Evening star., 1936-09-24
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.


ground Of the national political cam
paisn. The New Dealers are urging the
farmers to stick to Roosevelt. The Re-
publicans are pleading with them to turn
to LAndon. LAndon himself Is cam
paisning In the belt right now At Des
Moines, in plain English which any
farmer could understand, he outlined
his program for farm aid II he becomes
President. 1t is what might be called
. whale OF . program. It does not over
look any Of the benefits of the present
administration, and 1t adds 4 few more.
It does. however, propose to do away
with paying the farmers for not pro-
ducing, and 1t does propose to compen-
safe them for growing things. It won't
be long before President Roosevelt, who
has already invaded these farm States
in his drought relief trip of recent days,
will be talking to the farmers. too.
Landon has to win these big farm
States Of the Middle West If he is to be
elected. He is Of the Middle West, Cow
ernor of one of the greatest farm States
Of them all. He has been familiar with
the problems Of the farmer of that
oCSViOA1 4OA - 4OliB t4lI1C AIlu xlC 1ldS lIlAQ6
. first-hAnd study Of them. His speech,
opening his swing into these farm States,
In Des Moines on Tuesday night Is be-
heved to have been an excellent start. II
he can persuade the farmers of Iowa
to join with him, the farmers OF Minne-
sofa, Of Nebraska, Of Illinois, of Kansas
and Of Indiana are likely to follow suit.
The Iowa farmers seemed to like his talk.
The New Dealers will point to what
they have done for the farmers in the
way Of direct benefits through Govern
ment checks and through increases in
farm prices, due, they claim, to the pro-
gram OF crop curtailment which the
Roosevelt administration has put into
effect. Accomplishment, they will say,
Is better than promise. The Landon-
ties, on the other hand. will reply the
Roosevelt administration has turned
over to foreign producers much of the
market which formerly was that of the
American farmer, both in Europe and in
this country. They will say that the
Roosevelt administration has not been
50 much responsible for better farm
prices as have the droughts. They will
say. also that the Roosevelt New Dealers
are seeking to control the individual
American from Washington-and the
American farmer likes to be his own
boss. And, furthermore. they will urge
that the program now advanced by Gov
Landon is more far-reaching and salts
factory than the program which Roose-
welt has developed.
The Government checks for compli-
ance by the farmers In the new A. A. A.
program Of soil conservation have not
vet begun to 60 out to the farmers. At
the Department Of Agriculture 1t is said
that the hope Is a batch OF these checks
will 60 forward to the farmers by October
Is. and that the flow will be steady there
after. The Government checks In the
past have reached their peak around the
middle Of December. The Supreme Court
knocked the props from under the old
A. A. A. last January, when it declared
the law unconstitutional. But Congress
appropriated the money to pay the
farmers for the fulflment OF their con-
tracts with the Government already
made. and checks for these old contracts
have been going forward. There remains
about $15000,000 more to be paid on
these old contracts. So between the
money for the old contracts and the
promise Of money for the new contracts,
the New Dealers believe the farmers
should be pretty well satisfied.
These States Of the great farm belt of
the Middle West have in the past been
Republican. and the farmers have been
Republicans in the main. That fact,
although the party yoke today sits more
lightly than in the past, may make it
easier for Landon to win the farmers
and these States back to the Republican
party. There Is always the dragging
power Of earlier associations. Further
more, the farmers are beginning to
wonder about the huge public debt, how
1t Is to be paid without its becoming
heavy burden upon them as well as
all other citizens of the United States.
Landon Is emphasizing the fact that
the G. O. p. farm program will be based
largely on giving aid to the "family-size
farm. )" the farm on which single family
can and should make . fair living, with
earnings sufncient to give the family
comforts as well as the necessities of
life. 1T will" he says, eliminate all
excuse for paying $785 900 in one year to
sugar corporation, or $l55, 900 to pack
ing company for its hog operations, or
1901 900 to q BritiSh-owned cotton COM
pany.- And it will not longer be possible
for q corporation farmer to rent Gov
ernment-controlled Indian land and get
. $51 900 subsidy. or for q garbage feeder
to get 100 times as much as q good corn
belt farmer" He was referring to Gov
eminent payments which have, been
made under the Roosevelt farm program.
Was 1t worth the money! good deal
Of money-to put President Roosevelt
on the air from Pittsburgh on October l
at the same time that Al Smith is going
on the air from New York City? From
inside" reports it seems that the Demo-
cratic National Committee, after it had
heard that Al Smith was going to start
his anti Roosevelt campaign on October
/. hurrtedly made arrangements to buy
time the night of October /, at o pm.
Al Smith speaks from 8 pm. to 10 pm.
The radio audience will have to choose
between Roosevelt and Smith. There Is
going to be a lot Of interest in what
Smith has to say, both on the part of
Roosevelt supporters and Roosevelt oppo-
nents. The President might have had
bigger audience the night Of October z.
At last the President is to start a
political drive" it is announced from
HYDE Park TODAY the President is hold