Evening star., 1934-10-21
ROBINSON FACING
HOT SENATE RACE
Democrats Chance Less in
Continued Hold Of New
Deal in State.
CONTINUED From First Page.)

IOlil oI dSC1
Dealers 5862 per cent to Abb per
cent against, while the new poll gives
the ants SLIT per cent and the New
Dealers only 1928 per cent.
The Democrats argue, and SEEM
ingly with some Justification, that
new poll was taken in Maine just
about the time of the elections, in
which the Democrats elected a Gov
ernor, two out of three members of
the House and nearly defeated Sem
ator Hale. Republican. Since Maine
went Democratic on September 10,
despite the showing made in the Lit
erary Digest poll, they want to know
why Indiana should not do the same
State Politically Versatile.
Indiana in the past has usually
been Republican. 1t has, however,
showed ability to jump from one side
of the political fence to the other with
all the facility of an antelope. For
example. two years ago the State
went for Roosevelt by $4,000. while
In 1923 it went Hoover against Smith
by 100000. At the same time In
WAC giving 1bbOoCNClG lllS DlS
lead in 1882 it elected Gov Paul NC
Mutt, Democrat, by 10000. Today,
owing to the unpopularity of the Nc
Mutt administration, the Democrats
would have difficult time re-electing
him.
This antagonism to the McNutt ad-
miniStration has been made a prime
issue by the Republicans. They do
not attack Roosevelt, although some
OF them, like Robinson, are fiaying
the New Deal. They point to the
taxes imposed. among them a gross
income tax. They charge him with
disrupting State institutions with
political appointments, particularly in
the penal institutions where there
have been many escapes from prison,
among them Dillinger and his pals.
In his speeches Senator Robinson
says: I'VE find prisoners walking
away almost at will So bad has the
situation become that Indiana has
gained the undeirable reputation of
being the most lax State in the Union
in prison administration"
Robinson Disputes McNutt.
The Governor has replied that the
jailbreaks have not been due to the
new prison employees, but rather to
the old. This Robinson denies. He
says the breaks came after the old
warden had been discharged and SO
changes had been made overnight"
in the prison staff for political reasons.
McNutt is accused too, of having
increased the number of State en-
ployes from 1850 to 2,7O0, although
he promised retrenchment. The Leg
islature gave him wide powers
wider in some respeStS than Congress
gave President Roosevelt
How far this unpopularity of the
State government will go toward help
ing Robinson, the Republican candi-
dates for the House and for municipal
and county offices in the coming elec-
ton remains to be seen. The Repub-
lcans are counting heavily upon it.
Robinson is a firebrand on the
stump and is making an effective
campaign. His opponent, however, is
no novice at this game. Like Robin
son, he is also war veteran and
served overseas in the A. E. F. He
was organizer Of the New Albany
Legion post, commander of the post,
and has done much for veterans or
their widows in compensation cases.
Democrats say there is no reason why,
despite Robinson's popularity with the
Legionnaires, Minton should not get
his share of support from this group.
He Is lawyer, was an athlete in
school and college and has won his
way up from humble conditions. In
fact, he makes an appeal to the ordi-
nary Hoosier, if there is such a person.
Sees Liberals Challenged.
Minton's campaign is directed at
the Republican "old deal" Like
many other Democratic candidates, he
draws the line between the poor and
the Interests" which he says were
the pets OF the Republican rule. He
adds: This campaign is a challenge
to- the liberal, progressive forces by
the reactionary standpat forces Of
the country. President Roosevelt
speaks for the forces who believe that
the wealth of the richest nation on
the face Of the earth shall be so dis
tributed that every man, woman and
child shall enjoy the more abundant
life" He charges that even today, in
depression times, 81 per cent of the
wealth Of the country is owned by
3 per cent of the citizens.
Minton got off on the wrong foot,
1t appears, in some of his early
speeches when he was replying to at
tacks on the constitutionality of the
New Deal. You can't walk up to a
hungry man and say: Here, have a
constitution, he said. And he sug-
geSted that a man without a coat
couldn't keep himself warm with a
constitution. The newspapers went
after him hammer and tongs on this
line of argument and he hastened to
place himself squarely on record in
favor of the revered document.
Relief Funds a Factor
Democratic candidates in Indiana
are counting lot on the millions of
dollars which the administration has
poured into the State for relief and
farm benefits. A line from a Minton
speech answering Robinson's charge
that the farmers we're being regi-
mented is a sufficient indication of
this. Regeneration" said Minton,
ID dIl Olu army IeIIH. 1Ile SOlulSTS
all line up in regiment. Well, the
other day l saw line of farmers
down in Southern Indiana being regi-
mented. They were all lined up in
the court house and headed in the
direction of sign which said, This
way for your corn-hog checks There
were the Indiana farmers being regi-
mented to the tune of $250,000"
A lot is being said about whether the
farmers do or do not like the A. A. A.
and its corn-hog and other programs.
In Indiana they voted in the referen-
dun on the subject 27,072. for the
corn-hog program and 1851 against.
However, some $4,000 Indiana
farmers participate in this program
this year, which means that great
many of them did not bother to vote
in the referendum. The whole thing
Is a bit puzzling.