Foost Our Own Conesrenoext Wastingion, Dec. 22.
'The old men are seeing visions. This is the unknown factor in Ameri-Jean' political life to-day which maz make all current predictions of what will happen in the Presidential elec-Mons next year appear foolish. The vision Is of a life of case after the tage of 60 bos been passed. with $20) teach month to spend. No one can felt what inroads Dr. Francis Town: send, the originator of the universal old age pension plan which bears his home, has made' In the ranks of the Fegular pariies. The various straw polls are useless as a test for_ the Old folk take no part In them. They fake little part in elections of any. Kind og a rule, and remain at home when the polling takes place, but the Townsend plan becomes a main fgsue between any rival candidates then they may be expected 10 Lotter forth and east their vote.
"The scheme which Dr. Townsend advocates is a two per cent. sales tax fon all transactions. He believes that this will eventually provide enougit money for his pension scheme, though hho realizes that at first the Treasury. will have to help. By insisting th cack $200 must be spent within the month industry wilt be so stimulated volume that the tax will readily provide enough cash, he insists. The ore orthodox economists produce Dlied by the one eastern Tosd, Tat, Army Corps are being
train much too great for it. This lone hela up the edvance-, The 2nd 'Avmy 'Corps' on the right fo in leas linely about, roads, The talion me is rot saistactory. "The right 16 by' the Abyssinians. 'There is a rear' indent in the centre and the Abyscinians have penetrated thereto Jand expulsion operations are being ferried out. Marshal Badogt'o has lightened all the columns and park Jed much of the heavy materia! until needed later. His objective ts Alait Jand a flank movement in the Danakil The Abyssinian main body is on the Dessie line with delaying forces: keeping touch with the Italians, Tu the Ogaden, a mobile force. lon the British Somaliland border having as its objective the cutting of the railway at a point near to French border. Heads of oth [columns are established "in the vi leys of the Fafan, Webi Shobilr, Web and the Dare. These column heads trenched force covering the main lanny at Harar.
'The Mahon objective ts an ultimate union of the northern and. southern armies to close in on Addis Ababa. General Staff opinion here. is that! little progress will be made this season' owing to the enormous dim culties of movement and supply. The Ttallane' will go Into hulled" camps for the rains.
The Alexandria Brigade The 13th Infantry Drignde temper. figures ud statistics to show, that Dr. Townsends claims are fantastic but hard reasoning always has_an uphill Aight with alluring hopes. people would have predicted a year go that the Canadian province of Alberta would have voted decisively in favour of a scheme under which everybody would received social dividends of $25 a month. When a direct question is put, "Do you want }$25. (or $200) a month." and when fdoubls as to fis feasibility are me: wit the assertion "Experts say the plan is possible and we will leave the details to them," any voter wh> says "no" has either to be very foollsa lor very wise.
"An indecisive test of the strength Jot the Townsendites took place in 0 recent, special election in" Mickigan in which a Townsendite Republican Jdeteated' a, Democatie Townsendite opponent." This particular district has; been Republican for the last 65 years, Dbut "the Republican percentage of voles cast was very much higher. Even the fact that the chief town in the electoral district is Kalamazoo does not enable the result to be laughed off entirely.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.