Evening Star Newspaper, July 24, 1936, Page 7

Y0000 N CROWD HEARING LANDON Day-Long Celebration Is Featured by “Typical Prairie Parade.” BY JOHN H. CLINE, 8taff Correspondent of The Star. TOPEKA, Kans, July 24—Amid seenes reminiscent of an older era in American political history, Gov. Alf M. Lendon tonight accepted the Repub- Jican nomination for the presidency while nearly 100,000 “prairie” people punctuated virtually every sentence of his vigorous acceptance speech with ringing cheers. The ceremonies attending the ac- eeptance of the nomination climaxed & day of jubilant celebration featured by a “typical prairie parade,” which wound for two hours before the eyes of thousands of spectators -massed along the line of march. As the parade had for its theme the rugged simplicity of pioneer life in the West from its early days, so did the acceptance speech ceremony sym- bolize Gov. Landon’s distaste for pomp and dramatization. Only Buglers Announce Arrival, With only a quartet of National Guard buglers to announce his arrival, he walked down the south steps of the old State capitol. Spreading fanwise before him to the farthest reaches of the State House grounds stood a wildly | cheering throng that had come through the stifling heat to hear him accept the nomination for the highest public honor this Nation can confer. The multitude under the old. shade trees was overwhelmingly composed of “average” Americans. Sun-browned men had left their coats behind. They do not wear them at home and they did not wear them here. They had | come to hear what Gov. Landon had | to say; not to “dress up” for him, Women, bearing the unmistakable marks of the hard farm life they lead, stood with the men throughout the entire speech. Intently, men and wom- | en hung on his every word, for they | had come to appraise what he had to | offer; not to stage a perfunctory dem- onstration for him. | Accompanying the Governor as he walked on the platform were his wife, his daughter Peggy, his father and Mrs. Landon’s mother. Mrs. Sam E. Cobb. The women obviously were pleased with the tumultuous reception | accorded him, but no hint of emotion | passed across the stern face of his| father, although his eyes never left his | son as the latter was speaking. “America” Opens Ceremony. ‘The ceremony opened with the sing- ing of “America” by the crowd. Most Rev. Francis Johannes, Bishop of Leavenworth, pronounced the invoca- tion. As the Governor arrived brilliant red and green flares placed around the capitol dome were lighted. They could be seen from miles away on the | level prairie country. | As Gov. Landon finished speaking, # short but enthusiastic demonstration was stopped by the brilliant fireworks display. | But before the throng had broken | up there occurred one more instance illustrative of the informality of the | Landons and their neighbors. High | up on a platform out in the crowd a youngster yelled in strident tones, “Hi, there, Peggy.” Smilingly the Gov- ernor's daughter acknowledged this| greeting. ! the driver and passengers dressed in the garb of the early ploneer days. Another feature that appealed to the crowd was an old carriage brought into Kansas in the early 50s. In 1859 this carriage was driven to Troy, across the river from St. Joseph, where Abraham Lincoln climbed in and rode to Leavenworth to make one of his famous speeches. Next came & real prairie schooner, drawn by a two-yoke oxen team. Close behind were & half dozen rigs of pio- horses and guarded by four outriders. ‘The miniature prairie schoouers were furnished for the children, who were dressed as adults of the time when these schooners were the only mode of travel across the plains and the trip from the Missouri River to the West Coast took six months. One float, covered with an “old grey bonnet,” familiar headdress of the pioneer women, was devoted to portraying their contributions to the building of the West. Dressed in the costumes of the early days, the women turned spinning wheels while children carded wool for them. Railroads Not Forgotten, Nor did the stagers of the parade