The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-10-18
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AGAINST THE FARMER
COntemptuOus Treatment of The
/ Grange And Other Farm Organi-
cations Shown BY Its Position On
Merchant Marine.

The first paragraph of the mer-
chant marine plank of the Republi-
can platform is declaration for ship
subsidies, to which the farmers are
unaIterably opposed and which they
have fought, consistently, for over
twenty years. The second paragraph
is announcement of Government
ownership of ships, which farmers
organizations unqualifiedly endorse
as necessary to prevent the robbery
of the farmer by the shipping COM
bines. What hope have the farmers
that the outrageous robbery of their
profits through excessive and unreg-
ulated ocean freight rates, will be
stopped if the Republicans go back
into power?
If the Grange in it's opposition to
ship subsidies or in it's advocacy of
government owned and operated
ships, had been half-hearted, there
might be some excuse for the Re
publicans ignoring the Grange de-
mands; in view, however, of the de-
termined and successful opposition
of the Grange every time there has
been an effort to pass ship subsidy
legislation, and of the positive stand
taken in favor of government owned
and operated shipping, and the Wig
orous way the Grange has sustained
it's position before Committees of
Congress, it is little less than insult
ing to treat the Grange position with
such contemptuous Indifference, as
the Republican party is showing.
There is no equivocation in the
Grange position. 1t is set forth con-
cisely in the following resolution
adopted by the National Grange:
Resolved, That if Government
funds are to be used to aid in build
ing up an American Merchant Ma
rine, that it should be for ships to
be owned and operated by the Gov
eminent"
Every Grange through all the thir-
ty-two Grange States, the Farmers
Unions and farm organizations in all
Ily without exception, have passed
known to Congress their opposition
to ship subsidies and demand for
Government ownership.
The Grange opposition is based on
the demonstrated fact that unregu-
pies of agriculture result in the loss
of millions of dollars every year to
the farmers of America; uncertainty
in such rates offers unlimited oppor-
tunity for the spectators and gam
blers in the grain exchanges to ma
nipulate the domestic market and
rob the farmers on every bushel of
grain grown. Further, it is pointed
out, the exhaustive investigations of
our own government and of Canada
have shown that the most effective
way to stop these enormous losses tc
the farmers is to establish enough
government owned and operated
ships to give the public some meas
ure of protection from the squeezing
methods of private ship combines.
In the face of these facts the Re-
publican party and the Republican
candidate treat the grange position
with Indifference. They have not
even the courtesy to explain to the
farmer why they oppose his stand.
Perhaps, however, their failure to
explain is because they can not, and
their stand in opposition to the
Grange demands has been dictated
by the ship owners who are contrib
uting so lavishly to the Republican
campaign fund.
Is Is wise for farmers to risk their
chance of continued prosperity to a
party that treats them so shabbily?
Should they not rather show by their
votes on election day that they will
not stand such treatment? The ship
ping bill passed by the Democratic
Congress and approved by the Presi-
dent has the endorsement of the
Grange, and other farm organiza-
lions, as a big step in the right di-
rection, and on this account alone the
Democratic party is entitled to, and
should receive, the farm vote.