The Washington times., 1936-08-08
PARTIES
BUSY W00ING
FARM VOTE
By EARL GOODWIN

be a bit stymied by the attitude
of the so-called Farm Vote, which
is waiting to see who makes the
best offer.
The American farmer, it Is
sadly related by politicians here
in Washington, seems to have
dropped the habit of voting aim
lesSly. He is now waiting 10 see
which side offers him the most,
and none can tell by either plat
form what is inside the package.
Democrats, who will be con-
nected with the New Deals effort
to induce the farmer to vote for
Roosevelt, say that the Republi'
cans are at loss because the farm
er has not rushed to Governor
Landon the way they thought he
would when the platform makers
wrote a g. o. P. farm plank,
which seems to offer twice as
much as the Roosevelt program
at less cost. For that reason,
Democrats charge, the G. o. P.
is going to try to get along with.
out promising anything specific,
simply trusting that the real or
alleged drift to Landon" will
carry a lot Of farmers with 1t.
Won't Hear Details
If this is correct, then the farm.
or Is not going to hear much
specific detail as to how he is go
ing to be uplifted by Governor
Landon; and, by the same token,
one can search the Democratic
National Committee in vain for
specifications as to how rural life
is to continue to be prosperous,
well financed and full Of rural
identification.
No one knows really what the
G. o. P. program for agriculture
is until the broad terms Of the
platform are clarified and detailed
by the candidate, Governor Ian.
don If he does not go into
detail, no one else in the G. Q. P.
is expected to.
The Democrats promise to carry
on in the same old way and they
point with pride to their claim
that the farm income Of the
United States has increased by
two billion dollars; that farm
financing has been on a wide,
free and easy scale, and that the
rural identification program is
now started and that all in all
the New Deal has done so much
for the farmer that he will even
tually walk up to the polls and
cast his vote for Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
Drift to Landon
At the same time there Is
marked drift to Landon among
the farmers, accounted for by the
fact that tens of thousands Of
farmers are normally and tradi-
tionally Republican
This nay have been helped
along by a remarkably active pub
licity campaign among farm pub
locations and small weekly news
papers by the Republican national
committee.
Democrats are understood to be
nursing a secret with respect to
their active campaign for the
farm vote. In all likelihood a
farm bureau to entice the farm
ers' votes will be set up in Chi
cago.
Know They're in Fight
The Democrats here seem to
know they are in a fight with
respect to the farm vote but they
pin their hopes and faith on two
Democratic propositions:
First: They declare that farm
leaders used to come to Washing
ton year after year seeking re-
lief, legislation, McNary-Haugen
bills, and what-not; but never got
anything tangible.
Second: The campaign leaders
believe that the farmers will see
in the international trade pro-
posals the hidden hand Of high
tariff induStrialists who have al
ways been the farmers natural
political enemy.
These are the two main reasons
why Democrats think the Honest
Farmer will vote for Mr.. Roose'
welt. II these reasons turn out
to be spurious Mr.. Roosevelt Is
going to lose the election, in the
opinion Of many Democrats here.
NAVE AMRRIeAN-