forget the railroads, which, more than any other factor, were responsible for the development of the Western States. Minfature models portraying the development from the crude early trains to the modern stream- lined monsters steamed along to the applause of the spectators. Perhaps by way of illustrating the | manner in which the Landon move- ment is growing, there were two live elephants, both nearly buried under G. O. P. insignias, in the line of & THE CLOCK 902 12th St. N.W. Repair It Now Genuine Materials Used 25 Years' Experience SHOP DI HOT WEATHER STOPS At The Harrington Front Door AIR-CONDITIONED ROOMS 40 SAMPLE 200 GUEST HARRINGTON 11th and E Streets N.W. The demonstragion, prior to his|~ speech, was as spontaneous as any- | thing of its kind can be. Adjt. Gen. M. R. McLean, marshal of the parade, started his preparations only two weeks ago. A well-planned program had been arranged, but this, was sadly disrupted as many of the massed thousands of spectators along the line of march broke through the ranks of Natjonal Guardsmen and Joined the parade. First in line came the familiar “Spirit of 1776, closely followed by | 100 real cowboys, who were brought in from the cow country in the flint hills of Western Kansas for the occasion. ‘The cowboys cavorted down Topeka’s wide streets on rearing horses, tossing &n occasional lariat into the crowds of spectators just for the fun of watch- ing them dodge. 100 Bands in Procession. A total of 100 bands and 15 drum and bugle corps, blaring forth the | strains of “Oh, Suzanna,” the Landon | campaign song, kept the spirits of the | crowd and marchers at a high pitch. | Of outstanding interest was the only | *“Deadwood stage coacn” surviving | from the days when these awkward | vehicles made regular runs from Dead- wood, S. Dak., to Cheyenne, Wyo. take advantage of the new low rates on out-of-town calls daily after 7p.m.and all day on Sundays. THE march. Advance notices had stated there would be only one elephant, and the source of the second was not disclosed. One entire section of the parade was devoted to agriculture, showing the methods of scwing and reaping of the pioneer days in Kansas and the gradual change in methods down to the modern harvesters, binders and TS, The front of one truck was covered with & huge portrait of Gov. Landon, flanked by American flags. Mounted on the back were two life-sized card- board elephants for a flock of EVENING STAR University of Kansas creatures with green bodies and red beaks. The yellow sunflower, which has been selected as the official campaign flower, also came in for its share of attention. Emblazoned with legends, & dozen or more of the huge paper blossoms were carried by loyel Kan- sans. Among the messages were: “He's just & wild prairie flower.” “How's Alf doing for a small town boy?” “So long, Alf—we’ll see you eight years from now.” Hit Back at Farley. Many of the marchers took this opportunity to hit back at James A. WASHINGTON, D. C., Farley’s description of Kansas as & typical prairie State. More than & score of banners proudly proclaimed that the bearer was a “typical prairie voter from a typical prairie town in a typical prairie State.” The Indians had a rare oppor- tunity to demonstrate the endurance that was built into their race in the long years they dwelt on these prairies before the white men shoved them aside. Shortly after noon, representatives from 20 tribes staged an Indian dance on the fair grounds which seemingly went on and one for hours, heat or no heat. But as if this were not FRIDAY, JULY 24, 1936. enough for one day, they, too, joined in the parade and marched proudly past the reviewing stand in which Gov. Landon sat with members of his family and friends. One of the most astonishing fea- tures of the parade were the color schemes of the bands and bugle corps. Red, orange, blue, purple, white. yel,~ low, green and pink were blended in every conceivable combination. The color, in fact, was matched only by the endless energy of the drum majors, both men and women, as they pranced back and forth in the withering heat of the sun. