Nogales international., 1936-02-08
DISPELLING THE FOG

Shocked concern is being expressed by Repub-
lican officials the warning by National Chair
man Farley that the opposition would make the com
ing campaign about the bitterest and probably the
dirtiest on record. In fact Republican Chairman
Fletcher and Republican Congressional Chairman
Bolton soemny enjoned the politicians of their party
to avoid sinking to the depths of the Democrats.
And all the time there was steady output of anti
Roosevelt defamation, some OF 1t OF character that
made it nadmssable to the mails. Part OF the sour
rilous flood was so bad that the Republican Chair
man had to deny that it issued by his authority
not however, until it had been circulated for weeks
and in such volume as to make it certain that there
was considerable organization in the production and
distribution of the cartoons and literature.
Among the delicate propaganda presented were
carcatres of the President grnnlng over tombstones
with legends attributing to him responsibility for the
assassination of Senator Huey Long and the death Of
Senator Bronson Cutting.
In the deep south there is being circulated pub
caton conveying that the President and Mrs. Roose
welt frequently had negroes dinner guests and
house guests.
Among the other choice morsels Of the campaign
are suggestions to the Presidents physical and
jmental health with the implication that both bad,
when at no time since his advent to the White House
has he been more vigorous in both directions than he
lis today.
The Republican National Committee insists that
lit is not paying for any Of these things which is pro-
jbaby true That organization has so many recogniz-
ed and informal allies, ranging from the Liberty Lea
que to Mr. John Fl. Kirby's Southern Committee to
Uphold the Constitution and including the "Nation-
al Republican Council, that is should have no trouble
keeping its skirts reasonably clean during the cam
paign of abuse and falsehood that so clevery pre-
saged by what has already been done.
Playing Havoc with Potatoes the Truth
Anybody who recalls the whispering forays of
the 1928 and 1892 campaigns will appreciate how it
is done In neither of those two campaigns did the Of
fical G. O. P organization endorse the issues of
dial and intolerance, but these things continued right
up to election day in both cases.
One element of the present combat that has Mr..
Fletchers endorsement consists of radio skits, the
presentation of which has already been begun. The
system is all right for every party has the privilege
Of Of presenting dramatized fiction but there
ought to be basis of truth for the statements that
are put into the mouths of the players For example
here is an excerpt from the script of one of these play
let's:
Esley Stebbins said something about raising
money. And the dialogue runs on from there:
JOHN: "Whisper when We use that word'
ESLEY: "What word?"
JOHN: eye can't talk abut raisin' anything -
that's almost as bad as payin' yer debts"
ESLEY: "What are you ravin' about?"
/ JOHN: "Don't you reclect what happened to
Burt Lyman fer raisn' twenty barrels O potatoes?
Six months in Jail!
Of course, there has not been prosecution of
any kind under the potato act which, Incidentally is
not an administrative measure but was passed in the
face of protest from the Department of Agriculture
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