Evening star., 1936-07-16

sentimental IN
terest in New Dealers.
These are the two major influences
of the drought when measured in
political terms. But there are other
factors at work in the farm regions
which may be intensified by the
drought developments. Thus, if the
price of food products rise to the
point where large importations of corn
and dairy products. for instance, will
overflow even the tariff walls. the
farmer in many States may get back
to his earlier Republicanism, which
has been SO closely associated with
tariff protection.
Already in the West there is lively
controversy over the effects of the
reciprocity treaty with Canada. Cattle
raisers are saying that the price of
beef is lower today than year ago
because of heavy importations from
Canada and other countries. New
Deal officials say it is due to other
causes, notably increase in production
Controversy May Be Revived.
will send the prices Of meats up some
what but not before the Autumn elec-
ton. Other articles in the food basket
may go up in price, in which event
the old controversy will be revived
as to whether America would not have
been better off without the restricted
production and A. A. A. policies, in
which the farmers were paid for what
they didn't plant.
The New Deal Indignantly denies
this and says the situation would have
been much worse in the pre-drought
years without Government aid. Never
theleSs, the farmers who have been
accustomed to regulation of agricul-
ture by sun and rain are going to be
talking and thinking of what might
have been their revenue had the arti-
fetal control not been instituted to
keep acreage down.
A classification of drought States
outside of the solid South shows that
there are about 176 electoral votes
in the drought area, out of which,
when the border States of Oklahoma,
Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee
are excluded, there is a total of 1870.
which might be affected one way or
the other by the politics of the
drought.
The New Deal is we'll on its toes
with reference to political effects and
Is preparing to rush funds and direct
aid of every kind in the hope of
gaining political advantage in the
States where disaster has overtaken
the farmer. This is power which no
other administration has ever enjoyed |
30 extensively. The New Dealers, by
voting to the Executive S4800,000, 900 |
fund which can be used for almost |
any purpose, do not have to ask Con-
gress for authority. In sense, this |
is defensible, for had there been no
emergency fund available the farmers /.
would have been pleading for an extra !
session of Congress and a Federal |
appropriation while their cattle |
starved.
Federal Policy Changing.
It would appear that national ad-
ministration of emergency problems |
will become permanent part of |
Federal policy as they relate to acts
of the weather and the elements.
Heretofore. the Red Cross has been
relied upon for relief of stricken |
families. The depression has intro
duced the principle of governmental |
aid. This will no doubt mean careful !
scrutiny in the future to see that /.
public funds are not disbursed for
political ends.
Whatever is spent, however, in |
direct aid in the drought States may
not bring in enough votes to offset |
the effect of the argument that re-
striction policies were wrong and that |
had they not been attempted the |
weather would have ironed out over
production.
The criss-crosseS in the farm area |
are quite numerous nowadays. The
Lemke-C -Coughlin ticket and now the
Townsend old age pension agitation |
are calculated to take votes away from
the New Deal ticket. The biggest |
nucleus of farmers is probably Re |
publican. If defections due to |
drought controversies and third party |
tickets keep away many votes from |
being cast for either Mr.. Roosevelt or
Mr.. Landon the decisive influence in
most Of the large States will be the !
populous cities votes. 1t is here that
the cost Of living issue may diminish
the New Deal strength. 1t is in the
cities where the housewife may be-
come interested in why food prices
have gone up that the full effect of |
the drought may be felt in the ma
tional campaign.
Copyright, 1850