The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1917-03-08
The Emergency Revenue Bill.
Senator Fernald Addresses the Senate
in Behalf of the Farmer

Ill Bendl1 OF the Farmer
WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 26, 1917.
Senator Fernald of Maine was one of the
three members of the upper branch of
Congress selected by the Republican
leaders to talk at the Saturday night
session of the Senate on important fea-
lures of the proposed emergency revenue
bill. Senators Sherman and Penrose were
the other members who spoke. The
junior Senator from Maine confined his
attack upon the measure to those sec
tions which hit the farmers, particular
izlng upon the oleomargarine features
This was Senator Fernald's second speech
and being, as it was extemporaneous,
without preparation, it made great i'm
preston and stamped him as being one
of the coming prominent figures in the
Senate. In the course of his remarks
Senator Fernad made it clear thai he
came from farming State and that his
people were greatly interested in those
sectors of the bill taxing farm products.
1t had been said by some of the Sena-
tors in the discussion that there was
monopoly among the farmers of the
country which sought to defeat some
provisions of the bill. He had been
around the capitol all winter and so far
had failed to find or to see farmer here.
He pointed out that the total farm value
of this country according to the last CEN
sus was $40, 991, 900, 0OO 1t was natural
that the owners of that property should
be interested in any measure affecting
their industry. He had not, however,
known of a single one of them appear
ing before the committee.
1.-THE Senator who sponsors this bill, "
said Senator Fernald, 'has said that
great many laboring people desire to
have this article on their table. That
may be true, 1t is not fact that great
many people desire margarine in the
place of butter. We have in the State
of Maine 14U, 1000 cows. Recently a bill
was passed by Congress which reduced
to 2 IL cents. At that time we had
little butter factory in our town which
took the milk of 5000 cows. In less than
a year it was closed to the cream of
American cows"
The Senator of Maine also took up the
subject of potato production. He pointed
out that whereas Germany and Russia
were, under normal conditions, greater
producers of potatoes than this country;
they had not for the past two years been
a competitor, and this was the fundamen-
tai reason, he believed, that today's
present high price of that product of the
farm prevailed.
Senator Fernald declared that one way
in which to cut the present high cost of
living was to give the farmers little
encouragement. 1t was necessary to pro-
vide a tariff which would give their crops,
their butter and their eggs, preference
in the American market.
In closing the Senator said: 1--WE are
willing that oleomargarine shall be sold
on the market. 1t is all right to manu.
facture it if people want to use it. but it
is the most Unfair and unjust proposition
to put that article in such shape that no
one can tell by the looks of it whether it
is the pure article or not"
Senator FernaId was on his feet for an
hour and quarter and was frequently
interrupted by members on the Demo-
cratic side, but in all instances had no
occasion to regret the interchange of
comments.