Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-02
Politics at Large
By G.. Could Lincoln.

political horizon this week. Ever
| since the dehation of the farmer in
| t920-2i. sometimes referred to as the
| crime. of tA20n by political leaders
! from agricultural States. the farmer
has heen seeking redress and three t.
ening dire political reprisal II he he
not given It,. In 1922. the aroused
farmers Of the Northwest caused the
| elimination Of number Of promi.
nent Senators and members Of the
| House. In 1924 Il was TO the farmer
of the West and Middle West that the
late Senator Robert M. La Toilette.
| ca ndidate for President on an indie
pendent ticket. made his great appeal.
| Things were looking A little better to
the farmer. and. furthermore the
farmer hAs a reputation for conserv-
atism, even when he ia fiat broke.
| AT all events the farmers did not
take any States away from Mr.. Cool
idge in the West, except La Follette's
own state, Wisconsin.
50
Today the farmer Ia somewhat bet
| ter off than he was In 1924. although
| his situation In nothing to braE about.
| But today the Western farmer is in
stronger position to obtain the leg
| islation that he has been clamoring
| f0r--the McNary Haugen farm relief
| bill-than he has been in the past.
Senator McNary of Oregon. chairman
| OF the Senate committee on aEricul-
! ture. and whose name ia given to the
bill in the Senate, plans to get the
measure up in the Senate today or TO-
morrow. II he can. and to keep it be-
| fore the Senate till he gets a vote.
The House rules committee has pre-
pared special rule. at the instance
of the agricuiturists, giving the
| Haugen bill the right of way after
the last of the appropriation bills
has passed that body This should
bring the farm bill into the House for
consideration by next Monday or
| Tuesday.
| The bill IL stronger today in Con
| gress than it haA ever been. 1t seems
pretty well assured it can pass the
Senate. IL 1t comes to vote. 1t may
pass the House. though this Ia not
| certain. IL both houses pass 1t, then
President Coolidge will be called upon
to approve 1t. There has bsen no lit
| tie speculs ton as to what he will do
| with it. A veto of the bill would cause
q loud howl in many OF the agricul-
tural States. II he does not veto the
bill and 1t becomes a law, then the
farm problem. a. a political problem,
will have been removed from the 1924
campaign, and certain aspirants for
| the presidential nomination will not
have leg left to stand or, including
former Gov. Frank o. Lowden of I'LL
nois.
A plan Ia on foot to amend the Nc.
NaryHaugen bill so as to postpone
operation OF the equalization fee for
year or two years. III the latter
| proposal In adopted, then the $3.50.
| 00O, 900 revolving fund may be used to
fatd the farmers without any levy upon
them until after the elections in 1928.
That Is something to think about, also.
The Democrats in the senate, having
rowed among themselves over religion
and rum. yesterday INDUCED in a row
over farm relief. A request for unani-
NOUS consent to Ak next Monday "a
|, the day to vote finally on the Nc
Nary Haugen bill and February 10 as
the day on which to vote on the con-
ference report on the McFadden
banking bill had been submitted by
Senator McNary. The Republicans
sat silent--even. those opposed to the
measure. 1t looked as though the
agreement was to be entered But
Senator King Of Utah, Democrat.
raised his voice in protest against this
speedy disposition of the farm relief
bill--although he was satisfied to vote
on the banking bill. Then Senator
Harrison OF Mississippi gave voice
also to protest and declared that un.
less the 'iniquitous" equalization fee
were eliminated 30 far az cotton was
concerned, there would be no bill
passed at this session. Whereupon
Senator Caraway of Arkansaa. Demo
cratic champion OF the McNary bill,
poured a ton of vitriolic sarcasm upon
both Mr.. King and Mr. Harrison. SO
| the Democrats appear still In the roll
of hating the McNary bill. and the
hope of interesting the Western States
In the Democratic party received an
other jolt. 1t may be that the dam
age can be repaired, and the Demo
Gratis appear In a better light to the
farmers OF the West.
Perhaps some of the Democrats.
who long to see the Republican West
at serious odds with the Republican
East were fearful that the passa re
of the McNary bill might take the
farm issue out of the next cam
paign, and perhaps 1t would have
done so. In view of what happened
yesterday they will have difficulty
proving to the West 1t was the Re-
publicans of the East who halted
vote on the cherished leEisla ton
of the farmers.
~
Gov. Al Smith of New York and
VILLA m Gibbs McAdoo may not mind
throwing their hats into the ring at
this juncture of the political game,
but Gov. A. Vic Donahey of Ohio
believes in the old Spanish adage
that all comes round to him who
will but walt" Al least he con-
tinues to deny that he is In any
way candidate for the nomination
by the Democratic party next year.
This attitude, however, may lose him
some OF the Ohio delegation to the
next national convention. Burr
Gongwer, veteran Democratic boss
OF Cleveland. collector of customs
under President Wilson, recently
wrote the governor a letter asking
him IL he was a candidate for the
presidential nomination. To which
Gov. DonAhey replied he was not.
Mr.. Gongwer, who has never been
o booster for the governor. threw
his hat In the air and gave out an
interview. saying he favored the
nomination of Gov. Al Smith.
The Senate has proved a stumbling
block In the path Of administration
measures at the present session Its
record does not give hope for much
accomplishment in the next Congress,
when the margin OF Republican con.
troll reaches almost the vanishing
point. Two treaties, negotiated by the
administration. have failed to be rat.
insd-the Lausanne treaty with Tur-
key, which was defeated, and the poi
son gas treaty which was not voted
upon. but which was temporarily
withdrawn because OF opposition.
The nomination of Cyrus e. Woods
of Pennsylvania to be interstate