Evening Star Newspaper, September 13, 1936, Page 31

Editorial Page Political Round-Up Part 2—10 Pages . LOCARNO PARLEY CRUCIAL FOR DESTINY OF EUROPE ‘Armament Race to. Exceed Anything Forecast If Agr. eement Is Lacking at Signatories’ Talk. BY CONSTANTINE BROWN. ERLIN.—The Spanish crisis has served its purpose;~it gave Germany and Italy an oppor- tunity to show the Western powers their strength and harmony of diplomatic action. But the real showdown will occur at the conference of the Locarno powers. If the signa- tories of the Locarno treaty can get together and agree upon a formula which, among other things, will sta- bilize armaments, Europe can count on a few years of peace. If, on the other hand, no agreement is possible— and that will be seen during the pre- liminary negotiations which have be- gun already—the armament race is 'going to exceed any forecast that has been made. Sir Robert Vansittart observed to one of his German friends ‘when he was in Berlin six weeks ag): “I shudder to think what the outcome will be should these pourparlers fail.” And this fear is shared by every in- formed person in Europe. The British permanent undersecre- tary of state is not a man who shud- ders easily. He is a realist in politics and a shrewd diplomat. He came to Berlin allegedly to see the Olyn:pic games, But he saw Hitler, tuo, and Schacht, Goering, Von Ribbentrop and other Germans and discussed with them the possibilities of an under- standing among the Locarno powers. It was after these conversations that Hitler appointed Von Ribbentrop as his Ambassador to London, aithough the handsome friend of the Reichs- fuehrer was strongly opposed to the hegotiation of another Locarno agree- ment. But the British and French are loath to see the present armament race continue. It is undoubtedly more difficult for the leaders of dem- ocratic states, where the population becomes alarmed at the fantastic fig- ures which are being spent for mili- tary preparedness, to carry on, than for the authoritarian states wher2 no- body knows how much money is being spent and where the money comes from. Agreed Not to Set Date. At the instance of the British foreign office Hitler and Mussolini withdrew their objections to the principle of holding another confer- ence. But they both made it clear— they did not have to be too emphatic-— that a failure would be worse than if the meeting were not called at all. And the four powers agreed rot to set a date for the conference. If in- surmountable difficulties are ciscov- eréd in the preliminary discussions nothing more will be said and the contemplated conference witl e buried quietly. The Germans have very definite ideas about what they want to ask from the other powers and ur not intend to shift their position. They want to be allowed to handle the Russians in their own way. They also want the French to throw their Russian allies overboard in exchange for a security pact in Western Europe. Hitler told the British this last Spring. Recently the German :oreign office has made the same declaration to Francois Poncet, the French Am- bassador in Berlin. And the ex- pressions used by officials of the Quai d'Orsay were not even clad in the usual diploiatic trappings. Germany and her Italian running- mate are willing to enter into an agreement with Great Britain, France and Belgium to guarantee each other’s frontiers. They also are willing to reach a compromise for the stabiliza- tion of armaments at their present levels. The reason for this is simple. ‘The Reich and Italy have now a def- inite military and air preponderance in Western Europe. The German and the Italian air forces together are nu- merically superior to everything the British, the French and their Little Entente allies can muster at this time. Next year, when the 5,000 British planes will be ready and the French have trebled their air force, the situa- ¢ion will be considerably changed for the Central Powers. Destroyers Lying Idle. ‘The German navy is still in its in- fancy. It is being methodically—but not hastily—expanded to the permit- ted 35 per cent of the British strength. The new German destroyers launched three months ago are lying idle at Kiel because the engines are not ready. But the portion of the Reich’s navy which is ready is a splendid fighting force. An agreement to stabilize forces as they stand at present would mean, therefore, that France and Great Bri- tain would not proceed with their re- armament programs. And neither Germany nor Italy wants either of the other countries to build up to the German strength, Germany and Italy are ready to pledge themselves in all earnestness and good faith to respect the exist- ing frontiers of Western Europe. But Germany does not want to make any promises of good behavior in regard to the Soviets. In the minds of all the Germans a war with Russia is a historical necessity, and an essential prophylactic operation for the good of Europe. Germany is preparing for that war regardless of consequences. ‘The British have been told this in so many words, and the French were ‘warned about this plan