National Affairs: At Sumnick’s Place

Last week Farmer Gus Sumnick had important company for mid-day dinner at his 1.200-acre place near Waterloo. Neb. Twenty-eight miles out from Omaha drove no less a person than Franklin Delano Roosevelt, trailed by a hundred automobiles full of family & friends. Several thousand country folk flocked to the up-to-date Sumnick farm for a look at the Democratic nominee for President.

Sun-bronzed Farmer Sumnick, coatless and with suspenders over his blue shirt, greeted Governor Roosevelt on the elm-shaded lawn before his large, well-built house. He introduced his wife who wore her hair in the pompadour style of 25 years ago, his eleven sons and daughters. “You’ve got a regular Roosevelt family,” remarked T. R.’s fifth cousin, father of five. A chicken dinner, cooking since 5 a. m.. was served at tables on the lawn. Smacking over it Governor Roosevelt told his host: “I’ve eaten a lot of meals since I left home but this is the best yet.” Afterwards he was driven out to inspect barn, hog lot. corn crib, silo, tractor, threshing machine. “Mighty fine! Mighty fine!” the Governor repeated. “You know. I’ve lived on a farm for 50 years.” Mrs. Roosevelt gamely climbed barbed-wire fences. At the thresher the entire party was deluged with chaff. Before Governor Roosevelt started back to Omaha. Farmer Sumnick. his words edged with a German accent, made this carefully stage-managed speech, to his guest.

“We’re Republicans but we’ve got eleven votes for you in our family and we’d have two more if the youngsters were of voting age. At the price quoted when Hoover was inaugurated the 30,000 bu. of corn I’m now harvesting would be worth $28,500 in Omaha. But instead it’s worth only $8,100, a clear drop of $20,400. And my 350 hogs at the price when Hoover became President would be worth $4,120, but at this year’s prices would bring only $1,015. The drop in my corn and hogs totals $23.505. If Hoover and his Farm Board had kept their hands off, I’d be from $75,000 to $85,000 better off today than I am after four years of Hoover.”

The last week of the Roosevelt tour was made up largely of bold bids for insurgent Republican support of the Democratic ticket. At Lamy, N. Mex. in the station crowd. Governor Roosevelt spotted Republican Senator Bronson Cutting whom he had known “since he wore short pants.” The Governor invited the Senator up to the rear platform of his private car. Senator Cutting clambered aboard, shook Governor Roosevelt’s hand, waved to the crowd, said nothing. Three days prior Senator Cutting had lost control of the G. O. P. State organization to Albert Gallatin Simms, new husband of Mark Hanna’s daughter Ruth McCormick, and has resigned as national committeeman. His appearance with Governor Roosevelt was a signal to New Mexico’s “Progressives” to vote Democratic.

At McCook, Neb. (pop. 6,688) Governor Roosevelt greeted Republican Senator William Norris as “the very perfect gentle knight of American progressive ideals.” Declared the Democratic nominee: “Senator Norris, I go along with you because you follow in their footsteps— ‘radical’ like Jefferson, ‘demagog’ like Jackson, ‘idealist’ like Lincoln, ‘wild’ like Theodore Roosevelt, ‘theorist’ like Wilson.” Replied Nebraska’s Senior Senator: “What this country needs is another Roosevelt in the White House.”

At Milwaukee Governor Roosevelt did not mention the La Follettes by name but angled for their support by praising Wisconsin’s “liberal traditions” and defending the State University’s “intellectual freedom.”

Chicago Democrats had their orders from their mayor and boss, Anton Cermak. when Governor Roosevelt’s train rolled into Union Station at 9 p. m. Two hundred thousand of them from every city ward were on hand. Like ghosts from the last century, they staged a torchlight parade, with oilcloth capes and kerosene flambeaux on long poles. Men in linen dusters carried red fireballs aloft. Bands blared, whistles shrieked, sidewalk crowds roared. It took Governor Roosevelt, in a huge white touring car, 45 minutes to edge his way seven blocks through the human pack to his hotel. Not for years had Chicago seen such a turnout, even under Big Bill Thompson.

After watching the Yankees beat the Cubs in the third game of the World Series (see p. 19), Governor Roosevelt attended a mammoth dinner at the Hotel Stevens, once more declared himself wringing Wet. promised to open the Chicago World’s Fair next June as President of the U. S. On all sides he heard that Cook County and Illinois were already his.

After a brief stop in Detroit, he sped back to Albany, turned abruptly from national to local politics. On the eve of the Democratic State convention the Tammany tiger was again on the rampage (see p. 10).