any more embarrassing interruptions# is now in no danger This afternoon I heard John Kennedy, NBC news man make an ironic quin. "This," jibed John, "is the most amateurish national convention I ever attended. It should be run by a Major Bowes." But that Kennedy quip may not be as sarcastic as John meant it. Maybe the flavor of Amateur Hour can be traoed to the fact that younger men are in charge. Youth often lacks the experience for smooth manipulation. But youth is also a great power in politics, A young Republican party - that may be the answer. SENATOR MOSES How are convention speeches written? Are they written by the man who delivers them? For instance, did Senator Steiwer write his own keynote speech? Here’s a little side remark that may give you some idea about that: Just before Senator Steiwer was to speak a friend asked former Senator Hoses of New Hampshire whether he was going to A- hear it* To which Senator Moses replied: "I should say so* I certainly want to hear the parts of that speech that I wrote < 4 -