The Omaha guide., 1936-10-17
ELECTION PROMISES TO BE CLOSE

AT the time this is written, the election is but less than a
month away. The issues, such as they are--are sharply drawn.
The rattle Of political mnsketry grows constantly louder.
The average citizen has neither the time nor the inclination
TO keep up with the presidential campaign in its hectic CLOSING
period. To do that, he would have TO read a dozen speeches each
week peruse a score of columns authored by observers rang
ing all the way from GOP-stalwart Mark Sullivan to New Deal
er Jay Franklin, and keep up with hundreds of thousands of
words Of new-matter sent out by the big press associations.
In the week ending September 9th, a number of highly
dramatic and potentially important incidents occurred. Both
the President and Governor Landon took to the radio to ex-
poud their views on the various issues. And on a lower political
level; scores of party followers carried on for their chiefs.
Most dramatic event was William Randolph Iearst's at
tack ON the President, in which he said that Mr.. Roosevelt had
the support of enemies of the American system Of government
that is the Communists. This was promptly denied by Earl
Browder, official Communist presidential nominee.
OF more practical importance in the vital matter of vote
getting was the attention paid to the long-debated subject of
farm crop insurance by both contenders. Mr.. Roosevelt announ-
eed in a press conference that he had appointed a committee to
formulate plans, said that "crop insurance and a system of
storage reserves should operate so that SURPRISES of fat years
could be carried over for lean years. A day or two later Gov.
Landon made public part Of an yet-unspoken speech, in which
he too endorsed crop insurance. lnasmuch as crop insurance is
mentioned in neither partyplatform, unprejudiced commenta
tors think that both candidates were out to get the jump on the
other with something new and compeling-that a stalemate re-
suited
Unusually aggressive was Governor Landon's speech on,
social security, in which he assahed the administration methods,
though he approves of such a plan in principle. lie said the New
Deal wa a ''eruel hoax, that it endangered "the whole cause
of social security and pledged his party to the enactment of a
"pay-as-you-go' old age pension system which would provide
for every American citizen over 65,. the supplementary payment
necessary to give a minimum income sufficient to protect him
or her from want.
On the radio the President continued his policy of making
well phrased, calm speeches, in which he crticizes his opponents
only by inference. His big drive is yet to come-he apparently
feels it is more or less a waste of motion to make major speeches
this early and will wait until mid-0etober.
\ In the meantime, the endless speculation as to who will
win continues. The Library Digest poll, on the basis of early re-
turns, gives Landon a big lead-most other polls give Roosevelt
n small but seemingly safe margin. State primaries so far have
shown little. The Maine election is said by Republicans to make
a COP victory certain, while Democrats %poohpooh it. As a ma
ter offact, in the past when Democrats have carried elections
in Maine a Democratic president has always beenelected. When
Republicans have won by tremendous majorities, a Republican
president has always been elected. But when an election was
relatively close, as it was this year, the following national cleo
ton has always been close as well. In that, the Maine results
echo the views of most political experts-the next president
will win his office by a very slim margin.