Landon disappoints by playing politics with human misery (Washington Daily News, Sept. 28, 1936, p. 2)

Landon Disappoints by Playing Politics With Human Misery Governor deserves credit, says Clapper, for championing pro gressive ideas, but his good in appear meaningless tentions when he proposes to junk se curity program instead of offer ing promised plan to make it workable. By RAYMOND CLAPPER Gov Landon is in advance of his party in recognizing that the Federal Government must play a larger role in the affairs of its citizens than in the pre-depression past. Handicapped by a party which contains strong reactionary elements, his ef fort to champion progressive ideas entitles him to-much more zredit than his critics have been inclined to extend. It is all the more disappointing, therefore, that in his Mil waukee speech on social security, Gov. Landon, who promised suggestions to make the Federal act workable, actually pro poses to demolish it and substitute an old age dole for the needy. The Administration knows the present act is not perfect. Numerous amendments are awaiting introduction at the next Tinkering will be necessary for years. -ession of Congress. Instead of assisting in this perfecting process, Landon proposes to throw the basic features of the act out of the window. More regrettable. he makes a political football of the Gov enment's belated attempt to deal with a problem which has long received the attention of every other modern nation. In administering any program of social security, the Government must keep records. For Landon to denounce this necessary accessory to the task of staving off want among the unem ployed and the aged as a species of Federal bureaucratic snoop ing is to incite ignorant fears and prejudices. It is playing politics with human misery. Landon proposes repeal of the unemployment insurance title of the Security Act. This provision provides for a Federal pay roll tax, 90 per cent of which is to be rebated when em ployers contribute to state unemployment systems. Landon proposes to turn the whole matter back to the states, bo that they can experiment. This amounts to abolishing unemploy ment insurance. In the first place, states have not shown the least tendency to experiment in the absence of Federal inducements, such as are provided by the present act. Only Wisconsin and Ohio did anything on their own. In state after state, when un employment insurance legislation came up, business men ap peared and said the tax would be ruinous unless industry in other states were also put under similar taxation. They in sisted that unemployment insurance must be applied in all states to avoid penalizing industries in any one state. In the second place, the Federal act leaves to states full latitude to experiment. They can set up any type of insur ance they wish--and of 14 states which have acted, no two systems are the same. The Federal Government insists only upon certain administrative standards to prevent waste in overhead, and upon linking unemployment insurance with public employment offices to prevent cheating. In fact some of Landon's supporters denounce the plan, not for his reason that it prevents state laboratory experimentation, but because it does not require uniform systems. Great Britain has had unemployment insurance for 25 years. It has a long history in many other countries. If we are not ready to try it in America now, when will we be? Landon also proposes to junk old age insurance. In its place he would substitute an old age dole, so that every citizen over 65 would receive a "supplementary payment necessary to give a minimum income sufficient to protect him or her from want". He proposes to provide this fund thru a special tax, "visible and widely distributed." This can mean only one of two diametrically opposed taxes--either a sales tax which bears with undue weight upon the poor, or an income tax in which low exemptions would have to be practically abolished to bring everyone under it. It is important to know which method Landon has in mind. His strongest point of attack is against the heavy reserves These were forced contemplated under the insurance plan. Into the act against the advice of many experts by Treasury Secretary Morgenthau. They probably will be drastically cut down. However, few students of social security would abolish the thrift idea of insurance, whereby a person saves for his old age and draws payments based upon his earnings, and substi tute for this an old age dole. The act now provides for an old age dole to protect the seedy not covered by the insurance plan. It is a supplemental backstop. Landon would make it the whole program. The Landon plan is similar to that advocated at the Univer sity of Virginia recently by Winthrop W. Aldrich, chairman jf Chase National Bank. Both drew their basic material from Charles P. Taft III, a Landon adviser. When the present social security bill was pending in Congress, Taft joined in a telegram