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Lan- don’s popularity with his “nelghbors,” | came after the last formal unit of the parade had passed. Although the spectators had been standing for two hours in the sun, thousands of them surged out on the street in an out- burst of enthusiasm and took up the march where the paraders left off, following the last band around to the State house grounds. After the parade, Gov. Landon re- tired to rest before delivering his ac- ceptance speech, which marked the actual starting of his formal campaign. ‘When the speech was over, the mass fireworks display, marking the end of the celebration. ‘Tired, but still retaining 2 measure of enthusiasm, the crowd started homeward. Their mental attitude wa: summed up by one man who turned to a friend and remarked: “Well, this has sure been a grea) day for Topeka and Landon.” GOING AWAY? Accident and Baggage Insurance Le Roy Goff 1036 Woodward Bldg. NAH. 0340 of listeners stayed to watch a vivid FINAL REDUCTIONS in The National’s July Clearance NO MONEY DOWN! 1 OR 2 YEARS TO PAY Reg. $99.50 10-Piece Dining Room Suite Ten-piece Dining Room Suite, constructed of well-seasoned woods and veneered. with two- tone walnut. estry chair seats. Six-leg extension table and tap- Value beyond comparison! T Reg. $4.95 METAL YACHT $2'98 CHAIR Reg. $14.95 Link Lok Q.95 GLIDER Reg. $69.95 4-Piece Bedroom Suite, Special! The pieces are unusually large for a bedroom suite at such an extremely low price and we feel sure that when you see the rich walnut tinish, you will be proud to have it in your home. TRADE IN YOUR OLD FURNITURE *39 ———— Reg. $89.95 2-Pc. Kroehler Bed Davenport Suite Two-piece Kroehler Bed Davenport Suite . . with button-back chair. Graciously proportioned. Upholstered in a fine grade of tapestry. The davenport opens to a full-size comfortable bed. Reg. $1.19 LAWN 88¢ BENCH Reg. $5.49 LAWN 2 MOWER $3 - *69 TRADE IN YOUR OLD FURNITURE Reg. $69.95 3-Piece Living Room Suite, Special Sofa, club chair and button-back chair covered Serpentine fronts, loose- Built for both service in durable homespun. tilled reversible cushions. aond comfort at this low price. TRADE IN YOUR OLD FURNITURE Reg. $1.69 25-ft. 98‘ HOSE 55 JUNIOR AND BRIDGE LAMPS Specially Priced for Unusual Clearance A variety of colors. One of a kind. 44 This coach has been preserved at Deadwood and was taken apart and shipped to Topeka for the parade. It was hauled by a 4-horse hitch, with JUST TRY IT! WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO STOP TO FILL UP SO OFTEN /F WE DROVE A BUICK! Agreed! And .in addition Reg. $42 8-Piece Complete Studio Outfit Consists of a studio couch that opens to 59 Q95 a full-size or twin beds. Sturdy occa- sional chair, occasional table, table lamp and shade, bridge lamp and shade, end table, magazine rack, metal smoker. Reg. $19.50 56-Piece Breakfast Outfit Consisting of enameled dropleaf table and four chairs to match, a 26-piece set of silver plate ware and a 25-piece set of dishes. An out- standing special! No Money Down! (Floor Samples) Values Up to $10.95 Junior Lamps $2.98 Bridge Lamps $2.69 Occasional Chairs Reduced Regular $249 Windsor Chair, Mahogany or Walnut Finish____ Regular $5.95 Ladder Back Chair - Regular $5.50 Occasional Chair Regular $6.95 Moderne QOccasional Chair Regular $7.95 Occasional Rocker Regular $7.95 Oak Occasional Chair Regular $17.95 Leather Occa- sional Chair. Bone finish frame Regular $14.95 Large Occasional 3|49 53 79 52.98 $369 $495 s3.98 $9.50 389 Reg. $45 Complete Electric Washer Outfit Consists of an electric washer, folding ironing board, guaranteed electric iron and a generous $ supply of Rinso. Everything complete at one low price! Don’t miss this special! Reg. $24.75 5-Piece Guest Room Outfit Consists of heavy poster bed, steel spring, $‘| 7 95 soft comfortable mattress, and two pil- lows. An unusually fine group at an un- usually low price! No Money Down! to thrifty habits, Buick LIST PRICE AT THE FACTORY, FLINT, MICH. -‘—-nbbn-uuan. FREE PARKING Yot National Furniture Co. SEVENTH AND H STREETS