long before they concluded their alliance with the Soviet Union. The Czechoslovaks were informed by the Reich that “ne- gotiations for conclusion of’an eco- nomic or non-aggression pact would be extremely difficult, if the proposed Czechoslovak-Soviet military alliance became an accomplished fact.” And the day after the alliance was signed the German press began a relentless and violent campaign against the Czechoslovaks, dramatizing the suf- ferings of the German minorities and the threatening character of the new pact. The campaign was temporarliy suspended dusing the height of the Spanish crisis, but now German news- papers have been ordered to resume their attacks against President Benes and his count en. The Berlin general staff is preparing its plans meticulously. All the war preparations on the western border are of a defensive character. “We ‘want to prevent the French from com- mitting suicide and drawing the rest of the world into a mess,” said & high A ranking German Reichswehr officer to this writer. “If the French general staff can be made to realize the enormous difficulties it will have to overcome in the event that it wants to rush to Russia's rescue, our de- fensive efforts on the Rhine will be well worth our trouble.” Germany seems confident that it can deal with the armies of the Soviets alone and hopes that the Western Powers will be wise enough to permit the conflict to remain localized. While the British are almost will- ing to be convinced, this point of view of the Reich's leaders is, of course, not relished by the French. ‘The French government looks upon its alliance with Russia as the contin- uation of France’s traditional defen- sive policy against the German men- ace. Premier Blum scorns the idea that communistic Russia has found in France the support of a would-be communistic country. The democratic Delcasse govern- ment did not hesitate to throw its lot with the brutally reactionary gov- ernment of the Czars. This did not mean that democratic France proved of czarism. In the same says the French premier, the alliance with the Soviets does not mean neces- sarily that the French government is willing to become the advance guard of communism in Western Europe. But faced by the growing menace of German imperialism, and con- fronted by the indefinite and shifting policies of the British government, France, Blum says, had no other se- curity than an alliance with Russia. Hitler admits that his aims are im- perialistic when he talks about Ger- many's need for territorial expansion. Reich Change Since 1914 Doubted. The French premier, and with him | the majority of the French people, believe Germany has not changed since 1914. The defeat of the Kaiser's | armies was only a contretemps. The Reich has suffered a good deal as a consequence of that defeat, but it has learned a valuable lesson. It will not repeat the mistakes of Wilhelm II, Von Moltke, Von Kluck and Beth- mann-Hollweg. It will pick up again the threads and continue the Bis- marckian ideas without repeating the mistakes of the imperial government. The German government, further- more, is determined not to permit the question of the Eastern States—princi- pally the Soviets—to be injected in the Locarno conversations. The Reich is willing to sign non-aggression agreements with the bordering states, but not with Russia. And, at this time, it is difficult to conceive how France, un- der the Blum regime, can scrap an alliance which was made with every intent of being sincere and solid. Despite the loss of prestige as a re- sult of the Ethiopian affair, Great Britain continues to be considered the paramount power in Europe. The Germans and the French still look upon Great Britain as the nation which caused Germany’s defeat in 1914. And the Germans would rather not take another chance. They will take it if they are forced by neces- sity, but they do not want to under- take anything until the last argu- ments of their diplomats in London have been exhausted. It is possibly because of this that Sir Robert Van- sittart let drop during a conversation in Berlin the sentence: “If the Lo- carno meeting fails we shall have to spend next year 800,000,000 pounds on our rearmament instead of the 300,000,000 pounds we are spend- ing this year. It may help the un- employed, but it will be somewhat of an_effort.” The Germans want Great Britain to understand their position in regard to the Soviets. They want London to induce France to realize that their military preparations are in no way directed against her . ., as long as she behaves, that there is nothing the Reich wants from France in Eu- rope except to be left alone to settle her score with Russia. It is on this that the fate of the new Locarno conference hinges. If the preliminary talks fail, not only Sir Robert Van- sittart but all the nations of the world will have good reason to shudder. (Copyright, 1936.) Freud Amazed at U. S. Courtesy. To understand fully the position of the cultured and highly-educated Jew in Europe, even before Nazi Ger- many days, listen to the surprise ex- pressed by Sigmund Freud, the famed Vienna physician-professor, when he visited the United States. “Why,” he says, “in Europe I felt like an out- law, but here I found myself looked upon as an equal by the finest peo- ple!” He actually could not believe his eyes and ears when he came here —for in this queer country he was actually treated as a Christian! No- body shunned him, or spat when he passed! Land Source of Power. The, gentry of the Middle Ages thought little of trade and business, but were obsessed with the ‘desire for land. Land to them was the source of power and wealth, for which men strove, and this was the explanation of the castles—these safeguarded the land. oo Letter 25 Years Old. FALLS CITY, Nebr. (#).