to Congress and the White House saying that while there was disagreement regarding suggested amendments, all signers agreed "on the broad principles of the economic security bill and the necessity for immediate action." But that was in the summer of 1935, not 1936. Landon Campaign Takes on Aspect of New Deal •---"_ Kansan Espousing Good Measure of Administration Aims Nominee Shoves G. O. P. Into World Movement to Adjust Economies to Modern Needs By THOMAS L STOKES CHICAGO--Gov. Alf M. Lan don, by espousing a sizable chunk of the New Deal on his midwestern tour, moved the Republican Party in five days to an advanced position which few would have thought pos sible a few months ago. Taking his commitments at face value, whether he or President Roose velt is elected, the country seems as-ured of following the New Deal course as regards a national farm program, old age pensions, and a reciprocal tariff to open up new for eign markets, tho the Republican candidate would revise these reforms and hedge them about with modifica irons SHOVES PARTY ALONG Landon has shoved the Republican Party, in some important particulars, into the world movement to adjust national economies to machine age requirements and world economic changes. It would seem to be conclusive proof, according to expert observers, that the American people are de manding that its leaders bring a fresh viewpoint to social and eco nomic problems of the day. Gov Landon is seeking. in some respects, to push the Republican Party up to the position occupied by President Roosevelt who recognized the trend four years ago, and has acted hurriedly of necessity, to re vamp and overhaul the nation's eco nomic and social machinery. The general objectives of both Roosevelt and Landon on the issues discussed in the Mid West tour would Mem to be fundamentally alike. The Republican candidate is sharply criti cal of the method in some cases, holds the processes too hasty, condemns over-centralization of administration and thinks the cost has been exces sive. 'SECOND GUESSER' Landon. as Democrats are pointing out, has the natural advantage of the "second guesser," the "Monday morn ing quarterback." His is the role of the critic who comes along to pick flaws in the job. Democratic counter-strategy. as far as the campaign goes, already is fore cast in the opening replies of Admin istration figures. They claim that achievement, even tho faulty. is more potent than promises. They cast doubt upon Landon's ability to carry thru his aims against the pull and pressure of the millionaire, big busi ness wing of the party exemplified in the Morgan-Dupont-Rockefeller con tingent Landon's farm program, in which he went beyond the New Deal with the promise of additional subsidies, is a far cry from the position taken by the Cooldge-Hoover-Mellon dynasty, not Landon Denounces 'Waste' in Relief Policy I'll Let Ya Know Where I'm Staying Maul only in its underlying philosophy, but in the cost LEAN'S TO CONSERVATIVES The Republican candidate stood with the conservative element in his party by attacking the Federal-State Un employment Insurance Plan of the Administration and favoring a state scheme experimental in character. But he refused to go all the way with this element, including such leaders as Winthrop W Aldrich, Chase Na tional Bank president, who would cut away the entire old-age pension, un employment insurance structure of the New Deal except pensions for the needy aged. There are many New Deal measures and objectives distasteful to the big business and financial supporters upon which Landon has not clarified his position, and which, incidentally, are close to the hearts of the rank and file voter in the big cities and else where. Labor still is not certain where he stands. He has not disclosed his pol icy on power and utilities. He has said nothing of the various banking and financial reforms of the Roose velt Administration. He has not ex plained whether his demand for "un shackling private enterprise" means that these are to be revised or modi fied and if so, how. These are subjects interesting to a large part of the electorate-- the av erage citizen as investor, the average citizen as recipient of benefits in the giant TVA project, the average citi zen as beneficiary of cheaper electri city. Beyond his speech on social security at Milwaukee Saturday he has not touched on the manifold problems touching the wage earner in the big cities who make up such a large bulk of the vote in the East where he must run very strong if he is to go to the White House. His appeal thus far in the East has been to the business man and banker largely. Voters await with keen Interest the second and final phase of his cam paign. BROWDER SAYS LANDON WOOS TOWNSENDITES By United Press MILWAUKEE --Earl Browder, Communist presidential candidate, speaking in the same hall where Gov. Alf Landon delivered his so cial security speech 24 hours earli er, said last night the Republican nominee's address was "a bid for Townsend support." "While raging against President Roosevelt's miserly social security program, the Republicans are ef fectively wooing the Townsend s movement, sometimes using Lemke for the role of John Alden to its Miles Standish, sometimes courting directly," Browder said. 