Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-09-06
VOTERS ARE
DISSATISFIED
California Gives Large Ma
jority to Upton Sinclair's
Program.
Vote Returns Would Indi-
cate Political Change Be-
ing Brought About.
BY HENRY G. TEIGAN

California has taken the limelight
away from Minnesota.
Upton Sinclair, former socialist and
internationally-kn writer, was
nominated for governor of California
by a huge majority in last weeks
primary election in that state. Mr..
Sinclair polled vote approXimating
425,00O for the Democratic nomina-
ton. This was about 10000 votes
more than were received by his prin-
cipal Democratic opponent, George
Creel, wartime propaganda for the
Wilson administration. The Sinclair
vote exceeded that given Governor
Merriam for the Republican nomina-
tion by approximately $4,000.
These large majorities given Mr..
Sinclair over his political opponents.
do not, however, mean anything in
themselves. What is significant about
the large vote given the former So
cialist author is that they indicate a
tremendous political change in here
tofore conservative California.
Sinclair Former Socialist.
While Mr. Sinclair left the Socialist
party in order to become a candidate
for governor on the Democratic ticket
he does not appear to have changed
his views regarding economic and
political matters. Briefly the Sim
clair program which the voters of
California endorsed so strongly in the
recent primary is as follows:
Pensioning every needy person over
sixty, every blind person and every
widow with children at the rate of
$50 per month.
Exemption from taxation of all
homes and ranches assessed at less
than $4,000.
An inheritance tax which would
take so per cent of any personal be-
quest over $4,000, and so per cent
of any estate over S250,000.
The state to rent or buy land and
idle factories to provide work for the
unemployed to feed, clothe, and
house them with the products with
one another's labor"
Unique Campaign.
Time" weekly news-magazine, fe-
ports on how Mr.. Sinclair conducted
his campaign. Thus:
Il, Governor of California and How
] Ended Poverty was a booklet Can
didate Sinclair put out. Besides tel
ling about EPIC C'End Poverty in
California') it gave list of all his
books, The Jungle, The Metropolis,
The Brass Check, Oil! etc. 1t sold
for zoe. Politicians laughed at such
campaigning. BY last week he had
sold about 100000 copies. He wrote
other pamphlets. He started weekly
newspaper, Epic News, carrying adj
vertisements, priced sc. Its circu-
lation reached about $4,000 biggest
vote he ever polled as a Socialist was
about 60,000.) Rivals accused him
of running not a campaign but pub
fishing racket. He replied that he
had two bank accounts with S108.14 in
one and S20.6S in the other, that his
living and his cottage in Pasadena
with two fig trees in it's dooryard-
were only made secure by his more
practical wife, Mary Craig Sinclair.
mo glad-hander, he stayed most of
the time in his little white house,
only emerging to campaign, to tell
the public that he was going to take
the wild beast of greed by the beard;
that EPIC was need to put the un-
employed to work and take the bur-
dren of relief off the backs of the
taxpayers; that he was no radical,
believed in Democracy, was abjured
by Communists; that he was not to
be confused with Sinclair Lewis; that
upon election he would instantly par
don Tom Mooney. Lean, white-haired,
hollow-eyed, he had no bankers to
drum up audiences for him. Instead
he charged admission fees, usually
Csc, for his meetings, drew greater
crowds than ony other candidate"
Politicians Take Notice!
Reactionary politicians of Mime
sofa and elsewhere ought to be able
by this time to sense the revolt that
is in the public mind everywhere.
The outcome in Minnesota last June
which showed the Farmer-Labor party
much the strongest of the political
parties in this state, undoubtedly
made some impression on the political
fossils representing big business in
the state. Too many of them, how
ever, believe that the vote polled by
the Farmer-Labor candidates in June
were given them because of the mag
netic power of Governor Floyd B. Oh
son. They ought to be pretty we'll
disillusioned now, for the Sinclair
program of California is at least as
radical as that of the Farmer-Labor
.,artu and Sinclair him self has been