Evening star., 1928-04-08
FARM FEDERATION
TURNS ON HOOVER
Head of Indiana Body Says
Secretary's Election Means
Blow to Agriculture.
snecial nisnatch 70 The Star.

| Special Dispatch TO The Star.
| INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. April THE
official weight of the Indiana Fedora
| ton of Farm Bureaus, boasting mem
| bership of more than 10000 farmers,
| this week was thrown into the balance
against Herbert c. Hoover's quest for
Indiana's 33 delegates to the Republic
an national convention by W. II.
Settle, president Of the federation.
Settle, speaking before a farm-labor
| legislative conference, sounded warn
| ing that if Hoover is elected President
| the American farm program would be
defeated
IF Herbert Hoover is elected Presi-
dent" he asserted, II believe that the
| American farmer has lost his cause
| 1t is almost unbelievable that man
| born and reared in Iowa. who lived in
an agricultural district until he was 81
years old. can take the attitude that
| Hoover has. His every act has carried
out his education. gained while he was
| in Europe, that the only essential need
| of agriculture was to produce enough
| to meet the needs of manufacturers"
| At the same time, Settle spoke a
| good word for Senator James E. Wat
son, the States favorite-son candidate
saying that Watson's record is 100
| per cent so far as agriculture is con-
| cerned" Later in the week. Senator
Watson bound himself closer TO the
| farm vote when he spoke on the floor
of the Senate in behalf of the contro-
versial equalization fee feature of the
McNary Haugen farm relief measure.
| That speech. of course. will be broad
cast throughout the agricultural dis
tricts in Indiana.
Comes as Surprise.
Although It had been generally pre-
dicted that the bulk of the farm vote
in Indiana would be swung against
Hoover, the fact that Settle. as presi
dent of an organization that is founded
on a non-partisan basis. saw f1t to
enter the fray against Hoover. came as
a distinct surprise 1t means that
from now on the Farm Federation will
conduct an active campaign against
Hoover in the open and that every
farm bureau meeting will hear speeches
against the Secretary
1t has been no secret that fedora
ton officials have been partial to the
nomination of Frank o. Lowden and
so far as that goes he still is the
favorite of the agriculture leaders.
The farmers however. feel that the
only way TO help Lowden to the nomi-
nation is to vote for Watson. This
is only another illustration Of the fact
that the field in Indiana, which might
be described as favoring Watson.
Lowden or Vice President Dawes, Is
arrayed against Hoover.
The Hoover people are finding 1t in
creaSingly difficult to build up an or
ganiZation. and il is said they have
been unable to recruit enough man
ayers to man the districts and the
counties In cass County. a strong
agricultural and labor center. the
county chairman, James M. Barnes.
inserted an advertisement in a local
paper asking for volunteers 10 offer
themselves TO manage the Hoover CAM
paign. Barnes, who is supporting
Senator Watson. sarcastically worded
the advertisement TO read that the
| manager must be opposed to farm
relief" and that he must have strong
leanings toward the League OF Nations
and the World Court"
Strong In Districts.
Senator Watsol.' support of the farm
relief program and his opposition to
the League Of Nations and the World.
Court is standing him in good stead in
his contest with Hoover.
So far as can be found now. Hoover
has strength in only two districts in
the State. the thirteenth. which has
large industrial population. and IN
the twelfth. the home of Oscar Foel-
linger Hoovers campaign manager
The Watson people are confident they
will carry the twelfth district. and they
profess to r, certain of the thirteenth
bitter fight has broken out in
Fort Wayne. Foellinger's home town.
which involves the whole presidential
question Foellinger. who is one OF
the publishers OF the Fort Wayne
News-S Sentinel. has turned his paper
into a Hoover champion Joseph Hut
sell. who has been the Republican
leader in Fort Wayne for several years.
has taken up the Watson side and has
set out to defeat Foellinger.
II ~