Funny Money Man

If South Carolina's primary vote was a conservative headache to Franklin Roosevelt (see above). California's was a radical stomachache. There, despite his personal blessing, his old friend, Senator William Gibbs McAdoo--who served with him under Woodrow Wilson--was last week snowed under by more than 100,000 votes. That blizzard was not directly caused by the fact that during the campaign Mr. McAdoo was called too conservative, too old (74), a former Klansman (untrue). The reason that Oldster McAdoo failed of renomination was--so far as hard-headed politicians could tell -- principally one plank in his opponent's platform. Opponent Sheridan Downey, erstwhile No. 2 man in Upton Sinclair's EPIC movement, onetime attorney of Dr. Francis E. ("Plan") Townsend, won the Democratic nomination to the Senate because he made a golden promise.

This promise was called "$30 Every Thursday," a pension plan whereby every idle, retired Californian of 50 or over would receive $30 a week for life in State-issued scrip, upon each $1 of which a tax stamp costing 2-c- (U. S. money) must be stuck every Thursday, to retire each scrip $1 at $1.04 at the end of a year, the 4-c- to pay administration expenses (TIME Aug. 8).

Despite the fact that the plan would tax Californians at least $1,315,766,400 in real U. S. money each year ($625 each from all working Californians*.), "$30 Every Thursday'' was no daydream politically. Close to 800,000 signatures were obtained for petitions to put it on the November ballot and last week, day after Californians went to the primary polls, the State Supreme Court announced there was nothing wrong with the form of the petitions, on the ballot it must go. Candidate Downey, who had plumped for the scrip plan and adopted its slogans ("Life Begins at 50," "Ham & Eggs"), rolled up 486,000 votes to Mr. McAdoo's 347,000.

Though "Ham & Eggs'' is a purely Californian movement so far, it and Mr. Downey, should he reach the U. S. Senate, spelled stomachache for President Roosevelt because they further revive the old age pension plague, which was supposed to have subsided with Dr. Townsend.

Having damned "$30 Every Thursday" as a "short cut to Utopia" and "a fantastic financial scheme" only last fortnight, last week President Roosevelt -- rather than of fend 800,000 California voters and a likely new "liberal" Senator -- gracefully observed that the people of California have a perfect right to try any financial scheme they choose, however unsound.

Susceptible Mr. Downey will be opposed for the Senate in November, incomplete returns indicated, by Republican Philip Bancroft, 57, an American Legionnaire and lawyer (Harvard), son of famed His torian Hubert Howe Bancroft. For 20 years well-to-do, wavy-haired Lawyer Ban croft has interested himself in raising pears and walnuts across the Bay from San Francisco. By his activities in Associated Farmers of California, which fought unionization of farm workers, he has earned the enmity of Labor. He has urged that to obtain local Relief, "Californians" be required to prove five years' residence; for old age pensions, 15 years' residence (instead of five years as in the "Ham & Eggs'' proposal).

Democratic nominee for Governor was white-crowned, benign-looking, Danish-blooded Culbert L. Olson of Los Angeles.

Without actually campaigning for "$30 Every Thursday." Mr. Olson had no trouble beating Sheriff Daniel C. Murphy of San Francisco, Representative John F.

Dockweiler of Los Angeles and six other candidates including pompous James Francis Thaddeus ("Jefty") O'Connor, onetime U. S. Comptroller of the Currency. As silvery of tongue as of hair, Mr. Olson first showed his political potency in 1934 when, as nominee for State Senator, he carried Los Angeles County by 400,000 votes while the rest of the Democratic ticket lost the county by 52,000 votes. His favorite charge is that Governor Merriam, last week renominated by Republicans, is tied up with the State's big oil companies. He demands that the State take control of oil lands, especially those lying off shore beneath the sea, which are now being tapped by private interests.

*Estimate by Chairman Arthur J. Altmeyer of U. S. Social Security.

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