'All My Life I Have Been Prudent,' Kansan Tell Crowd After Visit With Ex-Gov. Lowden G.O.P. Nominee Demands End of 'Political Favoritism' By United Press EN ROUTE TO TOPEKA-- Gov. Alf Landon brought his first farm belt campaign to a close today with a demand for termination of "waste, incom petence and political favorit ism" in work relief agencies. Campaigning homeward thru Illi nois. Iowa and Missouri after a visit with former Gov. Lowden. Landon charged the Roosevelt Administra tion with having "resisted every ef fort to make jublic the pay rolls of those who conduct its relief agencies." "The elimination of waste of relief money is the first step toward the elimination of waste thruout the Federal services," he declared, after praising Lowden as "one of the most understanding friends the American farmer ever had." "Sweeping publicity is imperative," Landon announced. "The manner in which the present Administration has hadden the details of its evtravagance is a measure of its waste. "If the Administration- were honest with the people who thru hidden taxes must pay the incredible bills, there would be none of this se- j crecy. "All my life I have been prudent As governor with my own money. of Kansas I have been careful with the money of the people of my state. As Chief Executive of this nation I would consider it my first duty to an equal care with the exercise money of the American people." A big crowd greeted Landon when he boarded his special train at By ron after spending the night at Low Hen's estate. MIGHTY KIND' "It is mighty kind of you good peo ple of Byron to give me this friendly welcome this morning," Landon said. "The American people are the most generous people in the world. They look upon relief of the needy unem ployed as a matter of plain duty. They insist that a helping hand be given their less fortunate fellow citi zens until the unemployed can get real work at real wages. "But the American people know it is not helping the needy unemployed for the Government at Washington to squander relief funds on useless projects, or misappropriate them for the building of a gigantic political macihne." CHARGES 'CRUEL HOAX' During his farm state tour Landon presented his farm program in twoi speeches at Des Moines and Minne apolis, calling for a free and inde pendent agriculture, demanding a comprehensive soil conservation pro gram and a system of cash benefits to give farmers the equivalent to an effective tariff. He denounced "man agement from Washington" and as sailed the Administration's reciprocal trade policy as robbing the .farmer of. his market. He struck one of the most vigorous blows of the campaign at the "cruel hoax" of the Administration's social security legislation, which he decried as a "fraud on the workers," and which he said probably would result in the "good spenders" at Washing ton using the reserve built up by old age insurance payments to finance "deficits and new extravagances' so that only "roll after roll of neatly executed I. O. U.'s" would be left to pay workers benefits. He called for substitution of a pay-as-you-go old age pension plan to be administered by the states and financed by a di rect, visible and widely distributed tax. He did not reveal a specific plan, however. Democrats of N. Y. Meet to Greet F. D. Republicans, Convening at Al bany, Seem to Favor Justice Bleakley for Nomination By United Press NEW YORK--Republican Kaders of this state convened at Albany today, the Democrats at Syracuse. The G. O. P. convention is considered almost certain to nominate State Supreme Court Justice William F. Bleakley of Westchester for governor; the Demo crats will renominate Herbert H. Leh man for a third term. A survey of the Republican dele gates showed 528 tentatively pledged to Blakeley, with 347 nominally fa voring State Sen. George R. Fearon. The nomination requires a total of 615 votes. Highlight of the Democratic ses sion will come at 10:30 p. m. tomor row, when President Roosevelt, speak ing from the Syracuse armory, will formally launch his 1936 re-election campaign. Roosevelt's campaign strategists-- like those of Gov. Alf Landon--con sider New York state a major battle ground and Democrats believe the President's aid is essential if the state's 47 electorate votes are to go to the New Deal on Nov. 3. LANDON CONGRATULATES WOODRING ON PROMOTION By United Press EN ROUTE TO TOPEKA--Gov. Alf Landon today sent the follow ing telegram to Harry H. Woodring, newly appointed acting head of the War Department: "As one Kansan to another, and as old Third District neighbors, please accept my heartiest con gratulations on the high honor that has been paid you. Alf M. Landon*