The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-08-06
SEEN
NATIONAL,
CAPITAL
around the
By Carter Field !

WASHINGTON.-Severalt remen-
dously significant points in the first
poll this year OF The Farm Journal
escaped general notice. In fact, not
sufficient attention was paid to the
entire poll, as it just SO happens
that this poll is the only one now
being conducted that has ever stood
the test of a close election. 1t hap
pened to be right in 1916, as well
as in the subsequent landslides.
Two states stand out like sore
thumbs in the preliminary figures.
One is Wisconsin, which most Re-
publican leaders have been cheer
fully conceding to Franklin D.
Roosevelt because OF the La Fol
lette influence, which every one has
assumed would be cast for Roose-
welt after the preliminary maneu-
vers have been completed. But the
farmers Of the state, in this poll, SO
far have voted 1874 for Alt M. Lam
don to $40 for ROOSEVELT Appar-
emily the Wisconsin farmers, who
have not benefited as much as
many others from AAA, ETC., Wis
consin being very diversified
state agriculturally, are voting
their old political alignments.
1t must be borne in mind that
this is poll Of farmers. Milwau-
kee, the big city OF the state, hap
pens to be the stronghold OF the
Socialists. So that it might be fair
to assume that William Lemke will
poll quite a vote there. incidentally
Wisconsin recorded the heaviest
vote for Lemke in any state SO far,
1877, and also the heaviest vote for
Norman Thomas, Socialist. IA.
All of which might be taken to
indicate that Landon has a very
fair chance indeed to walk off with
Wisconsin's IL electoral votes.
The other state springing real
surprise was Missouri. Governor
I4andon personally has been rather
confident OF Missouri, but, although
the original boosting OF Landon
came from the Kansas City Star,
Ieutenants OF Landon have been
most pessimistic about Missouri,
largely on account OF the effective
ness Of the Pendergast Democratic
machine in Kansas City.
Some Other States
But The Farm Journals poll Of
Missouri farmers shows 1889 for
Landon to 1882 for Roosevelt. In
the old days, St. Louis was the Re
publican stronghold in Missouri.
The country between the two big
cities was regarded as heavily Dem
ocratic. This is the section rep
resented in The Farm Journals
poll In discounting this it must be
remembered that the old Repub-
Ican machine in St. Louis has long
since disintegrated, while tn e
Democratic machine in Kansas is
regarded as better than Tammany
ever thought Of being-proportion-
ately to population.
Against these two dark spots for
the New Deal there is Iowa, which
most political observers have been
regarding as safely Republican,
especially since the primary in
which Senator l.. J. Dickinson won
so handily, and in which the G. O. P.
vote SO far exceeded the Demo-
cratic primary outturn. Iowa voted
1854 for Roosevelt to 993 for
Landon.
This is especially discouraging to
Republicans, who had hoped that
not only would they get the electo-
raj votes, but re-elect ardent New
Deal Foe Dickinson, and elect some
other Republican in place of Demo-
cratic Senator Louis Murphy,
killed in a recent automobile ac-
cident.
Offsetting this is the big pro-
Landon vote of the Nebraska farm
ers, 995 to 308, despite Senator
George w. Norris preference for
Roosevelt. The only surprise in this
to the Landon lieutenants was the
proportion. They have been count
ing on Nebraska, but by small
margin.
The Oklahoma figures are very
interesting-6l0 for Roosevelt to
SAL for Landon. Friends of the
Kansas governor say the farm
ers are the backbone of the states
Democracy, while Landon will pile
up the votes among the oil men.
Peek for Landon
Bitterness Of George N. Peek
against Secretary of State CordeH
Hull will drive him to the support
of Governor ALT M. Landon despite
Landon's failure to see eye to eye
with Peek on his plan to substitute
international barter for the Admin
istration's reciprocal trade agree
ments, and what remains of the
traditional COP. protective tariff
policy. This is the firm opinion of
friends very close to the man who
differed SO strongly on fundamental
questions with two of President
Roosevelt's policy makers-Secre-
tary of Agriculture Henry A. Wal
lace and Secretary Of State Hull.
When Peek emerged from his.
conference with Governor Landon