Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-12-20
The Political Mill
Murray Lincoln Is Urged
To Oppose Senator Taft
ADA Seeks Nomination in Ohio
For Farm Insurance Firm Head
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
Americans for Democratic Action has q
project close to its heart-the nomina ton
of Murray D. Lincoln of Columbus on the
Democratic ticket to run against Senator
Taft of Ohio next year. While no action
was taken on the matter of the Ohio sena-
torship at the recent meeting Of the Ma
tonal Board of ADA in Baltimore, there was
plenty Of conversation about the desirability
of Mr.. Lincoln's throwing his hat in the
ring. Mr.. Lincoln is himself vice chairman
of the ADA-and he did not attend the
Baltimore meeting. He remained away, per-
haps, to make up his mind without the
pressure that might have been brought upon
him.
In the opinion of board members of the
ADA, MIR. Lincoln is the man who would
have the best chance of defeating Mr.. Taft.
AS a matter of fact, they claim that his
election over the Ohio Senator and Repub-
lican wheel horse in Congress would be easier
than victory for Mr.. Lincoln in Demo-
cratic senatorial primary next May but they
believe he could be nominated. His biggest
threat in primary fight would be Jumping
joe Ferguson, Democratic State auditor.
Mr.. Ferguson has already announced his
candidacy and says he won't get out for MIR.
Lincoln or any one else. The auditor IS
widely known, sets himself up as watchdog
Of the State treasury much as did former
Senator Honest Vic" Donahey, and has .
machine" of his own.
Registered Republican.
Mr.. Lincoln has been registered Repub-
lican for many years in Ohio. in fact ever
since he went there from Massachusetts at
the request of the late Myron T. Herrick to
help build up farm loan program. But he
has voted for Democratic presidential candi-
dates, especially Franklin D. Roosevelt and
Harry Truman. He has the opposition of
some Of the principal Democratic leaders in
the State, who might be lukewarm If not
hostile toward Mr.. Lincoln either in the pri-
mary or in the general election, or both.
Mr.. Lincoln's interest in the problems Of
farmers has never Wavered. He has been
potent figure in the Ohio Farm Bureau
Federation. Today he heads the Farm Bu-
reau Insurance Companies and has built
up a business with more than a hundred
million dollar assets. He is known to the
farmers throughout the State. Speaking to
the annual meeting of the Ohio Farm Bu-
reau Federation three weeks ago, Mr.. Lin
coin took issue with the present handling Of
farm prices and particularly with distri-
button of farm products. He said at that
time: Instead Of farmers asking for fic-
titiously high prices for certain farm pro-
ducts as is now our policy-we should be
trying to find ways to get these products into
channels Of consumption-and at the same
time maintain adequate farm income" He
argued too, that there must be ways Of get
ting the products Of industrial workers and
industry more widely distributed and that
the way to accomplish both these ends is to
have full employment of all workers and to
raise the standards of living.
Resentment Building Up.
Taking a shot at the present price sup.
port program for farmers, Mr.. Lincoln con-
tinued: There is building up in America
today a national resentment against rotting
wheat, stored eggs, and kerosene dripping
potatoes. This is justihable resentment-for
as long as people need in their stomachs
and their diets these products of our farms
there should be no agricultural surpluses.'
All this sounds as though Mr.. Lincoln
were getting around to a point where he
would favor the Brannan farm program,
with its proposed payments by the Govern
ment to farmers of the difference between
the prices they receive for their produce in
the market and parity prices"-prices
which would put the farmers dollar on
par with that of the industrial worker. The
Farm Bureau Federation, at its national
convention, has gone on record as opposed
to the Brannan plan.
Mr. Lincoln, however, has never declared
himself in support of the Brannan plan.
There is reason to believe that he feels the
Brannan plan would be just another method
of freezing Government support of parity
prices without reaching the problem of full
distribution, and that he would say - in a
senatorial campaign.
Organized labor in Ohio, through it's
leaders, has been boosting Lincoln for the
Senatorial nomination, and organized labor
has favored the Brannan plan. Certainly if
Mr.. Lincoln were nominated 1t would back
him strongly against Senator Taft. What
the Ohio farmers would do is something Of
q conundrum. Many of them helped to
carry the State for President Truman and
the Democrats in 1919