Two Pictures

Tons of "franked" (free) mail choke mail chutes on the way to impress or entertain voters these days. Congressmen tell mothers how to raise babies or crops, congratulate families on a new birth --all to let it be known that soon is the time for all good citizens to come to the aid of their party. Thirty-four Senators in 32 states (27 seats now Republican) in the autumn Senatorial contest will determine how the country feels in a general way over the issues last week outlined by party "Spokesmen" Lawrence C. Phipps, chairman of the Republican Senatorial campaign committee, and William A. Oldfield, chairman of the Democratic Congressional campaign committee.

Senator Phipps, smooth-spoken, onetime vice president of the Carnegie Steel Co., hence the best-dressed man in the Senate, represents the State of Colorado. As electioneering spokesman for his party, he deems the prime issue to be whether or not the country desires "continuance of an unprecedented national prosperity produced by the present Republican majority under the leadership of President Coolidge." How has this prosperity been attained? By-- 1) The limitation of arms in the Washington Conference so that tax payers are saved five billion dollars which would otherwise have been spent on the country's naval building program. 2) "A protective tariff sufficiently high to cover the difference between the cost of living here and abroad, 12 per cent lower than the Payne-Aldrich rates, 20 per cent below the Dingley rates and with 60 per cent of all importations on the free list." Due to this tariff protection, the value of the farm crop is 30% higher than it was in 1921; our national wealth is greater than that of Great Britain, France, Germany, and Italy combined. 3) A restrictive immigration law which prevents unfair competition with our labor. 4) Help for the farmers by extension of $500,000,000 in rural credits and permitting co-operative marketing without conflict with the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. 5) A policy of economy which has reduced expenditure per annum from $6,141,000,000 in 1921 to approximately $3,500,000,000 in 1926; brought down the national debt five billions of dollars, or 20 per cent and made agreements with our allies of the War for the payment of $11,522,000,000 of their debts to us, together with interest, which will insure repayment of the original total plus the cost of carrying these loans. 6) A reduction in taxes for all the people of $1,650,000,000 every year below the figures of 1921. "As a result of all this the married taxpayer without other dependents pays nothing on an income of $3,000 a year. In Italy, he pays $599.30, in France, $348, in Belgium $238.45, in England $202.50. "The issue of the campaign is summed up in the fact that the American market today consumes 90 per cent of our production, that the Republican party has protected that market for American wage earners and producers, and that to elect a Democratic senate or house would be a step in the direction of letting down the bars for foreign cheap labor competition in our market." The Democrats, being the party out of office, naturally run on a reform platform and "Slush" is their war cry, even out in Indiana where the Reed Senatorial Committee has been asked to investigate their primaries. Representative Oldfield last week journeyed to Allentown, Pa., where Democracy is fighting desperately to elect to the U. S. Senatorship, William B. Wilson, onetime (1913-21) Secretary of Labor, in the contest against William S. Vare. He stated that-- 1) The Republicans are certain to be "as silent as President Coolidge" on the $3,000,000 Pennsylvania primary and the $1,000,000 Illinois primary. . . . "Both primaries show that our opponents have no scruples about buying an election. Pepper and Vare in Pennsylvania and Smith in Illinois make Newberry a figure to be canonized as a martyr of a party of great moral ideas." 2) Governmental expenditures have increased under President Coolidge and "every substantial reduction of taxes to all classes of taxpayers, except a small number of the very largest, in all three tax reduction bills under the last two Republican Administrations, came through the Democratic Party." 3) "The farmer has learned one thing about the tariff, and that is that it compels him to buy in a highly protected market and to sell in a free world market." Amounts contributed by large manufacturers who are beneficiaries of the tariff prove the iniquitous character of the policy. 4) Republicans defeated farm relief in the 69th session. 5) Democrats favor "an honest trade law that will stimulate business by fair competition and produce revenue to the government instead of "a high protective tariff for the benefit of special interests."

Truly, Representative Oldfield has daubed no pretty picture of G. 0. P. corruption and Senator Phipps has outdone Titian in his wealth of beautiful color. Yet 2,500 years ago Aesop said, "On top, looking down, the view is different."