Evening star., 1928-11-05


Il welcome this opportunity in clos
ing the campaign to speak briefly to the
men and women in the great farming
sections of the country.
Both parties are agreed that the
| farmer and the stock raiser have not
| shaled in the country's prosperity and
are in dire distress today. Both parties
! have agreed that the solution OF the
agricultural problem is one OF the most
important duties and responsibilities of
! the next administration. But Mr.
! Hoover and / have been in sharp dis
! agreement as to the way in which the
farmers problem should be solved ana
as to the party which should be in
/ trusted with its solution.
Il believe that I can fairly say to
the farmers of this country and their
families that this campaign has shown
! that the salvation of agriculture in this
country today depends upon Democratic
success, and am going to summarize
my reasons for this belief.
Cites G. O. p. Promises.
First, I want you to judge the fu-
ture by the past.
The Republicans have been in power
for seven and a half years. As Mr..
Hoover said last Friday night, they
have been alive to the situation OF
agriculture 1 know you will agree with
me that they did nothing effective
about it; that the promises made Ill
1920 and in 1924 have never been kept,
and that the agricultural situation is
worse today than when the Republicans
came into Office in 1921 So when Mr..
Hoover said last Friday night he would
esteem it an honor to have the prlyl-
lege of solving the agricultural problem.
l can fairly say that he has had an
opportunity to achieve that honor for
the last four years as the agricultural
adviser to the administration, but he
took no advantage Of it.
He referred 10 tha farmers failure to
agree as TO what they want. l need
hardly remind you that there was sufIi-
Cient agreement in this country TO pass
two relief measures by vote of just
tWo-thirdS of the members Of both
Houses of Congress. only to have those
measures vetoed by the President. under
the candidates advice, with no solution
offered in place of them. Now, that is
the record of the past.
There is no farmer and no farmers
wife in this country today who does not
know that they are not helping them
selves by continuing in power the party
which for seven and a half years has
had an opportunity to grapple with this
problem and has done nothing whatever
about it.
Il next remind you what Mr.. Eoover's
reel views on this farm question were
before he became a candidate.
Hits Hoover on Prices.
"In 1924, as I pointed out in my Omaha
speech, he definitely said that over
production on the farm can only be
corrected by prices low enough to make
production improbable I asked then
and l ask you now TO reflect whether
you want to intrust the solution of the
farm problem to man who definitely
said that his notion Of farm relief was
to make prices low enough to drive
more farmers and more farmers
families from their homes.
Ihe next reason why the desire for
Sc representation should lead the farmer
and the farmers wife to vote for me on
next Tuesday is the utter hopeleSsness
OF anything that the Rcpub lean party
or Mr.. Hoover has had to saw in this
campaign with respect to farm relief
IN contrast with the definite. specific
program which have offered.
Let US begin with the Republican |
platform itself. I am sure that there |
is no one listening to my voice who viii |
not agree that Gov. Lowden of Illinois |
is one OF the greatest authorities on the |
farm problem ana one of the best
friends of the farmer in this country
today. He has been a lifelong and a
loyal Republican. When the Rcpub,i-
can platform was adopted at Kansas
City, remind you that Gov. Lowden |
said of it:
"'I have urged that it is the duty of |
the Republican party to find some way
to restore agriculture from the ruin that |
threatens it. That in my Judgment |
the convention by the platform just |
adopted has failed to do and there
fore authorize the withdrawal of my
name from this convention
Praises Norris Stand.
Can you think Of an any reason why
farmer or farmers wife should vote
for candidate who stands upon a
platform repudiated by a member OF
the party itself. vino is leader in the
fight for agriculture relief? And I re-
mind you Of Senator Norris brave and
courageous stand for the principles OF
farm relief, which have led him. as a
leader in the battle in your behalf, TO
leave his own party and enlist himself
and his great talents in behalf of my
election because he regards the policies
for which 1 stand as the surest guar
antee Of relief to you; and I ask you
to recall all the State and local farm
leaders who have studied this problem
in your behalf who agree with Coz.
Lowden and Senator Norris as to the
utter hopelessnesS Of any expectation Of
relief from the Republican party.
Let me spend just a few minutes n
reviewing what has been said about
nf
paign: and I will take first the things
we agree on.
First inland waterWays-Thcre is no
DISAGREEMENT on that, but think you
will all agree with me that if the farm
population of this country has TO wait
for relief until q system Of inland water
WAYS is developed, there will be very
little farm population to be relieved.
Second, tariff on import crops-We
are all agreed On that; the Democratic
party has promised the farmer, and
have promised the farmer, full protec-
tive duties on all import crops on an
absolute equality with industry upon
all agricultural products that are i'm
ported.
Questions Higher Duties.
"I do pause, however, to ask why, if
higher duties are necessary, the Re-
publicans have not given them during
the last 7l2 years.
mo, 1 am for giving the farmer who
raises the import crops full tariff pro-
lection, but you know and know that
that standing alone has never solved the
problem will never solve the prob
lem, end that when the Republicans
have argued about it, they have simply
been trying to get your minds away
from the real principle CT farm relief,
about which shall presently speak and
upon which they are directly opposed
to me and directly opposed to your in
terest and your economic salvation.
Then Mr.. Hoover talks about Stabili-
cation corporations.
"One word about these sterilization
corporations to which Mr. Hoover is
willing to lend money. Our commodity