The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-23
Farley Slip Spurs
East-West Rivalry
BY RAYMOND CLAPPER

WASHINGTON. May 23-While the Democrats
w can scarcely hope to match blunder for blum
der with the Republicans-the Grand Old Party
already having half-lap start-Postmaster General
Farley has shown that he is not to be considered
out of the running.
His Grand Rapids (Mich) speech included
patronzing reference to Landon as "the Governor
of typical prairie state" The inference conveyed
was that for this reason he could hardly be big
enough for the presidency.
Instead of feeling badly about this sdeswipe, the
Landon people grateful to Gen. Farley.
1--WE known people to pray for help and not get
a present like that" one of them says. If Landon
is nominated, he probably will be- FarleyS crack
will be plaStered every fence post in the Missis
Sppi Valley, to show what the Democratic national
chairman from Tammanys home town thinks of the
thing they had in the Smith campaign-New York's
ignorance about the remainder of the country-to
play upon.
In this slip, Farley opened up something more
fundamental in American politics than mere Sec
tional pride. 1t dramatzes again the deep mis-
understanding and conflict between the East and
the Midwest, which has figured in American politics
since the Civil War.
Fasteners unable to understand why the
Middle West doesn't bow down in reverence when
New York is mentioned. They are unable to under
stand that everywhere in the Middle West there is
strong prejudice against Tammany. That to the
Middle West New York is the nations most provin-
cial city, Eastern Roosevelt people have been
able to understand why Senator George Norris
pro-RooSevet Nebraska Democrat always accom-
panieS his praise of the New Deal with demand
for FarleyS resignation AL Smith, astute as he was
in 1929 never could peg the Middle West He pitched
them wild. His brown derby, halo on the sidewalks
of New York, was to the Middle West merely funny
hat on comedian.
VXTILLIAM ALLEN WHITE says the Middle West
w is the old United States-that it is the
East which is new. He meant that in the sense that
the earlier American stock-wth strong purianical
strain-was dominant in the Middle West while in
the East more recent immigration dominant.
Foreign observers who study the United States al
most always agree that it is in the Middle West that
the temper of the country its ideas political preju-
diceS. customs. mores struck their norm Many Wash
their routine to visit the Middle West frequently
feeling that there they better able to sense the
real currents which influence the stream of politics
Bascaly, the Middle West regards itself as the
granary of the nation, the source of its food
1t believes also that it is gypped for its pains and
that Wall Street skins of the cream One of the
favort cartoon patterns in the Middle West is
COW, being fed in the farm belt and MIXED in Wall
Street
The late Champ Clark of Missouri ran for the
Democratic presidential nomination in 1912 on the
theme song. They Gotta Quit Kicking My Dog
Around"
The Prairie States went for Roosevelt because
they thought ne was in their corner on all of this
But much of the Vests feeling against the East
has less sense behind it-none at all in fact
In part 1t is merely the farmers suspicion that
the Big City is wicked place. He likes to go there
once in while you understand. But he wouldn't
1--we u the place 4 you gave 4 70 him. Sc no says