Show t. t i I National Topics Interpreted In by William Bruckart Rational Press D t. t C. C I Washington As the campaign gets fiets more heated ted it becomes becom s 's s increasingly in in- in- in evident Call Spade that the political a Spade battle this year will result more moreL L times in n a spade being called a spade nien men being named names names- than has happened in a good many previous years When this stage is reached it invariably means that party workers as well as party leaders leaders leaders lead lead- ers arc are thoroughly imbued with the sense of battle and it means menns further that no phase of either p party policy policy poli poll cy or personal persona affairs of the candidates candidates candidates candi candi- dates themselves escapes the attention attention atten aUen- tion of ot the opposition That probably is the reason why Mr Roosevelt lately has found himself himself him him- self sell being kidded to a greater extent ex ex- tent than usually occurs about his bis political non visits to various sections sections sec see of the country The opportunity opportunity opportunity has not yet ret come for lor Governor GoverS Gover Gover- i S nor Landon the Republican nominee nomI nom nom- inca inee to fo be made the butt of such suchS I S jokes or the subject of such personal personal per per- Sona attacks but undoubtedly it will arrive long before belore November 3 To refer again to the Presidents President's political non trips the correspondents correspondents correspondents corre corre- here have been having a great deal of fun about the Presidents President's Presidents President's Presidents President's dents dent's determination to learn firsthand firsthand firsthand first first- hand about the fl flood od areas of ot Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- sylvania and New England and th the drouth areas of the middle western west west- ern plains This is significant It It shows an Important change hange of attitude on the pat of the Ule Washington observers who seldom find themselves in a position where they can tell everything everything everything every every- thing they know It is significant also from rom this standpoint that it shows Mr Roosevelt to have lost the loyalty of ot a grea great t number of those writers Titers Time w wis IS when 95 l per cent of the Washington correspondents correspondents corre corre- were with Mr Roosevelt on everything he said or did and when they found vulnerable spots or weaknesses in his statements or actions actions actions ac ac- ac- ac they were inclined to overlook them Such is ts not the case now h however wever and I think it may be added with candor that the Presidents Presidents President's dents dent's programs and policies his speeches hes and statements in press ress conferences are examined with utmost utmost utmost ut ut- ut- ut most scrutiny From the Democratic standpoint this is distressing From th the theRe theRe- Republican Re- Re I publican standpoint it is a Highly valuable change in circumstance The reason is that as long as the President had a completely friendly friend ly press he did n not t ne d to be so careful nor did he ever need to fear that interpretations would be pla placed ed upon his sta statements or his actions other than the interpretation which he desired It takes no stretch of I the imagination to to realize forthwith that any time he says or does docs anything anything any any- I thing to which exception can b be tako tak- tak o eu some of those thos correspondents will point out the other possibilities find generally speaking that the writing corps doubted that th t the Presidents President's Presidents President's Presidents President's Pres Pres- ident's Pennsylvania and New England England Eng Eng- land visits were based solely on his desire to- to know to-know know what the federal government government gov gov- should do to prevent floods One correspondent w was s so extremely frank rank as to write i in 1 his metropolitan newspaper that Mr Roosevelt foresaw not a flood of water water wa wa- wa ter but a n flood of Republican votes Of f course th's is an exaggerated position for or any unbiased writer to take but there were any number 0 ol those correspondents who laughingly laughingly laughingly laugh laugh- inquired why it was st. st urgently urgent- urgent ly ly Iy necessary for the President to visit the flood areas at this time time time- considering that there was no congress congress con con- gress ress in session and no definite provision pro- pro provisionS vision visionS for the framing of flood relief relief relief re re- re- re lief plans S S Now Now as to the Presidents President's visit to the drouth stricken area area The drouth was pres- pres Learned ent in the dust Little bowl bo as as' as th the briliant brilliant brilliant bril- bril young young- strategists strategists strate strate- of of the New Deal Deaf organization ti n have n named the middle western plains There can be no doubt likewise likewise likewise like like- wise that relief was needed Deeded and that a thorough-going thorough understanding I of the situation by those responsible i in Washington should be obtained Yet I believe it was the consensus of the writers accompanying the theS S President on that whirlwind tour lour of the dust storms that Mr R Roosevelt lt perso personally ally gained no knowledge of ot conditions that was not already available to him in reports from his subordinates Indeed I am told toldon on on very good authority that relief re- re lief representatives who had gone into the drouth area already had written ritten their reports to the President President dent and made their recommendations concerning policies to deal with that re relief situation before he 0 left Washington on 00 that trip rip It It must be quite obvious however however how how- however ever that Mr Roosevelt desired to Ece conditions about which so much was vias being written in la the pers I 1 think he cannot be blamed for desiring the opportunity