—County Attorney J. H. Falloon was a senior in high school 25 years ago when he typed a letter dictated by his father and mailed it to William Barada of White Cloud, Kans. Recently Falloon got the letter back —with one from Barada written on the reverse side. B E— New and Ancient Mix. constructed it contained what was for that time the latest and best ma- chinery, yet it was located at the di- rection of diviners, and distant from more suitable places. EDITORIAL SECTION he Sundiny Stae WASHINGTON, D. C, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 13, 1936. War on Smugglers Winning . Narcotics Now Target of Uncle Sam—Borders Are Closely Patrolled to End Evils.~ COAST GUARD ANTI - AIR- CRAFT GUN IN ACTION AGAINST RUM RING PLANE CRUISING OVER “MOTHER” LIQUOR SHIP. BY JOHN L. COONTZ. NCE, not so many years ago, smuggling was the most profitable of all the illegal activities engaged in by Amer- ican lawbreakers. Today it is on the way out. Liquor smuggling has drop- ped from an all-time high during the prohibition era to an all-time low in the present year of our grace as a Nation. The Coast Guard announces such smuggling along our coasts has been wiped out. At the same time announcement is made by the Treasury Department of a shifting of front in the fight against smugglers. It is now the narcotics front. Here, just announced, a newly trained force, double the number here- tofore existent, has been thrown into the field by the Narcotics Bureau, at the instance of Secretary Morgenthau. Beginning September 1 a new set-up in law enforcement by the Treasury Department became effective. Hitherto, where smuggling across the borders of the United States is concerned, the customs patrol, operating to prevent | it, has been directed from the various custom offices scattered around the rim of the Nation. Forty collectors of customs throughout the United States, each with his own border patrol force, tended to the business of customs law enforcement. Now this sef-up ceases, and the 570 border patrol men come directly under the Washington office of Deputy Com- COAST GUARD PLANE AND SPEEDBOAT HEADING OUT ON REGULAR PATROL. missioner. Gorman. Gorman is also head of the customs agents of the Customs Service, that secret body-of men at home and abroad whose duty it is to investigate fraud. smuggling, undervaluation and other violations of the customs law. Thus, under one man In Washington, becomes centered the investigative agents of customs and the enforcement agents. The net result, anticipated, is administrative efficiency, a co-ordi- nated customs machine for the detec- tion and apprehension of smugglers and other customs law violators. In addition, for the forthcoming battle against boder smuggling, a school for instruction of border patrcl men has been set up in customs. This school, conducted by a special agent of the bureau, covers instruction In every phase of customs law—adminis- CANADA DECISIONS BLOCK NEW DEAL LAWS AS IN U. S. Strain and Stress of Social and Eco- nomic Change in Dominion Present Striking Parallel to Conditions Here. BY H. CARL GOLDENBERG, Member of the Bar of Mont ANADA’S new deal has at last reached the courts, and has met with but a little more kindly fate than that of its American predecessor. In small part it has been maintained; in larger part it has been invalidated, and the rs- mainder is still in a state of indecision. ‘The end is not yet, but thus far the situation presents interesting paral- lels to that of the United States. The strain and stress of social and economic change have subjected all federal constitutions to seyere tests in recent years—and both Sanada and the United States are federal systems. In each the powers of government are distributed between the federal and the State or provincial authorities, and the courts are frequently called upon to delimit their respective jurisdic- tions. In each the courts may invali- date legislation enacted by any unit of government in excess of its powers. And yet in both countries the increas- ing complexity of economic develop- ment transcends State and provincial boundaries and calls for more uniform legislation on a national scale. ‘The resultant difficulties are greater in the United States than in Canada. The American Constitution is almost a hundred years older, and formally guarantees certain basic liberties, in- cluding freedom of speech, press