Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-28
DEMOCRATS FOCUS
ON FARMS AS ISSUE
Outburst During Keynote Ad-
dress Taken to Mean
Drive on West.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
HOUSTON, June 28-This Smith
Democratic national convention at
Houston means to say that the barn
yards of the corn belt are every bit as
dear tc it's heart as the sidewalks OF
New York. That is the construction
put upon one demonstration staged
Tuesday night in honor of Claude G..
Bowers, temporary chairman.
The keynoter, brilliant and forceful
as he was throughout his address,
scored signally only when he was deal
ing with the tragedy of the farms"
1t was when Bowers said the Demo-
cratic party demands that the hand of
privilege shall be taken out Of the
farmers pockets and off the farmers
threats" that the convention let it
self go.
Usually such demonstration are re-
served for men placed in nomination
for President and Vice President. A
platform utterance, no matter how eff
fective, seldom sets the bands to play
ing, the calcium lights to dancing and
the State standards to parading. Yet
Bowers thrust at privileges assault
on agriculture did just those things, If
it was not an organized outburst as
some cynics are suggesting IT was about
as remarkable manifestation as con-
yention annals know.
Points to One Issue.
Staged or spontaneous, the conven-
ton ttmut over the farm-relief bust
ness tells one undeniably significant
story 1t means that the Democrats
are going to bracket agricultural dis
treSS with Republican corruption as the
twin issues on which they will try TO
win the country.
In other words, AL Smith is not going
to depend for victory on the wet urban
industrial East and the solid South. He
is going 10 carry the war into the heart
of the corn belt Confidentially, Demo-
cratic leaders at Houston admit that the
convention and its platform will make
a deliberate set" in agriculture'S direc-
ton.
They will go practically the full
length of a liberalized relief program
In all but actual McNary- Haugen terms.
Smiths managers realize the danger of
going further than the financial East
would approve, strategic as 1t might be
from a cold -blooded vote-getting stand
point in the West
Democratic hopes do not extend TO
any belief that rock-ribbed Republican
States like Iowa Indiana and Illinois.
with their normally heavy G.. o. p,
ma lorities. can be captured by super
generous farm program. But the Dem
ocratS do pin some confidence on
smaller agricultural States. like the
Dakotas, Montana Idaho. Wyoming.
Utah. Oregon and Nebraska.
Looked Upon as Debatable.
IA i a
upon as backgrounds. When Bowers
exclaimed that his party proposes to
tear down the system Of privilege and
put the farmer on an absolute equality
with every other industry" the key
noter had half a dozen rural States in
mind. which the Democrats are going
to do their toughest TO carry In Novem-
ber
Gray Silver OF West Virginia, chief
of its convention delegation and for
merly the we'll known spokesman OF
the American Farm Bureau Fedora
ton at Washington, is confident that
Houston will write farm history OF high
value TO the Democratic party.
We do not face an insurmountable
problem" he said TO this writer. Other
countries, notably Canada and Aus
tralia, as / know from eyewitness
observation. have come To grips with
1t and settled it, What Canada and
Australia are doing the United States
can do But 1t will not be done until
the Democratic party does It, Current
history on the Potomac has demon
strated that to the complete Satisfac-
ton OF every farmer IN the country.
He will vote accordingly In many
pivotal regions next Fall and the HouS-
ton ticket should benefit substantially
from his action"
Effect ON Second Choice.
Agricultural considerations will have
much 10 do with Houston's choice of a
running mate for Al Smith. Just as
the Republicans at Kansas City went
West for vice presidential nominee,
SD the Democrats at Houston will do,
In their case 1t may be man who
halls from both West and South.
Senator Joe Robinson Of Arkansas, re-
mains the man thought best to meas
ure up To this dual geographical re-
quirement,
Like Temporary Chairman Bowers
Robinson. In his speech accepting the
permanent Craftsmanship OF the con-
yention. spoke forcefully about farm
relief THE farmers of the Nation are
awake to the issue" said Robinson.
They are ready. If afforded the OPP
portunity 10 safeguard their own in
terestS through political action
That observation by Robinson Is
transparent proof of the Democratic
willingness to accord agriculture the
chance for political action" which he
says 1t only awaits
The Houston convention Is partic-
ularly hopeful that the farm folks are
listening in over the radio. The de-
cision TO have Claude c. Bowers SPELL
bind his keynote address at night in
stead Of by day was taken with Spe-
cial regard 10 agriculture broadcasting
fans, Ii was figured they would be In
frun1 fhafr nlantinu and RAINING hU