Evening star., 1936-10-07

! Continued From First Page.)
a question as to what will be the size
of the Roosevelt lead over Landon.
The President, they say may win by
as 125,000. The Republicans-and
some of the more innocent bystand-
ers-predict that the State will go
for Landon by from $4,000 to 100 900.
So much for party claims. The prob
| abilities are the election here will
be close. perhaps closer than either
| side is now willing to admit. Precinct
| polls taken in various parts Of the
| State by the Republican workers show
considerable swing away from Roose-
velt and toward Landon. This is true
even in Dubuque and Carroll Coun-
ties, the two strongest Democratic
counties in Iowa. They indicate in
those counties a decided slipping
! away from Roosevelt.
| After a long tradition OF Republic
anism, broken since Civil War days
only once in presidential elections,
Iowa swung into the Democratic COL
umn four years ago-for Roosevelt.
The only other time the State went
Democratic nationally was in 1912,
when Woodrow Wilson carried it, al
though the combined Republican and
Bull Moose vote was 100.0 900 in excess
of Wilson's vote here. Even in 1916.
despite the "he kept us out of war"
slogan of Wilson. the State went for
Hughes by $4,000 votes In 1882 the
Iowa farmers were desperate. Ten
thousand of them had been dispos-
sessed of their farms and the foreclos-
ures were continuing. Prices for corn
and hogs, the two great staple prod
ucts of Iowa, were pygmy height. They
took their grievances out on Hoover
and the Republican party. The State
went for Roosevelt by $4,000 votes.
Hoover had carried it against Smith
four years earlier by 255,000.
Iowa has Republicanism in its bones.
The Iowa farmers have been seeking
some good reason for going back to
Landon-too many of them, according
to certain New Dealers. Landon came
along with his farm program, which
promises the agriculturists as much,
If not more, than the Roosevelt pro-
gram. Cash benefits to the farmer
are to continue, and in addition the
farmers are to be encouraged to grow
all the crops they wish, with the
Government seeing to 1t that sur
pluses are marketed so as not to force
down prices. He is promising some
kind Of crop insurance, too. 1t is not
a matter of wonder that some OF these
Republican farmers are looking at the
G. o. P. elephant again with friendly
eyes.
Republican campaigners are driving
home q new thought to the Iowa
farmers. They are pointing out that
in the cotton States, where the farm
ers have been paid to curtail their
cotton planting, they have taken to
growing hogs and corn in great guam
tity. Those crops come into competi-
ton with the Iowa farmers and curtail
their markets in the South.
On the other hand, not all the Re-
publican farmers are being weaned
away from Roosevelt. A great many
of them regard the New Deal Presi-
dent as their particular benefactor.
Through the crop restriction program
them have received cash BENEFITS from
the Government. Their prices have
mounted from the low mark of 1892
to marks which are decidedly worth
while-although the farmer still thinks
he is not getting enough for his prod
ucts. When the last referendum
among the Iowa farmers was held on
corn-hog program, 100000 of them
voted AYE" and only 10000 mo-"
The Iowa farmers are looking forward
eagerly now to the checks they will
receive under the new soil conserva-
ton program, brought into being after
the Supreme Court had knocked out
the old A. A. A. crop control act.
Some of these checks may be dis
tributed in the last half Of this month.
Not any have yet been sent out from
Washington. But the great majority
of them probably will not reach the
State until after election. it is said.
This State was hard hit by the
drought last Summer. The corn crop
was lost entirely in some parts of
Iowa, although in certain areas the
crop was better than usual. In the
last few weeks, however, there has
been plenty of rain-so much SO that
the State probably will measure up
to its average waterfall for the year.
In consequence the green crops for
feed are very good. In the drought
areas about 5000 families are on re-
lief, through the w. p. A. The total
number Of w. p. A. workers Is put
down at $4,000 in Iowa, and there
are $4,000 families on direct relief.
1t is expected that Roosevelt will get
a vast majority of these relief votes,
although there are Republican rum
blings even among some Of the re-
liefers.
The major factor working for
Roosevelt In this State Is the aid, Of
all kinds, given to the farmers: Crop
benefit checks, higher prices which
the Democrats attributed to the con-
troll of crops-although the Repub-
licans say the drought in 1884 and
again this year had as much. If not
more, to do with high prices, refinanc-
ing Of farm mortgages through Agri-
=