and religion. It provides also that no per- son is to “be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.” Acts of Congress and of the State Legislatures, including much social legislation, have at various times been invalidated as infringe- ments upon the liberty or property rights of the citizens. Measures Invalidated. ‘This view contributed to the recent invalidation of some Federal New Deal In effect, there are certain matters beyond the competence of both Congress and the State Legis- latures. ‘There is no such problem in Canada. Tts constitution, the British North “due process” clause does not exist, nor are there any residuary powers re- served to the people. The Dominion Parliament and the provincial legis- latures may, between them, generally islative authority over the criminal law. To the provinces it gives con- trol, among other ldcal matters, of “property and civil rights in the province”—a power which technica!! is wide enough to cover nearly all legislation outside of pure criminal law. It is apparent that the powers of the federal Parliament are broader, and yet the courts have made the specified provincial control over prop- erty and civil rights the effective residuary clause of the constitution. They have relegated the residuary powers of the Dominion to a reserve position for use only in national emergencies, such as war. They up- held legislation fixing prices and con- trolling . industries during the World War as being ni for the na- tional safety, even if it encroached upon provincial jurisdiction. But in the absence of a national emergency the whole fleld of social legislation and the regulation of economic activ- ity in general have been held to fall within the jurisdiction of the prov- inces. This jurisdiction has been de- clared to extend even to trade and commerce in so far as local trade within a province is concerned. Constitutional Background. It was against this constitutional background—and under the impetus of President Roosevelt’s measures— that the Dominion Parliament. en- acted the new deal legislation pro= posed by the Bennett government. Mr. Bennett, like Mr. Roosevelt, pro- ceeded rapidly and rather spectacu- larly. In support of some of his social measures he relied upon the hitherto neglected federal power to perform the obligations arising under treaties. He attempted to leap the hurdle of provincial jurisdiction over “property and civil rights” by calling upon Par- liament to ratify conventions of the International Labor Office and then proposing legislation to carry out the newly assumed obligations, In sup- port of other measures he asserted the broad federal powers over trade and commerce, taxation, crime and residual matters. b The validity of the legislation was questioned. Accordingly, following Mr. Bennett's defeat in 1935, the government of Mackenzie King re- ferred the legislation to the Su- preme Court. The court has now spoken. Broadly speaking, it dealt with two :nl:m of legislation, the one regulat- tration, prevention of violation, en- forcement. The Customs Patrol, save in a few instances, is only a picked body of uniformed men who have had police or military training. Here and there, however, in the patrol are to be found individuals who have had training— and excellent training—above the physical requirements of their posi- tions—training along the line of pre- vention and enforcement. These men, at some time or other, came in con- tact with a superior who had a vision for the service. He gave them in- struction that made them efficient administrators of the law. But, by and large, these men, operating in small units under 40 different heads, patroling the land areas between coastal ports of the Nation and our land borders, have beeri neglected as CONTRABAND LIQUOR BE. ING UNLOADED AT A FED- ERAL DOCK BY CUSTOMS EM- PLOYES. to instruction in the law they served and uniformity in its application. The training laid out for these ‘border patrol men is an intensive one. It is divided into two parts: (1) educa- tional, through the school in Wash- ington; (2) practical, through train- ing on the ground by experts. In this school training all customs law has been divided into 40 different parts—40 different subjects of major character. These range from the entry of vessels to the liquidation of interest. These subjects are material for lesson papers with accompanying quizzes. For example, enforcement: There are four or five papers on this subject, covering every phase of en- forcement of the law and protection of the revenue. Graduate Is Expert in Law. ‘These lessons are sent out by the “school officials” in Washington to all border patrol men, and others. A given length of time is allowed for study, after which follows the quiz. Each quiz paper is graded and a record made of the grades. A graduate patrol man thus becomes an expert in customs law procedure and enforce- ment. ‘The removal of the patrol from the jurisdiction of the collectors and the placing of them under the jurisdiction of a deputy commissioner in Wash- ington is but one more step in the