Evening star., 1934-08-05
SENATOR JOHNSON
RUNSON3 TICKETS.
California Vote interest
Centers on Democrat Gov
ernor Race.
BY JAY G. HAYDEN.

BY JAY G. HAYDEN.
SAN FRANCISCO. August 4
CN-A.NA.) Politically, California
this year presents q perfect cross sec
ton of. topsy-turvy world. 1t has Fas-
cists, Socialists, Communists, new
dealers and old dealers in infinite and
bewildering variety bidding for favor
Of the electorate.
Most astounding Of all, perhaps, Is
the fact that Senator Hiram w. john
son. storm center in virtually every
campaign In the State for q genera
ton. apparently Is supported this
time by everybody. He has filed for
the Republican. Democratic and Pro-
hibition nominations for Senator and
so far he is unopposed for any Of
them.
Popular interest for the moment Is
conferred upon the Democratic nomi-
nation for Governor. Eight candi-
lates are contesting for this place and
seven of them are processing unquali-
fed adherence to Franklin d. Roose-
welt and the new deal. The primary
will be held August 20.
Sinclair Creates Excitement.
The one Democratic off-ox just now
creating more excitement than any
one else is Upton Sinclair, reformed
Socialist. muckraker, novelist. vege-
tartan and maker Of slogans extraor-
dinary. who is running on a promise
to "end poverty in California"
Sinclair has run three times be-
fore In the State on the Socialist
ticket, twice for Governor and once
for Senator. He announced his con-
version to the Democratic faith and
his candidacy for Governor some
months ago in q remarkable PAM
phlet. of which upwards Of 10000
now have been sold to the voters at 20
cents copy. More remarkable, Sin
clair charges so cents admission for
his campaign speeches and, it is said,
packs them in by the thousands at
this rate. In Los Angeles County
and other places In Southern Califor..
mia more Of his buttons are beins,
worn than Of all of the other sever
candidates combined, and. even In thi,
northern region Of the State, he has
the more regular Democrats badly
scared.
Fifty-six years old, thin, ascetic and
terribly in earnest in this as in all
the activities in which he has en-
gagged, Sinclair goes far beyond Pres
ident Roosevelt In his program of
reform. He is proposing the estab-
lishment of land colonies for the un-
employed and also the seizure by the
State Of idle factories to be used In
manufacture on State account. The
goods thus made he would exchange
for the agricultural products of his
State farms, all to be consumed by
the workers.
Tax Reforms Proposed.
He is proposing tax reforms, includ-
ing complete exemptions Of all homes
valued at $1,000 or less; income taxes
graduated up to 80 per cent on in
comes In excess Of $50,000; largely
increased inheritance taxes, and an
impost on idle lands. He proposes
a gradual elimination Of all private
credit, substituting State loans for
business purposes, to be derived from
sale of bonds in small denominations.
He would have the State pay pensions
Of $50 month to all needy persons
over so years of age and to widows,
blind and sick persons. The physical
ly at unemployed he would care for
entirely by giving them work on State
account.
Snclair's pamphlet is entitled 81,
Governor of California" It begins by
asserting that he was born a Demo-
crat, the son of "an old-fashioned
Virginia gentleman" and only quit
the party because, in New York,
where he formerly resided, he could
not swallow Tammany Hall. Telling
why he now has switched back to the
party of his fathers, he says:
81 have watched with satisfaction
new birth of the Democratic prin-
ciple under the leadership of Franklin
d. Roosevelt. He has barely got
started on his journey, but he is
headed in the right direction, toward
Government control Of business and
industry-and I am showing"
Gives idea of Expansion.
Then he proceeds to give his idea
as to how the Roosevelt program
should be expanded. For example,
the following:
Let us begin with the absolute
necessities, of course. Let us take
laundries, bakeries, canneries, cloth
ing and shoe factories, cement plants,
brick yards, lumber yards. Let us
construct a complete industrial sys-
tenn, a new and self-maintaining
world for our unemployed, in which
they will live, having as few dealings
as possible with our present world
of spectators and exploiters. No
middleman will get finger into our
pie. Our workers will be. paid in
scrip, which will be good for all of
the products of the system at prices
based on cost"
The undoubted progress Of Sin
clair's candidacy may be attributable
to the peculiar conditions existing In
the State, and particularly in South
ern California. 1t has more than a
million unemployed workers and, in
addition, great number of elderly
people who came from the East to
spend their last days and who now
are INDECENT because their small in
vested fortunes have been wiped out
by the depression. The susceptibility
of these people to any sort of strange
doctrine was indicated in the candi-
dacy of Bob" Shuler, the radio orator,
who polled 100000 votes as a candi-
date for Senator last year. In the
opinion of political observers here.
Sinclair presents far more formidable
political threat than did Shuler.
Johnson BaIks CreeI.
Then there is George Creel, with
penchant for salty phrases. He was
another author and old-time muck
raker and President Wilson'S chief Of
propaganda during the World War.
Creel is attempting to establish him
self as the Roosevelt administration
candidate and he has some basis for
his claim to this position. He has
been Endorsed by Gen. Hugh s. john
SON Senator William n MaAdon