The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-10-21
CAMPAIGN Still
ON SAME TRACK
AS END NEARS
BUT LITTLE EVIDENCE THAT
EITHER PARTY WILL MAKE
ANY MATERIAL CHANGE IN
OPERATIONS
By BYRON PRICE
lief OF Hureau. The Associate
VBrasa vNaahfu ~fnnl

'GhteE on bureau The Ass0etateG
Press WashiRgtenl
The Presidential campaign is
rounding into its final weeks with
little evidence ths. either party
will alter materially the tactical
plan it adopted months ago.
There has been some shuffling
of the issues. Talk about the
constitution and relief has not
been SO prevalent as many expect
ed, while communism and a few
ether topics have received an un-
predicted prominence. The grand
| plan of operations, however, still
is as it was foreshadowed at con-
vention time.
June saw MIR. Roosevelt keynot-
ing his campaign with an attack on
the economic royalists" of the
business world, and Mr.. Landon
seeking to marshal business senti-
mem: against the New Deal, while
both cast flirtatious glances to-
ward that vast agricultural class
which many times before has held
the balance of electoral power be-
tween the two general divisions of
American political thought.
October finds Democratic organ
izers intensifying their efforts to
consolidate the "underprivileged"
lit is Mr., Roosevelt's word) be-
hind the President. 1t finds the
Republicans hammering more and
more insistently at the charge that
the New Deal is radical, unsound
and Ito select a term from the vo-
cahulary of Mr.. Landon) "coek-
eyed" 1t finds both sides des-
perately wooing the farmer.
On Original Battle Lines
Of course neither party has
withdrawn entirely from those Sec
tors of public sentiment where its
OPPOSITION rates itself as strongest.
Mr.. Landon has referred to himself
as a Constructive liberal" and
Mr.. Roosevelt has declared him
self the kind of conservative"
who believes that only through
change can sound government be
preserved.
The discussion often has gone
afield also, as most political dis
cussions do, into the realm of those
generalities which are supposed to
have a pleasant sound to the ears
of all classes,
On the same day, in adjacent
states, the Republican rominee
promised to "restore" the nation
al government to the people, and
the Democratic nominee said he
was not worried about the future
of the country so long as the gov
eminent remained" in the hands
of the people.
Underneath all of this, however,
the original plan of battle is dis
cernible when the practical expee-
tations of the two party organiza-
tons are examined.
The Democrats look for their
largest majorities (outside the
SOUTH in the wards and town.
ships where the laboring classes
are concentrated most densely,
where per capita income is lowest.
The Republicans count most heay-
lily on those sections where admin
istration has aroused greatest re-
eminent and fear for the future.
Farmers Hold Answer
If both of these expectations
are correct, then a great deal must
depend on the agricultural class.
Normally, over a long period,
the farm sections of both east and
west have been preponderantly
Republican. In election after cleo
ton, in such important states as
New York and Illinois, the Repub-
lican party has been able to ac-
cumulate sufficient farm majori-
ties to overcome heavy opposition
leads in the great cities.
But in 1882 and again in 1884
very large numbers of farmers
went over to the Democrats. Was
this only temporary walk, or was
it a secession? If anyone knew
the answer definitely, he would