reorganization of the law enforcement personnel of the Treasury Department (Continued on Eighth Page.) AMERICAN EVACUATION & FROM SPAIN SIGNIFICANT Confirms Change of Policy by State Department—“Unlimited Protection” Abandoned by U. S. BY GASTON NERVAL. OR nearly two months now newspaper readers have been learning, in front-page dis- patches, of the safe evacuation of hundreds of United States citizens from war-torn Spain. Since the start of the fierce politi- cal strife, the State Department, through the embassy in Madrid and the consulates in various Spanish cities, demanded all Americans who did not feel secure under existing con- ditions to withdraw from the country and seek refuge in the vessels of the United States Navy, which had been directed for that purpose to the Span- ish coast. Almost daily, the reports of the evacuation have. been coming regu- larly, telling a story of order, pre- caution and safety where there could have been one of constant danger, abuse and possible tragedy, involving grave international complications. Confirms Change in Policy. This is, from the viewpoint of inter- national relations, one of the most novel and impressive developments in the Spanish crisis, for it definitely confirms a change in the foreign poli- cies of.the State Department equally as important as that with reference to non-interference, which we dis- cussed in a previous article. It was only a few years ago, as students of inter-American relations will remember, that the United States Government was insisting energeti- cally upon its right to protect by force its nationals abroad, even if this meant the landing of Marines on foreign shores and their becoming embroiled in the domestic guarrels of other countries. Not only the lives, but the property as well, of United States citizens endangered by inter- nal disturbances in some of the Carib- bean nations were being assured the protection of the armed forces of this countsy. President Coolidge had proclaimed his famous theory of unlimited pro- tection, asserting that “the persoff and property of a citizen are a part of the general domain of the Na- tion, even when Lb;ond." 'T’l:a :,':: Department, through one of its - est officers, Reuben Clark, had admitted: “No nation, it would seem, has with ‘more frequency than has this Government used its military forces for the wn?l“ of oeeupn'yl:(. ‘temporarily parts loreign coun in order to secure adequate protec- tion for its citizens and their prop- war in some Caribbean nation, not alone to United States lives and prop- erty, but to the nationals of Euro- pean powers, whose governments viere kept out by the Monroe Doctrine. Although this extreme version was short lived, the main theory that protection by force was not only a right, but 8 duty of the Government to its citizens abroad had become one of the corner stones of the Latin American policy of the State Depari- ment. ‘Then, to the Secretaryship of State came a man who, as mediator in a Central American civil war, had learned at first hand the resentment of Latin Americans at the presence of foreign troops and the futility of preaching Pan-Americanism to them while their sovereignty was being ig- nored. Thus, when early in 1931 re- ports came o} renewed rebel activities in Nicaragua and the need for out- side protection, Secretary Stimson is- sued an epochal announcement. “The Government of the United States,” he said, “cannot undertake general protection of Americans throughout Nicaragua with American forces” and then explained that it was the exclusive task of the established Nicaraguan government to deal with Tebel and bandit activities in the in- terior of the country, and that for- eigners should not expect protection other than that afforded them by the Nicaraguan authorities. The Secre- tary recommended “all Americans ‘who do not feel secure under the pro- tection afforded them by the Nicara- guan ‘Government, through the Nica- raguan National Guard, to withdraw from the country” and seek refuge in the vessels along the coast. “Those who remain,” he added, “do so at their own risk and must not expect American forces to be sent inland to their aid.” ‘Warnings Reiterated. In spite of the protest of certain It is true that without the existence of & world-wide economic depression the change may not have been so Part Two % WIDER FARM D OWNERSHIP | HELD BASIC NEED IN U. S. Sections Where Tenancy Is Smallest Are Most Conservative, Observer Says. 4 Cites Dangersin Absentee Control. | BY MARK SULLIVAN. ‘WROTE the other day that “What America needs to apprehend are three things: Communism, fasc- ism and strife between the two.” And I added: “If anybody knows the best course to avert those three, that is the course America ought to take.” I hope no one supposed I was implying that America ought to vote one way or another in the coming presidential election. I was not think- ing primarily of politics. The prob- lem of saving America from one of the new systems of society—of sav- ing America for democracy and indi- vidualism—is not going to be wholly solved by the coming election. It