The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-11-22
At This SessiOn-Farmers
Against Action.
WOULD PREVENT COMPETITION
Russian Stocks Tied Up And
World is Looking To
United States.
NO COMBINING TO BE ALLOWED

Washington, Nov. Is. -prcsident
Wilson will not consent to an em-
barge upon American food products.
1t is expected by the President
and his advisers that during the
short session of Congress which be-
gins in December there will be
great deal of agitation of this sub
iect
The most that possibly will be
done. and to this at the present mo-
ment the President is also opposed,
is to empower the chief executive to
prohibit the expectation of grain and
ether products whenever in his judg-
ment the public interest requires.
The President is looking at the
mater from two angle9-first, the
Internal situation in the United
ctates; and. second. the interna-
tional situation. So far as the Unit
ed States is concerned, on the one
hand there are the farmers whose
products would sell at low price if
export were forbidden and, ON the
other hand, there are the consum-
ers, for whom something must be
done to reduce the cost of living.
The needs of humanity abroad
are insistent and pressing, since the
foreign countries cannot raise suffi-
eient grain and other foodstuffs for
their own existence. An embargo
imposed by the United States would
arouse public indignation among the
allies and lead to tense condition
in the relations of this country and
Great Britain, France and Russia.
If nothing else, those govern
ments would be forced by home
pressure to adopt a policy of retail
iation. Moreover. if an embargo
should be applied on foodstuffs, the
question naturally would arise
whether an embargo were advisable
on munitions and other war sup
plies.
The President does not forget his
tory and the unfortunate effect of
the embargo laid just before T. 4
war of 1912 with Great Britain.
That embargo led to internal dis
content and to smuggling.
There is no doubt that the farm
ing sections of the country would
resent any action which prevented
grain from selling at the price fixed
by free competition. Particularly
IN the West this would cause vio-
lent objection Closure of the door
Of opportunity by the United States
would be in the interest of Argen-
tina and other grain countries. IN
the end this would be harmful to
American interests.
There has been some discussion
of the question Of an embargo in
Congress, but ii has not gotten far
because of the unwillingneSs of Set
atOrs and members of the House To
antagOnize the farmer vote. Had !
thr President consented to the Me
LemOre resolution warning Ameri- /
Gang from travelling on belliger-
eats ships and to the proposal to |
lay an embargo on munitions the |
vCyt step would have been an en-
barge on cotton, which enters into
the manufacture of munitions, and |
then on grain. The President is |
grateful to the farmers of the West I
Tor the way in which they kept him
in the White House and will do +
Nothing to their detriment.
In this CONNECTION Secretary OF
Agriculture Houston declared to-day |
that while there was some discus
sion throughout the country OF an
embargo on grain. he had no knowl-
edge of the subject being considered
by the President. OF course, as Mr..
Houston suggested, he would know |
If the matter were under considera-
ton.
TIE administration is alive, how
ever, to the necessity of taking steps
to curb the increase in prices. The
federal trade commission, the de-
partment of justice and the inter-
t.ate commerce commission are
Quietly conducting Investigation to
a-ccrtain the fundamental cause un-
deriving the upward movement OF
prices. So far as bread is concerned
the federal trade commission found
IL could take no action to prevent
the bakers from Increasing the
price. The department of justice
intends to proceed against any COM
bine of millers or bakers which is In
violation of the Sherman antitrust
law. as amended and enlarged In
scope by the Clayton act. The in
ter-state commerce commission Is |