Evening star., 1934-10-22
SINCLAIR IS FACING
TOWNSEND THREAT.
Opponent Proposes Pension
of $500 Monthly for
All Over go.
BY JAY G. HAYDEN.

LONG BEACH, Calf, October %
N.ANA).-H Upton Sinclair Is
beaten for the governorship November
it will be because another economic
doctor, sponsoring a remedy essen
TALLY antagonistic to his e. P. I. G.
has risen to replace him in the favor
If many of the voters in this politically
crazy belt of Southern California.
The new would-be savior is DR..
Francis Everett Townsend. author and
chief promoter of the Townsend plan,
which proposes to give every man and
woman in the United States over 60
years of age a pension of 5000 month
on condition that they promptly
spend it.
No one can talk for is minutes
among the California politicians or
among the voters generally without
running plump into this Townsend
plan. In Southern California, at
least, it is attracting even more at
tention at this moment than the "E.
P. l. c." The Sinclair opponents
frankly have seized upon it as their
main hope, and as Enthusiastically it is
causing Sinclair and his managers
more perturbation than anything else
that has occurred during the cam
paign.
Plan Held "Chimerical."
Sinclair has branded the Townsend
proposal as "chimerical and unprac-
tical," but the more he has talked
against it, seemingly, the more it has
grown in popular favor. AS for the
Republicans, Sinclair's condemnation
Of the Townsend proposal came to
them as mama from heaven. They
promptly promised, in their State
platform, to favor old-age insurance
and particularly to consider the
Townsend plan to this erd
Since then Gov. Merriam, the Re
publican candidate for reelection, has
said he favors the Townsend plan and
will commend it to Congress and the
national administration.
Tall, lean and white-haired, Dr.
Townsend is typically the country doc
tor that he was before he left the
little town of Belle Fourche, S. Oak,
IA years ago. to join the trek of Mid
die Westerners to Los Angeles He is
modest. Soft-voiced and sparing of
words.
100000 Signatures Seen.
'This is giong to be another Runny-
i.1ede," he said. by the time Con-
greSs convenes there will be petitions
in Washington containing the names
of more than 4O,OOO,O0O citizens, ask
ing for the Townsend plan. We will
fn H0r6rocS- lor
already passed by these people of the
United States"
The Townsend plan, as set forth by
its author, is as follows:
Have the National Government en-
act legislation to the effect that all
citizens of the United States, man or
woman, over the age of so years, may
retire on a pension of 5000 per month
on the following conditions:
L. That they engage in no further
labor, business or profession for gain.
2. That their past life is free from
habitual criminality.
3. That they take oath to. and ac-
tually do spend, within the confines of
the United States, the entire amount
OF their pension within 80 days after
4CSC4NA41S odluc.
Have the National Government
create the revolving fund by levying a
general sales tax; have the rate lust
high enough to produce the amount
necessary to keep the old-age revolving
pension fund adequate to pay the
monthly pensions.
Have the act so drawn that such
sales tax can only be used for the old
age revolving pension fund"
Backed by Congress Candidates.
Sinclair supporters insist that the
California Republicans are indorsing
the Townsend plan with their tongues
in their cheeks. They point out that
Gov. Merriam and his State conven-
tion could speak in favor of it quite
safely, since it demands action by the
Federal rather than the State author
lty. So great has been the agitation
in favor of the proposition, however,
that practically every candidate for
Congress in California, regardless of
party, and number of candidates in
other States have Endorsed it.
I'VE don't want to upset the Ameri-
can system" said DR.. Townsend. "I
hope we are never going to do away
with the rich folks I believe it is
absolutely necessary to maintain the
profit system if we are going to pro-
gress as a civilized people That is why
I am against Sinclair, whose main