Evening star., 1935-10-27


wv including their choice Of a
Il presidential candidate, is in
volved with A. A. A-may be deter
mined by consideration Of A. A. A.
And what the Republicans do. or fail
to do, about A. A. A. will affect much
of Americas future.
Let us put 1t this way: II A. A. A.
in its present form is continued, if
the Republicans next year indorse it,
or if the Republicans indorse it and
are beaten-in any Of those outcomes
America within few years will have
a form of society and government so
different from the present as to be
almost unrecognized. With this state
ment I think Secretary Wallace would
agree; having read Mr.. Wallace S
America Must Choose" and his other
writings and speeches. am confident
he knows where America will arrive
If it continues on its present path. Mr.
Wallace knows what A. A. A. is and
where it leads. I doubt whether more
than a scattered few others know.
Least of all do the farmers realize; all
they know is the checks they get and
what they are told by the zeal-fired
propagandists.
The prevalent impression. fantastic
and fatal to clear thinking is that
A. A. A. is merely a form of farm re-
lief. If A. A. A we're merely form
of farm relief. if it stopped with that,
few would oppose it, and most who did
oppose it would only do so to propose
an alternative form.
New Conception of Society.
But. actually. A. A. A. is the charter
and mechanism Of wholly new con-
ception of society, taking in every class
and individual and leading inevitably,
II not arrested, to new form OF gov
ernment. To expand on this fully is
not the purpose of the present article.
But some time. and soon. by some one
or by many persons, America must be
made aware what A. A. A. is.
Unhappily. the Republican leaders
land Democratic ones) think OF A. A.
A. as merely a form of farm relief, as
only a device which sends checks to
farmers. and therefore, as a thing
upon which votes depend. If the po-
litical leaders continue to think that
way. and if the country does not be-
come aware of what A. A. A. Is, Ameri-
ca may drift into the new order OF
society without being aware Of what is
happening.
About A. A. A. and Republican
policy and the Republican nomination
for President. two facts are apparent:
First. several important Western Re-
publican leaders want the party to in
dorse A. A. A. and nominate candi-
date who indorses A. A. A. and who
comes from the territory where A. A.
A. is popular.
"Pussyfoot" on A. A. A.
Second. many Eastern Republican
leaders are disposed to "pussyfoot"
about A. A. A. This attitude Of
silence, for the present, is perhaps
justified by the fact that A. A. A,
as an institution and as political
issue may look different after the
Supreme Court hands down decisions
in the cases before it affecting A. A. A
But it is possible the Supreme Court
decisions may decide nothing-at
least nothing until after next years
election. when it may be too late
The A. A. A. cases now before the
court arose while A. A. A. was still IN
its original form.
A. A. A. is now a changed form
Last May, when the Supreme Court
declared N R. A. invalid, the heads Of
A. A. A., fearing the court might dc
the same thing about them, drafted
notifications of A. A. A. These
notifications we're enacted by Con-
greSs August "a, last. Consequently
the cases having a really determining
effect on A. A. A. may be only such
as have arisen since August "a. II
is possible these later cases may not
emerge before the Supreme Court until
after next years election.
That Eastern Republican leaders are
practicing cautious restraint about A
A. A. there can be no doubt Wher
the Executive Committee of the Re-
publican National Committee was ir
session recently at Washington,
careful observer, Mr.. Theodore G
Wallen, of the New York Herald
Tribune recorded that Chairman
Henry P. Fletcher admitted the party
has problem in dealing with A. A. A.
which, it has been generally reported
is riding in good favor in the farm
belt. where the Republicans must make
gains in order to win next year" Tt
the same effect another accurate re-
porter, Mr.. j. Fred Essary, Of the Bal
timore Sun, reported that members
of the Republican National Commit
tee resolved to make war upon vir'
tually every New Deal policy with
single lone exception. The lone eX'
ception is the Agricultural Adjustment
Administration. The A. A. A. may moi
be applauded, but it will not be at
tackled. There are too many Western
States to be won or lost on that issue.
More pungently, Mr.. Frank Kent o.
the Democratic Baltimore Sun OBJ
served that Republican leaders, who
have all the courage of a sick She
rabbit, assail every other phase of the
New Deal save A. A. A. Upon that
they are evasive. equivocal and elu'
sive." To the same effect Mr.. G
Gould Lincoln Of The Washington
Star reported: Republican leaders
say the A. A. A., with its processing
taxes, scarcity of some foodstuffs anc
higher living costs, is unpopular
enough in the East already, but they
are afraid the farmers in the Middle
West and other agricultural sections
are too fond of receiving benefit checks
from the Government for not pro-
ducing this or that crop"
Contrast With Western Leaders.
I have cited all this as evidence
that Eastern Republican leaders are
"soft-pedaling" about A. A. A.
Turn now to the Western leaders
The contrast is one Of both position
and mental attitude. Many of the
Western leaders are for A. A. A., and
are vigorously for it. Republican Sen