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

WASHINGTON. May 23-Whle the Democrats
w can scarcely hope to match bunder for blum
der with the RepublicanS-the Grand Old Party
already having haf-lap start-Postmaster General
Farley has shown that he is not to be considered
out of the running.
His Grand Rapids CNIich) speech included a
patronizing reference to Landon 'the Governor
of typical prairie state" The inference conveyed
that for this he could hardly be big
enough for the presidency.
Instead of feeling badly about this sideswpe, the
Landon people are grateful to Gen. Farley
1--WE known people to pray for help and not get
present like that one of them says If Landon
is nominated as he probably will be- Farleys crack
will be plastered every fence post in the MisSis
sipp Valley, to show what the Democratic national
chairman from Tammanys home town thinks of the
Middle West. 1t gives the Republicans the same
thing they had in the Smith campaign-New Yorks
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-
clal city Eastern Roosevelt people never have been
pro-Roosevelt, Nebraska Democrat, always accom-
panleS his praise of the New Deal with demand
for Farley'S resignation Al Smith, aStute as he was
in 1928 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.
WTnLIAM ALLEN WHITE says the Middle West
w is the old United States-thas it is the
East which is new. He meant that in the sense that
the earlier American Stock-wth strong puritancal
Stfain-waS dominant in the Middle West while in
the East more recent immigration was 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 preu-
olces, customs, mores struck their NORM Many WASH
lngton newspaper correspondents make it part of
ther routine to visit the Middle West frequently
leeng 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
~ neneves also that 1t is gypped for its pains and
tnat Wall Street skins off the cream One of the
favort cartoon patterns in the Middle West is a
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 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 90 there
once IN while, you understand. Bit he wouldn't
I'VE IN the place Il you gave it to hs SO he says.