Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-11
CROPS BIG FACTOR
/. INPOLITcAL RACE
Bumper Yield Would Ease
! Farmers Wrath Against
Republicans.
By FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
Wind and weather, with attendant
good crops in the Western agricul
tural country this Summer, win prove
IN the Judgment OF farm leaders. To
be of far-reaching political effect
What they mean is that II the farm
ers are blessed with q. satisfactory
harvest In the wheat and corn coun'
try, and correspondingly favorable
prices, much OF the Crouch" VIII be
removed from their radical demands
for Government aid.
Good crops, these leaders declare
will not entirely make the farmers
forget their troubles. But they Will
take the bile out of the clanoE
with which these troubles were ven.
tilated In Washington last Winter and
Spring and put the ruralists' spokes'
men in humor to approach the Soiu-
ton of farm troubles from the eco.
nomic rather than the emotional
standpoint.
By the same process of reasoning
the Weather Bureau has become an
important ally of the Coolidge admin
istration and the Republican party.
That is to say, If Mother Nature Is
kind to the Western farmer in 1926.
he will vote his normally Republican
gympathies and not go to the congress.
sional polls in November with blood
in his eye as far as G. o. p. candi.
dates are concerned. Bumper crops
and high prices are certain to save
many g. nominee for House and Sen
etc now in danger Of defeat because
of farm discomfort with Coolidge az.
ricultural policies.
Axes to Be Resharpened.
The meteorological aspect Of the DO
litical situation has not dulled the
edge Of the ak the discounted and
disgruntled farm leaders are swing
ing. The ak, indeed. is to be resharp
ened during the Summer and Autumn,
and If 1t happens that the farmer Is
In worse rather than better mood
after the harvest, the corn belt crowd,
which led its hosts to defeat on Cap
itol Hill in May and June, VIII clear
for action at Washington in Decem-
Der in more determined spirit than be-
fore. This writer can make thar
statement on high authority. It
comes from directly inside the Nc
Nary-Haugen high commands head
quarters.
Three successive defeats for Nc
ry-Haugenism In as many years
have not taken tho fight out OF its
supporters. They were within half q
dozen votes of victory, In the Senate
in June Their plans were wrecked
at the eleventh hour by the refusal
Of the cotton belt South to make com
mon cause with the corn belt Mid
west and the wheat belt Northwest
When next they scale the enemy 8
heights, the McNary- Haugenites be-
lieve they win have a working ALI
ance between South and West in in
vfncible shape.
New plans for Washington cam
paign will be formulated at Reno,
New, on July 26 and % at regional
conference Of farm States. 1t win In
effect be renewal of the famous Des
Moines meeting in January, when the
recent congressional drive for the
McNaIy- Haugen scheme was launched.
The star performer at Reno Will be
Sam H. Thompson of Illinois, the new
president of the American Farm Bu-
reau Federation and prime mover In
recent developments at Washington.
Before reaching Nevada. Thompson
will make speeches all the way across
the country. He's going to dwell. In
chapter -and-verse fashion, on the vot-
ing records of Representatives and
Senators when farm legislation was
before Congress this past session.
Ten or dozen States In which
these men are up for reelection viii
Ne crossed by Thompson. and those
who were not with the corn-belt bloc
will be in for some powerful cas1ga-
ton at Thompsor's haniis-and, OF
course, their constituents viii be asked
10 punish them without stint.
Before going to Reno, Thompson
VIII confer with other McNary-
HIaugenites in Chicago and map out
the Summer and Autumn drive
against their opponents. Their plans
contemplate not only political punt
tive measures, but the widening OF
their organization among grain-grow-
ing farmers Of all classes. The Nc
Nary-Haugen legislation fell afoul in
Washington of the feeling that 1t was
conceived so largely in the interest
of corn that raisers of other produce
wheat and cattle, for instance-were
being unfairly Disseminated against.
It is now proposed to league all ttllers
OF the Western soil for the purpose Of
making agriculture safe for McNary-
Haugenism.
Among the leaders to assemble In
Chicago are Gov. Hamill Of Iowa, q
strong prepayment Of the cornrbelt pro-
gram, and George n. Peek of Moline,
H., who was the field marshal Of
the McNary- Haugen forces at Wash
ington from March till July. The next
drive of the cornrbelters and their
nODGQ-IOT allies VIII DC eSo6I1LId1ly d
drive against the tariff. According to
Thompson's statements. this will be
attacked as 'prfce-fxing" on all fours
with the scheme the corn-belters ask
for. The point will be raised, not for
the first time, but reaffirmed with
fresh vigor, that industry has protec-
ton through the customs tariff; that
labor has protection through the inn
migration law, and that banking has
protection through the Federal Re-
serve act.
Agriculture Held Unguarded.
Only agriculture, 1.-THE basic indus
try" ID left without protection, ac-
cording to the McNary- Haugenite
argument. They do not admit that
the tariff on cereals, which gives the
American farmer absolute control of
his home market, is protection in any
real sense, because the United States
produces so much Of its own food
stalffs that importations do not enter
into the picture at all.
The American Farm Bureau Fed
erakion has issued O circular letter
Blaming the defeat of the McNary.
Eaugen bills upon pressure from the
Coolidge administration" and upon the
influence OF Eastern Industrial inter
ests. 1.-THE defeat of the measure In
the Senate" the statement, says, lis
attributed to several factors, any one
Of which was important enough to be
a deciding factor, 50 close was the
vote Gas to 39). The pressure exerted
by the administration against the
measure, the refusal OF a majority OF
Southern Senators to Join hands with