Cadillacs in the Corn

An ordinary loose-leaf notebook was the best campaign material that plodding, weary Senator Scott Lucas had. In county after Republican county in downstate Illinois, Democrat Lucas drew figures from his book. "In 1932," Lucas told a courthouse crowd, "the total value of ten crops in Crawford County was $758,000. In 1949, these same crops were worth $5,776,400, a 761% increase." Cried Lucas: "Aren't you satisfied with these things?" Scott Lucas was running for reelection on prosperity.

Wherever he went, the signs of prosperity were plain to see. Through the fat, flat farm country, the drying corn rustled faintly above the black land, and the ears hung low and heavy on the stalks. At support prices, corn was $1.47 to $1.50 a bushel. The soybean fields ($2.10 a bushel, 30 bushels to the acre) stretched low and flat into the distance; hogs and cattle were popping fat. Wages were never better. In the coal country around West Frankfort and north through the oil fields to Vandalia, where the stub pumps slowly rock the long, walking beams, union leaders had rounded up the indifferent and had them register. Illinois registration rolls were up 10% to 15%.

"Something Happened." Outside Bloomington, in rock-ribbed G.O.P. territory, Farmer Lyle Johnstone was using his bulldozer to scoop up dirt to fill in his barn lot. "I'm a Republican and my father was a Republican," he said. "But I'm going to vote for Scott Lucas. He's for the farmer. You know, we have to think of ourselves."

But Bill Maack, a farmer from Maryville in Madison County is a Republican, and he was voting for Republican Everett Dirksen. "We're spending too much," said Maack. A painter in white overalls wiped his hands on a rag and declared that he was voting Republican. "But I suppose it will be just like the last time," he said. "I took my car that day and I never hauled so damned many Republicans to the polls in my life. But something happened after they got out of my car, because I know a hell of a lot of them voted Democratic."

A farm-implement dealer, pushing his machinist's cap back, said: "A lot of Republican farmers like Lucas and they like his stand against this Brannan Plan. They're complaining about spending and the deficit and higher taxes, but they're not kicking much about Scott Lucas. Take me, I'm a Republican and I'm going to vote for Lucas. So is the boy here." His helper nodded agreement.

The Tribune Line. In his second-floor office, Lawyer George Bauer snapped: "This state isn't isolationist, and I don't give a damn what you read in the Chicago Tribune. Dirksen has bought the Tribune line and the people don't like it." He yanked up the window. "Come over here. You want to know why people vote Democratic. See those cars--Cadillacs, Dodges, Chryslers. Those cars don't belong to the people here in town. No, by God. Those cars belong to the farmers around here."

Republican candidates well know that, since the day of Roosevelt, they have to carry downstate Illinois by big margins to offset the Democratic majorities ground out by Jake Arvey's Chicago machine.* With spellbinding oratory, Republican Dirksen banged away at Communism, Acheson, inflation and wasteful foreign programs. "Lenin said, 'Someday we are going to force the U.S. to spend itself into destruction,' " cried Dirksen. "In the name of God, what are we doing? When will we wake up?"

Lucas read from his notebook: "From 1932 to 1949, the value of Crawford County livestock increased 406%."

* In 1948, downstate Illinois gave Dewey a majority of 167,224, saw it wiped out by a 200,836 majority for Truman from Cook County. In 1944, downstate had given Dewey a majority of 210,543, and Cook County overcame it with a Roosevelt majority of 350,708.

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