is not going to be wholly solved by poli- tics at all. Let no Republican suppose that if his party wins the election he can comfortably say, “Well, everything's all right now.” No matter who is elected, if our present social system is to be saved, there will need to be & program of economic measures. Thee measures must be designed to make our present system satisfactory to a larger number of Americans thax | it now is. Might Be Advocated by Democrais It is possible such & program might come as readily from a Democratic victory as from a Republican one. For if Mr. Roosevelt is re-elected he will be accompanied into office by a large number of Democrats in Con- gress. A great majority of these will be Democrats as distinct from New Dealers. And the present program of most of the strongest Democratic leaders, assuming their party is re- turned to power, is at once to throw the New Deal out the window and make the Democratic party Demo- cratic again. And the Democratic party, as the Democratic party was before the New Deal absorbed it, would be as likely as the Republican party to take the steps that must be taken if America is to be safe- guarded against a new and alien so- cial order. There is this to be said about Gov. Landon. He knows that if America is to be saved for democracy and in- dividualism, some drastic changes must be made in our present system. I think he has a definite program of such changes in mind. I suspect this program will emerge, in part at least, in Gov. Landon’s coming campaign speeches. And when Gov. Landon’s mind is fully known, when the things that must be done are realized, then it will be a headache for such Repub- licans and conservatives as think it possible for America to go back to what it has been, or who think the election of Gov. Landon would mean complets restoration of what used to be. Farm Tenancy Problem. One question that must be faced if America is to be saved for the indi- vidualist or capitalist system is farm ownership, farm tenancy, absentee ownership of farms. To put it briefly, a larger number of farmers must be- come capitalists. They must become capitalists by becoming owners of the farms they operate. Stated another way, the proportion of farms owned by absentee landlords and operated by tenants must be reduced. ‘The figures on this point, I suspect, will surprise most readers. Of all the farms in the United States the pro- portion operated by tenants is 42.4. That was the percentage in 1930. I am told that during the depression the proportion has increased. Today more than one out of every two farms is operated by a tenant. This is the heart of the farm prob- lem. And I imagine that Gov. Lan- don, in his coming speeches, will deal with it adequately. A country in which more than half the farms are owned by landlords and operated by tenants is & country headed away from individualist and capitalist order of society. A way must be found to bring it about that a larger number of farmers shall own the land they plow, shall sit under their own wistaria vine and elm tree. Ways have been found in Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and some other small European coun- tries. Largely because in those coun- tries the farms are owned by the farm- ers it has followed that those countries are not threatened by either commu- nism or fascism. High Ownership in Maine. A person living in Maine knows that practically every farm in that State is owned by the man who farms it; there are almost no tenants. Prob- ably an average person in Maine does not know any farmer who is a renter. (The precise percentage of farms oc- cupied by tenants in Maine is 45— that is, four and & half farms out of every hundred.) A person in Towa knows that in that State more than one out of every two farms is occupied by & tenant- farmer. The percentage, according to figures compiled in 1930, is 474—that is, 474 farms out of every 100. And a well-informed person in Iowa tells me that the percentage in the present year is upward of 55. 5 A man in Maine knows about his neighborhood. And a man in Iowa knows about his neighborhood. But very few persons know the conditions in communities outside their own. Fewer yet know all the varying con- ditions throughout the whole country. And still fewer know the political and economic and social conditions that arise out of increase in farm tenancy. ‘Without being too rash, I think it can be said there is a definite rela- tionship between farm tenancy and politics. In Maine practically every farmer owns the farm he occupies— and Maine is conservative. In Iowa more than half the farmers are ten- ants—and Iowa, while not radical, is certainly much less conservative than Maine. So far as Iowa.is radical, so far as in Jowa is conservative by tempera- ment and would prefer to be conserva- tive in politics. The Des Moines Register is right when it says, “There is not among our farmers enough radicalism to wad ‘s gun with.” So far as Iowa tends toward radicalism in politics, the reason is plain: A farming State in which more than half the farms are owned by absentee