Evening star., 1932-10-07
c. O.P. SWING SEEN
| IN SOUTH DAKOTA
Democratic Leaders RidicuIe
Claim, Predicting Victory
by $4,000 Votes.
Continued From First Page.)

was made to halt milk and cream. The
picketers sat along the side Of the
roacs. with steel cables ready to stretch
in front of farm trucks. Planks briSt-
ling with wire nails lay HANDY, ready to
threw under automobile tires If occa-
SIGN arose The picketers were in a
gcod-ratured frame of mind. although
detarm ned not to let the farm trucks
pass The farmers who were turned
back we're not SO happy about the
affair.
How long the authorities will allow
the picketing to continue has not been
decided. A Democratic county sheriff
was not anxious to tackle the picketers
if it could be avoided. Too much po-
litical dynamite as a matter of fact.
Simpson of the Farmers Union and
Milo Reno, heading the Farmers Holi-
day Association. are both Democrats.
Not a vote in this crowd for
Hoover" was the reply to the question
how the picketers were going to vote on
election day
No, We amt for Hoover. I guess
most of us will vote for Roosevelt"
One griZzled old farmer. clad in
worn overalls, a moving spirit appar-
emily N this group of farm strikers,
took ouother view. Speaking with a
strong foreign accent although he
claimed to have farmed in this section
for ST years. he insisted that both
Roosevelt and Hoover are 'owned by
Wall street.
I'm for Foster" he said, declaring
that Norman Thomas, the Socialist
candidate, was too wild for him.
L never voted for but one President
who was elected" he said, land been
sorry ever since. That was Wilson. He
said he would keep us out of war"
In some quarters the charge is being
made that the disturbances caused by
the farmer strikers and pickets is Just
political racket, designed to make it
more difficult for the Republicans. But
whether it is or not, the low prices paid
the farmers today for grain, cattle and
hogs. not to mention milk, have these
States OF the Northwest up in arms.
Live Stock Prices Gain.
A boost in the price Of hogs and cattle
and grain today would make very diff
ferent political picture on election day.
As matter of fact, last Summer there
was squirt in prices of hogs and cattle,
but these prices have receded in recent
weeks although they are still higher
than in June. For example, hogs went
from $3.50 hundred up to S485 and
today they have dropped back to $3.50,
which Is still an advance over the early
Summer prices but is not so good for
the farmer. The same thing happened
in the case of cattle prices.
The farmers wife is able to get con-
siderably more for her eggs and butter
fat-the cream from which butter is
made-than she was last June. These
are current cash items Of the farmers
wife. She takes them to town and
cashes in. then buys clothes. shoes for
the children and other supplies. Eggs
were AS low as cents dozen last June.
. Today they are selling at 20 cents. But
ter brought only 13 cents pound in
June and now sells for 18 cents So the
farmers have some reason to feel little
better than they Gid several months ago.
II prices Of farm products should drop
just now, however. it would be body
blow for the growing hopes of the Re
publicans. however.
The opposition of these Republican
farmers has been concentrated largely
against President Hoover. It Is for that
reason that the Republican leaders in
this State have been so much pleased
that Mr. Hoover himself jumped into
the fight and made his Des Moines
speech. They wish he would make
more. The favorable reaction to the
speech. and it apparently has had such
a reaction here, reduces the opposition
to Hoover. who was the object of all the
attacks of the farmers.
South Dakota farmers, like those in
Iowa. arc heavily mortgaged. They have
suffered for long time from low
prices. Wheat is not grown in huge
quantity in this State-only, in fact, to
any extent in the northern part of the
State. There is an inclination on the
rart Of the farm leaders here to favor
the so-called domestic allotment plan of
dealing with surplus crops, but whether
the rank and file of the farmers knows
what the domestic allotment plan is or
how it works is doubtful. However, if
Roosevelt should announce himself for
that plan finally, he might make some
votes for himself here. At present the
farmers are not certain just what
Roosevelt has to offer them except
sympathy and they are sick of that
Conditions have been bad in South
Dakota, to an extent that calls were
made on the Red Cross to aid the des-
titute. The State went through a dis
astrous drought a year ago. Now the
crops are good, but the prices are low.
Counting on Woman Vote.
While such conditions actually leave
. the farmer in better case than he was
year ago. the fact that he has corn
and cattle and hogs to sell and can get
little for them is making him sore.
Republicans are counting on the
women here. as they are in Minnesota,to
help re-elect President Hoover. The
women are we'll organized for Hoover
The Republican drive is just getting
under way. There was delay until it
was learned what Roosevelt would do in
the West. While Democrats here insist
that Roosevelt is popular. they seem
unable to explain even to their own
satisfaction why he did not create more
enthusiasm when he spoke in Sioux
City, Iowa.
The Republicans in this State would
of course be delighted to have Demo-
Gratis come over to the Hoover stand
ard That is not their problem at all
They mus. keep Republicans in line and
win back a great many Republicans
who have gene over to the enemy.
South Dakota, although it has Demo-
cratic Senator. elected two years ago,
and has had Democratic governors, is
a Republican State President Hoover
carried the State against Al Smith in
1928 b. $1,000 votes. Coolidge won in
1924 with 101, ,299 votes to 272l4 for
Davis. the Democrat. and 1885 for La
Toilette. Harding beat Cox in 1920
with 10000 votes to $4,000. Hughes
IN 1916 carried the State by rev tnOu-
sand votes. and in 1912 South Dakota
gave its electoral vote to Roosevelt. In
1896. by a couple of hundred votes. the
the State went for Bryan. -Four years
later Mckinley beat Bryan here.
President Hoover's Des Moines speech
Is looked upon by some of the Eepub-
licans rs the greatest politica! docu-
ment in recent years Certainly, If it
carries South Dakota this year, it must
BE- rated high as factor in political
victory.
HOOVER OMITTED MUCH
IN IOWA, TYDINGS SAYS