Evening star., 1953-11-25
The Political Mil
Great Farm Belt Holds
Key to 6. o. P. Victory
Formers Must Be Certain
Purty Will Be Fair to Them
By Gould Lincoln

More and more it appears the great
Farm Belt of the country will deter
mine whether the Republican Party
will control the Senate, and probably
the House, after the congressional elec-
tionS next year.
It's been automatic in the past that
the Republicans must have the farm
vote and the suburban vote to win ma
tional elections. They have started with
one hand tied behind them, the votes
of the solid South" firmly in Demo-
cratic pockets. If they could receive an
even break in the industrial centers,
or something approaching it, the rural
votes could give them victory.
Two things loom large in the picture
today. First, the Eisenhower farm pro-
gram now being whipped into shape for
presentation at the opening of the sec
ond session OF Congress. Second, the
probable farm income during the COM
ing year. The farmers must be con-
vinced that the Republican program
is fair to them-and little bit more.
They must see a halt in declining farm
prices and some recovery. All this if
they are not to gamble. for something
better.
Bad Break on Prices.
The Eisenhower administration had
bad break. Farm prices, which had
begun to go down year before Presi-
dent Eisenhower entered the White
House. continued their downward path,
Added was terrific drought in the
cattle country, which caused a flood Of
cattle to the markets. cattle which
otherwise would have been kept on the
ranges or fed for the market. Dropping
prices have eased off, and the cattle
situation is improving.
The Republicans have no difficulty
remembering that it was the farm vote
which sank their presidential candi-
date, Gov. Dewey Of New York, in l948.
An lnjudicious speech at that time by
one of the Republican leaders. Demo-
cratic cries that the farmers would get
less under Republican rule, and much
puollclzed shortage in grain storage
1aclltleS, attributed by the, Democrats
to the Republican 80th Congress, scared
the farmers away. Too many of them
voted Democratic, while many other
Republican voters, thinking the election
was IN the bag, stayed away from the
polls.
Fourteen Senator's; representing
States ranging from the Rocky Noun
talnS to the AppalachianS, are up for
election next November. Nine of them
are Democrats and five, Republicans.
II the Republicans are to make gains in
the Senate, presumably they must be
made in this group The Democratic
Senators are Anderson of New Mexico.
douglas OF Illinois, Gillette of Iowa.
Humphrey of Minnesota, Hunt of Wyo-
ming, johnson of Colorado, Kerr of
Oklahoma, Murray of Montana, and
Burke OF Ohio. The Republicans speak
hopefully OF defeating Douglas in Illi-
nolS and Gillette in Iowa, two States
which went overwhelmingly for Eisen-
mower last year. They hope, too. to
elect Republican Senators in Ohio.
wyoming, and New Mexico. Senator
johnson of Colorado has been and
probably will continue to be unbeatable
in Colorado. Murray in Montana has
won again and again, and Oklahoma
is Democratic State at bottom.
Republicans Listed.
The five Republican Senators who
must retain their seats if the G.. o. P.
is to have a chance of Senate control
are Dworshak of Idaho, Ferguson of
Michigan, Griswold of Nebraska. Mundt
OF South Dakota and Schoeppel of
Kansas. The Democrats eye with hope
the Senate contests in Michigan and
Idaho and talk about dissension in
Kansas among the Republicans, hoping
TO elect Senator there. Most of the
democratic hope in Michigan centers
around the Democratic Governor. Men,
nen Williams, who has not yet said
whether he will run for reelection or
seek a Senate seat. He may find. as
others have, that running for Governor
IS different from running for Senator.
Nebraska and South Dakota have for
years been strongly Republican. If
GrlSWold or Mundt should lose. a
Democratic drive would be on in ear
nest and any chance of Republican
control of Congress gone.
Iowa is banner Republican State.
Senator Gillette, Democrat, however.
bears kind of charmed life when he
goes before the voters. He was first
elected to the Senate in 1896 when
Roosevelt swept the country. He op-
posed President Roosevelts Supreme
Court packing bill in 1887. The Presi-
dent and his aides sought to purge"
Gillette when he came up for renomi-
nation and reelection in 1888 and
thereby helped to re-elect him. Gill
lette was defeated in 1914, but in 1948
rode the coattails of another Demo-
cratic presidential candidate, Harry S.
Truman. to victory. The Republicans
may have a hard time finding a candi-
date able to defeat Gillette. There has
been some suggestion that Allan Kline.
president of the American Farm Bu-
feau Federation, will give up that post
ana run for the Senate. If he should
do so, Kline probably would make a
strong candidate. He has said how
ever. he does not believe that the
Farm Bureau Federation should be
made a stepping stone to political
Office.