Evening star., 1928-06-19
The Farmers Chance.


When Congress meets next December
the national election will be In the past.
Farm legislation, however will still be
in order. but the reasons which pre-
vented the passage of any farm bill
which President Coolidge would have
been willing to sign. in all likelihood.
will not be so potent as they were in
the session not long since closed. Per-
haps at last a serious effort will be
made to give the farmer a constructive.
constitutional measure. which will be
calculated to aid him, even IL it lacks
the ouack, eure-all advertisement which
has been given to the McNary- -Haugen
bill
One of the most significant things
that happened in the Republican ma
tional convention in Kansas City was
the decisive defeat OF the farm plank
put forward by hackers of Lowden and
Dawes for the presidential nomination.
The vote in the convention stood 300
plus to 200 plus against the plank For
the first time in a strictly national
Republican gathering. the issue of the
equalization fee was put to the test.
There were no Democrats present to
vote for the measure to embarrass a
Republican President or a Republican
candidate for the presidency Had it
not been for large measure of Demo-
cratic support in the Senate and House
in Congress. the McNary- -Haugen bill
would not have been passed at all
Many Of the Democrats who voted for
the bill had in mind raising a ruction
among the Republicans rather than any
idea that the bill would become a law.
They hoped TO make the Republican
farmers Of the Midwest split from the
G. o. P. in the coming election.
These same Democrats are to have an
opportunity when their national con-
vention meets June 26, in Houston. to
determine whether they viii put into
the Democratic platform the farm
plank which was turned down at Kan
sas City. They will be faced with a
real problem. If they are to nominate
Gov. AL Smith OF New York for Presi-
dent, as seems likely. they must decide
how the adoption Of such plank will
help him in the great States of the East,
where the main battle is likely TO take
place.
So far as the Midwest is concerned,
the Republican convention indicated
pretty plainly that that section OF the
country is by no means 50 bound up
with the McNary-Hangen bill as the
public has been given to suppose. Take
Nebraska, for example, where ma
jority OF the delegation to the Repub-
lican convention turned its back on the
equalization fee plank. There were
other Midwest Republican delegations
which took stand against the plank,
among them Missouri and Kansas.
Senator McNary of Oregon, one of
the sponsors OF the farm bill In the
last session Of Congress and before. has
declared that he is willing to let the
equalization fee slide and put through
bill without the fee. He believes that
the rest OF his bill would aid the farm
ers and wants to try 1t out II the
Republicans elect their national ticket
in November 1t Is a foregone conclusion
that the old bill containing the equali-
zation fee will have no chance OF be-
coming law, certainly not for another
four years.
Farm aid has been made foot ball
OF politics for years. 1t has been used
10 bolster up the candidacy OF various
presidential possibilities. These have
now faded out of the picture. Some Of
the more radical Republicans are hint
ing already that Frank o. Lowden OF
Illinois. who declined to submit his
name 10 the national convention for
the presidential nomination, may un-
dertake TO lead farmers party in the
coming election. There is little reason
TO believe. however. that II Mr.. Lowden
should venture 30 far he would be any
more successful than was the late Sen
ator Robert M La Toilette OF Wiscon-
sin in 1924. The La Toilette candidacy
In the end was a material benefit 10
the regular Republican ticket. Several
of the radical leaders Of farm organiza-
tions In the Midwest are Democrats.
This is another factor which may have
had something 10 do with the action
of the Republican national convention
Farming the farmers for political ad-
vantage has had jolt. Perhaps now
the farmers viii have real chance for
constructive aid from the Congress OF
| the United States.
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