landlords is not a soundly organized unit of society. That this is true, and that somee thing needs to be done about it, is realized in Iowa. One of the most en= lightened newspapers in America, one of the most enlightened institutions of any kind, the Des Moines Register, printed during July a series of seven editorials on “The Farmer and the Land.” Those editorials were largely the inspiration of what is here written, Without pushing too far the relae tion between farm tenancy and poli- tics, I think a statement could be made which would not be too fantas- tic. Thus, in 1880, the proportion of farm tenants in Iowa was not ex- cessive—23.8 per cent. And in 1830 Iowa was a conservative State which sent able and conservative men to the Senate. By 1910 the proportion of farm tenants in Jowa had increased to 378 per cent. That was getting high. And Iowa began to send to the Senate men who were able but were very mild radicals, the so-called Progressive Republicans, Senators Cummins and Dolliver, By 1930 the percentage of farm tenants in Iowa had grown to 47.3. That was too large—and Iowa was sending a Brookhart to the Senate, By 1932 the percentage of absentee landlordship had increased still fur- ther—and Iowa went Democratic the first time since the Civil War, Degree of Tenacy. It is always possible to push a point too far. And in what I am about to say. I hope the reader will understand there are many qualifica- tions. Especially are there qualifi- cations having to do with the pres- ence or absence of cities in the vari- ous States. I can make a list of the States in which farm tenancy has decreased since 1880 and is now low. And those States are the Sates that are most likely to go Republican in the coming election. They include—I gave the present percentage of farm tenancy in each case: Maine . Vermont Connecticut New York .. New Hampshire Massachusetts Rhode Island 22 New Jersey-. - 158 And I can now make a list of States, Western ones, in which farm tenancy has increased greatly and is now high. And these are largely identical with the States which, once strongly Republican, have in recent years tended to swing from the Re- election. They include—I give the give the percentage of farm tenancy 45 9.7 6.2 132 53 56 473 446 424 311 Nebraska 471 Illinois - 43.1 North Dakota 351 The generalization is true in place and in time. Where farm tenancy is small, radicalism in politics is slight. When farm tenancy increases radical- ‘sm in politics increases. As the Des Moines Register puts i “A better brake on too-impetuous action than the Supreme Court or any other device of government is the preservation of a relatively individual- ist farm-owning population of actual farmers. It is a far better guarantor of the rights of man. . .. It is the citi- zen whose life revolves about & per- manent establishment called home to whom the concept of an ordinary man’s house as his inviolable castls really has meaning. The farmer (%ho owns his farm) will pull with us; it is in line with his instinct. . . . (We must work) conserving the kind of rural population which would continue to make for social stability and for the workability of self-government.” ‘Ways to Remedy Situation. How to reduce the quantity of farm tenancy, of absentee landlordship; how to increase the number of farmers who own the acres that they plough? It has been done in other countries. In Ire= land the government bought the land from the landlords and sold it in small lots to farmers, with payments spread over a long series of years, and at & very low rate of interest. Something might be accomplished through voluntary action by absentee land owners. Prof. Schulz of Iowa State College points out -that the equivalent of 11 of Iowa’s 99 counties is owned by corporations in othcr States. I presume many of these ab= sentee owners are insurance companics which have taken over the farms by foreclosure of mortgages. Presumably the insurance companies would prefer not to hold the land permanently. They might help themselves and make a contribution toward keeping America stable if they would offer those farms for sale at a price, and keep lowering the price until they find farmers able and willing to buy. (Copyright, 19%v,) —_—a Premier Objected. Pointed bonnets, the style in the '80s, recalls the exasperation felt by Britain’s premier when his Queen re« ceived important visitors from the East wearing the latest style bonnet. “The symbol that unites this empire,” he protests fretfully to a friend, “is a crown and not a bonnet.” e ' Town's Two Doctors Il GREENVILLE, Mo. (#).—For the first time in its 117 years this town of 700 found itself without the serve ices of a resident physician. Both doctors were ill and in a hospital. The same day they became ill two new business establishments located here— both undertakers. S Hitler's Views Doubted. ‘Though many closest to Hitler are violent anti-Christians, there always has been some doubt about his own feelings in the matter and in his “Mein Kampf” he does not tilt against Christianity as he does against the Jews and Bolshevists, [}