Evening star., 1944-08-04
Corn Belt farmers Seem Reody
To Throw SUPPORT fo Dewey
By GOULD LINCOLN,
star star CeErespeAAsit.

Star stan 3sCofypspon6ent,
CHICAGO. Aug. 4.-rhrmers In
this heart Of the corn belt are fed
up with the Roosevelt administra-
ton. They are ready to gamble
throw their support to D new ma
tiona1 leader In the coming presi-H
dental election.
But farmers are not, as q class,
tmpulsive. They are waiting to hear
what Coy. Thomas e. Deweyanf New
York has to offer. They want. II
possible, to rec the farm problem,
removed as q perennial political
football. IS
Gov. Dewey halted IN Springfield,
ILL.,, on his recent trip to meet with
Republican GoverHors In st. Louis.
Among the, groupS who conferred
with his were some Of the farm
leaders. 1t is no secret that they,
came AWAY from the meeting with.
3 favorable iinpreston' OF the New,
Yorker rsot becatise he claimed to
know all about the farmers prob
Ams, but because he was 4 glutton
for Information and asked what
they considered intelligent questions.
Farm Preblcm Is Plural
The Republican presidential NOM
inee expressed the opinion that the
farm problem Is not singular but
plural. The problem of the Eastern
farmers differs widely from that Of
the farmers. OF the great Middle
West, The Eastern States produce
less than they consume. In the
Middle West they produce more
than they can consume. In the Far
West the problem is again different
and in the South, where cotton has
been king, the problem has still an
other aspect. Yet these various
problems are interrelated.
The farmers had heard similar
views expressed before. What they
want to know Is what Mr.. Dewey
Intends to do about agriculture II
ne should become President. The
reasons why the farmers are at odds
with the Roosevelt administration
are maryland many of them are
personal.
!. They are irritated because of
the sWarms OF Government agents
who overlook everything the farm
erS do.
2. The farmers, being thrifty, are
disguised with the huge expendi-
lures which 60 for the bureaucrats ts
who deal with them.;
Dislike Multitudinous Forms.
3. The farmers object to the
myriad forms they have to NIL out
dealing with production, acreage and
the purchase Of those things the
farmer needs in his business, from
machinery to rubber boots.
4. They are angry because of the
difficulty, they. have. in obtaining
farm machinery and farm labor.
5. They view with resentment
what they call the coddling of in
dustrial labor by the administra-
ton.
This last has been intensified by
the plethora Of strikes in war pro-
duction plants which have gone on
despite labors promise not to in
dulge In work stoppages during the
war. More particularly they dislike
the Clio, which is now closely allied
as a political agent OF the fourth
term drive. ,.t.,.5s
Revolt Began Four Years Age.
This revolt Of the farmers against
the New Deal administration started
more than four years ago. 1t is not
new. but 1t is intensified. The
farmers say they are wholeheartedly
for the war effort. They are not
ompsaining because Of taxes-they
have produced tremendously-but
they do not like to be showed
around. They are in reality busi-
nessmen and capitalists. They do
not like the swing Of the New Deal
to the left and its constant attacks
on business. They have come to
sympathize with other businessmen.
Four years ago eight States of
this agricultural West registered
their protest against the Roosevelt
administration by casting their
electoral votes for Wendell Willkie.
In Ohio and Illinois the Roosevelt
margin of victory in 1896 was tre-
mendously reduced. Mr.. Roosevelt
carried Ohio eight years ago with
a lead of 600: in 1910 this was
reduced to 147,000. He carried I'LL
nois in 1896 by 7l2,00 and this lead
was cut to 5000 four year ago, .
With the intensity of feeling now
existent the farmers believe. that
both these States. along with othsE
States Of the Midwest, will turn up