Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-06-09
RETURNS FROM IOWA

Incomplete returns from Iowa lndi-
cate the choice Of Smith Wildman
|Brookhart. insurgent, in place or
Senator Cummins. as senatorial can
didate on the Republican ticket for
the fall election. Readers recall that
Brookhart was recently unseated, the
decision being that at the last
election his competitor. Daniel F.
Steck, Democrat, was elected. Previ-
Gus to that the Republican Senate
caucus had decided that Brookhart
was not a Republican, having in the
election of 1924 bolted the Republic
can.national ticket. giving~aid to La
Toilette and Wheeler. Indeed. there
seemed nothing else to do unless we
are to abandon party organization
and degenerate into blocs, making
halls Of legislation little different
from horse marts where horse
jockeys may decker. From such
msthods some of the foreign govern
msnts are seriously suffering.
Both Brookhart and Cummins
championed the Haugen bill, but in
other respects Cummins has been
supporter OF the administration.
Coolidge Is anathema to Brookhart,
20 1t will be said that Iowa rebukes
the administration. However, Iowa
isn't done with this matter, which
cannot be settled until this fall, whe,.
Brookhart may again find he has in
sufficient votes. Surely a Democrat
from Iowa would be no less a sup
porter of the administration than
would Brookhart.
Those. who have been, voting
against the Haugen bill, and who
must look to the support Of the
speculative. one-crop farmers, who
1aise wheat and corn. will as result
Of these returns feel somewhat un-
easy, though not many of the states
are in .Iowa's plight. There are many
farmers. who, Notwithstanding their
conviction that somehow agriculture
in this country is working at dis
advantage, a disadvantage very serl-
Gus in certain localities. are never
theless unconvinced that the Gov
eminent by paying a subsidy prem
ium to those. who under the stimu-
lus would increase what already is
too large an acreage, will materially
y
too. recognize that the underlying
principle Is unsound and cannot
prove Of more than temporary relief
at the expense Of the future.
But Iowa farmers want more
money. Though that is one of the
most fertile parts of the country. IT'S
rich soil has been mined, as Ford
expresses 1t. Under the stimulus
of war prices and profits the values
of Iowa farm lands increased, it is
said by conservative judges, beyond
the point where they may be titled
under normal conditions with profit
to the tiller. Many sold their lands
and retired with enough to live upon.
Others invested their money, even
their Liberty bonds in "get- rich
quick" schemes. 1t is said that state
and Nebraska were swindled to the
limit by the bunk stock gentry,
aided in too many instances by
rd-dog" local bankers. who re-
ceived a rake off" for aiding tie
swindlers.
So 1t comes about that Iowa farm
ers hold lands at exorbitant values,
are facing depressing conditions in
agriculture and have wasted the
capital on which they otherw Use
might depend. They would like to
have the Government make good
their losses, but they have not shown
their ability to make good use of the
aid. They have not shown their
competency to prescribe sound reme-
dies for their ills. which largely are
of their own making. This is not
true Of all the adverse conditions I'M
der which agriculture in this coun-
try is suffering and for which some
relief should be found. But unless
two and two have ceased to make
four the Haugen bill is not the relief