The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1936-10-08

II Entered as Second Glass matter,
At the time this is written, the
election is just five weeks In the
future. The issues-such as tney
are-are drawn The rattle OF po-
litical machine-gun fire grows con-
stantly louder.
The average citizen has neither
the time nor the inclination to keep
up with 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
ranging all the way from GOP-stal-
wart Mark Sullivan to New Dealer
Jay Franklin, and keep up with
hundreds of thousands of words OF
news-matter sent out by the big
press associations.
In the week ending September ~,
a number of highly dramatic and
potentially important incidents oc-
CURED. Both the President and
Governor Landon took to the radio
to expound their views on various
issues. And, on a lower political
level, scores of party followers car
ried on for their chiefs.
Most dramatic event was William
Randolph Hearst's attack on the
President, in which he said that Mr..
Roosevelt had the support of "en-
emies of the American system OF
government"-that is, the Com
munists. This was promptly denied
by Earl Browder, official Commu-
mist presidential nominee.
OF more practical Importance in
the vital matter Of vote-getting was
the attention paid to the long-de-
bated subject Of farm crop insur-
ance by both contenders. Mr.. Roose-
welt announced in press confer
ence that he had appointed a COM
mittee to formulate plans, said that
"crop insurance and system OF
storage reserves should operate SO
that SURPRISES Of fat years could
be carried over for use in lean
years." A day or two later Govern
or Landon made public part Of a
yet-unspoken speech, in which he
too endorsed crop insurance. mas
much as crop insurance is mention
ed in neither party platform, UNI
prejudiced commentators think that
both candidates were out to get
the Jump on the other with some
thing new and compelling that a
stalemate resulted.
Unusually aggressive was Govern
or Landon's speech on social secur-
ity, in which he asSailed admins
tration methods, though he ap-
proves Of such q plan in principle.
He said the New Deal law was a
"cruel hoax" that it endangered
~'the whole cause Of social security"
It pledged his party to the enact
ment Of a "pay-as-you-go" old age
pension system which would "pro-
vide for every American citizen over
65 the supplementary payment nee
essary to give minimum income
sufficient to protect him or her
from want
On the radio. the President con-
tinued his policy Of making we'll
phrased, calm speeches, in which he
criticises his opponents only by in
ference. His big drive is yet to
come he apparently feels it is more
or less a waste Of motion to make
major speeches as early as this, and
will wait until midi October.
In the meantime, the endless
speculation as to who will win con-
tinues. The Literary Digest poll, on
the basis Of early returns, gives Lam
don a big lead most other polls
give Roosevelt a small but seeming
1y safe margin. State primaries so
far have shown little. Anti-New
Deal Democrats have been badly
beaten for the most part, as have
the TownSendites. The Maine elec-
ton is said by Republicans to make
q COP victory certain, while Demo-
Gratis pooh-pooh it. AS a matter Of
fact, in the past when Democrats
have carried elections in Maine, a
Democratic president has always
been elected. When Republicans
have won by tremendous major
tiles, Republican president has al
ways been elected. But when the
election was relatively close, as it
was this year, the following nation
al election has always been close as
well. In that, the Maine results echo
the views of most political experts
the next President will win his Of
flee by very slim margin.
We note by the household de-
partment in a daily that some one
has developed a recipe for the max
ing of carrot fudge. Our purpose in
noting the fact mere is merely to
put on record a refutation of the
skepticism that any practical use
would ever be found for carrots
This, of course, is assuming that
conversion into fudge will be &C.