to witless wit wit- less ss things as they actually were before ber be be- r fore tore the rains came but bit some of ot o bis his speeches from the rear end of ot his special train evidenced someThing something something some some- thing more than a hint that he deS desired desired de de- de- de S sired to see not only the drouth stricken area but hut the voters who live lioe there w More recently the President has made a political non-political trip into certain certain tain tam areas of the southland where itis it itis itis is suspected by Chairman Farleys Farley's representatives that a goodly number number number num num- ber of ot Republican votes exist In fairness to the President i must be said with respect to his southern trip however that he die dic little actual actual actual ac ac- ac- ac speech It is true that he gave the pump-handle pump handshake wherever people desired to greet him but his campaigning was much less evident in the minds of ot the reporters reporters reporters re re- re- re porters than obtained in his visit to the north and to the central west S S S SAnd And referring to his trip to the central west I am reminded of the hysteria that has Soil arisen over soil oil Erosion erosion Undoubtedly Undoubtedly edly soil erosion is a problem worthy of general attention attention attention at at- but the thing that disturbs mi mt as a Washington observer is that soil erosion like a lot of other problems problems problems lems suddenly has become mixed up in ill politics when it is not a political political political po po- po- po question The conservation of ot soi soL of ol natural al resources has been a matter to which farmers of the nation have addressed U themselves for more than thana a hundred years y ars Who i it is it among farming community that has not attempted at one time or another to stop washes or who has no not planted some willow trees or some kinds of bush to prevent ditches being cut through the middle of fertile and arable land And may I further what farmer is there who has n not t given consideration to crop rotation to the planting ng of types of clover or hay or grasses that would of themselves them s enrich the soil All AU of these things are commonplace common common- place All of them have been done from the time to which the memory not to the contra contra But now we find a perfect hullabaloo hullabaloo-a a h hysteria as hysteria as I Isaid said at the beginning about a thing with which farmers long have been familiar It comes almost into the category of nonsense One needs only to visit the oldest in the nation to find soils that have been producing for two centuries and that have continued to show in increased increased increased in- in creased production through all of that time The reason is that those farmers knew about soil e and they sought to prevent it Those farmers arid and nearly all farm rs recognize recognize recognize rec rec- that thai soil must be fertilized that it cannot be planted to the same crop eternally without destroying destroying destroying de de- de- de its fertility and th know the necessity and the method for solving the problem They have acted on that necessity and knowl knowl- edge Notwithstanding all of ot these facts we are due to see in the next session session session ses ses- sion of ol congress and probably for Cor a considerable number of sessions thereafter a bunch of politicians who will be prating about soil conservation conservation conservation conserva conserva- tion long after the farmers have become thoroughly sick at th tt stomach stomach stomach ach about the idea It is just another another another an an- other one of those things which hungry political demagogues will leap and continue to use a ai at a vehicle vehicle ve ye- hicle hide O on which h to ride into office I r was born on a farm arm and ard grew up there I know the problem in inside inside inside in- in side out because the farm Carm upon which I was born was susceptible to erosion erosion washing as m my father Cather called it to it-to to a greater extent than is usual in farm lands It is no particular credit to any anyone one to boast about preventing soil erosion because because because be be- cause it is a thing that any farmer will want to do if he wants to continue continue continue con con- to make his farm pay him a i return It is just as much a part o of ot farm larm management as it h b to see that the work stock does not develop sore shoulders But the point of ot all of this as Caras far Car faras faras as I am am m concerned is that political capital is being made out of a condition condition condition con con- with which politicians ought not to be concerned at alL Some may mar accuse me of ot ignoring the drouth condition I do not do so We have had several years of bad drouth conditions I find it difficult difficult dim dim- cult to associate political control over the weather however because the claims of politicians have yet yetto yetto yetto to reach very far above their heads S S S Announcement is made at last that former President Herbert Hoover is going to Hoover take the stump into in into into to behalf of Governor Governor Gover Gover- nor nor Landon and the Republican ticket Though it was long delayed it probably ha has come before the country became convinced that an irreparable breach existed between Governor Landon and Mr Hoover Rumors were just beginning to fly and gossip gosSIP gos gos- sip tongues were Just beginning to wag that Mr Hoover would remain out of the Republican n picture this year so it is extremely fortunate that he and Governor Landon at last have been brought together as asfar asfar I far Car as Republicans are arc concerned I ICar I am not informed as to the reasons reasons rea rca sons for this delay It is evident that somebody slipped sUpped because it itis itis itis I is unnatural for politicians to deliberately deliberately de de- de decline to take advantage of strength when it is proffered 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