Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 1, Number 10, DeMotte, Jasper County, 29 September 1932 — News Review of Current Events the World Over [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

News Review of Current Events the World Over

Wisconsin Republicans Deal Blow to the La Follette Regime--Farmers’ Strike Takes New Turn--Germany Out of Disarmament Parley.

By EDWARD W. PICKARD

IN ONE of the most hotly contested primaries that Wisconsin ever has had, the conservative Republicans dealt the La Follette dynasty a severe

blow. Philip La Follette, brother of the senator, was a candidate for renomination as governor, but was soundly beaten by Walter J. Kohler, former governor, whom La Follette defeated two years ago. Many of the counties Philip carried then turned him down this time, and he ran behind in both agricul-

tural and industrial sections of the state. Emphasizing their change of heart, the Republican electors also voted for the retirement of United States Senator John J. Blaine, one of the staunchest of the “progressives” in the upper house. He was beaten by John B. Chapple, a young editor of Ashland who made a fierce campaign. Incomplete returns indicated the entire conservative state ticket had been carried to victory by Kohler and Chapple. Kohler, a wealthy manufacturer whose home and large factories are in a village that bears his name, never held public office until he was elected governor in 1928. His supporters this year were known as “hatchet men” for their slogan was “Cut Costs With Kohler,” and the high cost of state government and high taxes were the issues emphasized. Kohler called for a $16,000,000 reduction in taxes, and set forth as his doctrine that factories mean jobs, and that to build up private incomes by keeping the taxing system from chasing industries out of the state is more fundamental than to increase income taxes. These arguments proved especially effective with the factory voters in Milwaukee county, Racine and other industrial regions. This was the first time that a La Follette had been voted down since

1892, when the late Senator Robert M. La Follette was beaten in a congressional race. An interesting feature of this year’s campaign was the presence of Burton K. Wheeler, Democratic senator from Montana, who made speeches trying to persuade the Democrats of Wisconsin to go into the Repub-

lican primary and vote for Blaine and La Follete. The state Democratic leaders hotly resented Wheeler’s action and evidently it had little if any effect. Kohler’s majority was in the neighborhood of 100,000. Chapple had a smaller majority--about 20,000--for the vote for Blaine was heavy in the industrial centers. The Democrats at this writing appear to have nominated Mayor A. G. Schmedeman of Madison for governor over Leo P. Fox and William R. Rubin. For senator F. Ryan Duffy of Fond du Lac was unopposed. REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CHAIRman Everett Sanders announced that President Hoover’s first campaign speech would be made in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 4. He will make no addresses on the journey from Washington and back. In the heart of the agricultural region, where the farmers have been on strike against low prices, Mr. Hoover intends to expatiate on his program for relief of the farmer in reply to the recent address by his rival, Franklin D. Roosevelt. The speech in Des Moines will be broadcast over at nationwide radio hookup. THOSE farmers of the Middle West have entered on a new phase of their "holiday” strike which promises to be more effective than the movement that aimed to keep all farm produce from the cities and was marred by frequent violent deeds. The plan now evolved by their leaders contemplates the withholding from market of all grain and other non-perishable products, but the farmers are forbidden to picket the highways or block them in any way. Nearly two million farmers were asked to join in this nonselling movement. Agriculturists in Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma. Nebraska and Iowa, the "strike” leaders said, had given assurances they would participate. They added that farmers in Ohio, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Kansas and Illinois had "shown interest” in the movement. SEVERAL important meetings were held in Washington during the week, among them being those of the National Municipal league and the national conference on government. Addressing the .former, Silas H. Strawn, former chairman of the United States Chamber of Commerce, declared that taxes must be reduced because the nation has reached the end of its

financial rope. In the sixteen years from 1913 to 1929, he said, the cost of all government increased by 400 per cent, while at the same time the national income had increased by only 148 per cent. In 1930, he said, income taxes amounted to $2,411,000,000; in 1931 they dropped to $1,860,000,000; and in 1932 they hit a new low of $l,057,000,000. Commenting on the “soak the rich” policy noted in congress at the last session Mr. Strawn declared it “hopelessly fallacious’” and that there are few rich left to “soak” and because those who still retain a part of their fortunes will invest in tax exempt securities thereby defeating the very purpose of tax legislation aimed at the wealthy class. To the conference on government Gordon L. Hostetter, director of the Chicago Employers’ association, said that the racket, originally thought of as a temporary form of graft or extortion, has grown through alliances of business groups, union heads, politicians, and criminals until it annually costs the nation an “incalculable sum.” In Chicago alone, said Mr. Hostetter, racketeering costs more than $145,000,000 a year. Add to this the amount spent by the city to deal with racketeering, he said, and the total cost of Chicago’s rackets equals the annual cost of the municipal government. WHEN the disarmament conference resumed its sittings in Geneva the Germans were not in official attendance because their demand

for equality of armament had been rejected by France. But they found they were facing also the united opposition of Great Britain and the United States, if not other of the great powers. The British foreign office memorandum said the German demand was at least untimely, since “attention and energy should

be directed to economic rehabilitation of the world," and that anyhow Germany was not entitled to abrogate the part of the treaty of Versailles that limits her armament even if the other nations should fail to disarm or reduce their armaments. This view of the question apparently was pleasing to the United States government, and Ambassador Walter E. Edge and Senator David A. Reed of Pennsylvania, at a luncheon given by M. Herriot in Paris, told the premier that was the view of the American people. Their government, they said, stands for progressive disarmament and the sanctity of treaties. M. Herriot laid before the foreign affairs commission of the chamber of deputies a full statement of his policy in this matter and defended it earnestly. He gave the commission certain details which had come into his possession regarding the. alleged illicit manufacture of arms in Germany. The German press insisted that their government must not weaken, asserting that Great Britain had deceived Germany and that the British note treated Germany in intolerable fashion. Some papers declared Germany must withdraw from the League of Nations. MAHATMA GANDHI, after a hearty meal of fruit and milk, began his protest fast, which he said he would keep up until he died of

starvation unless the British government altered the terms of its settlement of the communal elections problem. The mahatma was still in Yeravda jail at Poona. The government said he was free to leave the prison, but he refused to go out of his cell unless he were forcibly removed. So many friends

and well wishers called at the jail that the aged leader was made ill from excitement, and thereafter visitors were excluded for the present. He received hundreds of telegrams and letters begging him not to undertake the death fast. To correspondents the mahatma said he counted his life as of no consequence, adding: ‘‘Like the prophet of Islam and like Jesus, I, on a humbler scale, have undertaken a tussle for justice, as my fast continues my human cry will rise to the heavens of God Almighty. “My fast is not for sympathy. After the first few days the desire for food will vanish and I shall begin to brood. All my interest will be withdrawn from externals, and I shall become one with the cause.’ “Be assured, however, that I shall make a superhuman effort to retain my grip on life. I am anxious as anybody to continue to live. There is nothing like water for prolonging life and I shall partake of it whenever I require it, and hope to carry on until the Hindu conscience awakens.”

W. J. Kohler

J. B. Chapple

M. Herriot

Gandhi