The Washington times., 1935-05-15
TALK To 1900
HERE PRELUDE
To CAMPAIGN
Address Couched in Terms
All Understand Described as
Knockout by Observers
BY EARL GOODWIN

Franklin Roosevelt made the
first speech of the next campaign
yesterday afternoon, while four
thousand cheering sun-tanned
farmers broke in with the high
falsetto cheers that reminded the
old-timers Of the famous "rebel
yell"
The President talked to his
farmer guests, who had come
here to boost the AAA and its
payments to farmers in lieu OF
production, in the sort Of words
they Understandable he knows
they understand. All in all, the
Presidents speech yesterday was
what the observers called "a
knockout"
President Roosevelt talked to
the farmers right from the Shoul-
der. When he wanted to use the
word "lies," he used it. The pre-
vious Roosevelt, tough as he was
when he came to blunt speech,
never got beyond the expression
"a shorter and an uglier word"
Tells Experience
He talked to them about cotton
and wheat and corn in their terms
and did not fail to use expert
ences Of his own from his own
farms. He told them that he had
sold his own cotton at four ano
o half cents a pound-which was
a low price in a low year. He told
. them the sort Of funny stories
about the ignorance of city men
in the Countrywide sort of stories
that brought yelps of understand
ing. In other words. the President
gave an idea Of the way he Is
going after the farmers support
when the time comes in the next
campaign.
While President Roosevelt was
talking from the south portico the
crowd was sizing him up: it did
not take more than q sentence or
two for the men on the lawn to
find out that their speaker was
in harmony with their fighting
mood. When he got to the point
where he was talking about peo'
pie being misled from ignorance.
a man with a Louisiana badge
yelled: - - d.,
1--WE got one in our State"
A man from Georgia chirped
up with:
"And we got that sort Of .
governor
Talk Significant
Political observers here attri.
butte deep political significance to
the Presidents speech and to the
gathering of 1000 farmers here
from Is States. The Presidents
talk shows he is willing to larrup
the bankers, the city brokers, the
middlemen generally if they stand
in the way of the AAA and the
New Deal farm program:
Politica. managers are wise
enough to know-on the New Deal
Side-that the New Deal farm pro
gram may unite the farmers of
tie South and West, which is con-
sidered an unbeatable combina-
ton. On the opposing side the
politicians are doing and will con-
tinue to do everything they can
t. divide this combination or to
submerge its importance.
Criticisms already are being
poured over the farm gathering
here in the form of statements
and rumors that the farmers were
organized and financed out Of
Federal or political funds.
Farmers themselves deny this
statement; so does Chester Davis,
AAA administrator, who says that
he gave orders to Department
Of Agriculture county agents that
no Federal funds should be used
In organizing any such march
on Washington" g..
Shun Promises
The farmers who cheered the
President yesterday afternoon are
the sort Of dirt farmers who
would rather have $500 in real
money from the AAA on the
crop reduction program than
$4,000 in promises from Senator
Longs Share the wealth" pro-
gram.
Most Of them are cotton
farmers, at least the largest
single group are from the cotton