The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-07-13
FOOD CONTROL BILL
Interesting Argument Between Sena-
tor Reed and Senator Page on a
Very Troublesome Question

ing the scope of the proposed legis
lation. June, 20, 1917:
Mr.. Reed. Now does the Senate
think that the prices which the farm
er may receive for his grain ought t.
be controlled and regulated and at tn
same time the farmer be obliged t.
buy his leather in market which il
neither controlled nor regulated?
Mr.. Page. Mr.. President, answer
ing the question of the Senator from
Missouri, l will say that if we are K
carry his idea to legitimate Sc
quence, we must include everything
that is manufactured from the needle
up to the harvesting machine. If VIZ
are ready to do that, we'll and good
! should regret very much the neces
sity of entering the field so broadly
as the Senator would suggest.
Mr.. Reed. Mr.. President, that is the
question / want to get the Senator to
answer. Here is a farmer; he is a
producer of grain; at the present
time he sells that grain in the world
markets. Bidding for it are all the
people of Europe, Asia, and Africa,
and of North and South America,
speaking somewhat broadly. If we
take away from him that open mar
ket where all these people bid each
against the other for his product, in
what kind of position will we leave
him if we deprive him OF thai market
and yet compel him to buy everything
that he consumes in j market where
all the world is bidding against him!
Is it not necessary, in order to keep
from running the farmer, if we regu-
late his prices, to see that he is pro-
tected as to that which he must buy?
Mr.. Page. May | ask the Senator
a question before | answer his ques-
ton? Does the Senator propose that
we authorize the President, or the ad-
ministration through the President, to
fix the price upon all merchandise and
commodities that enter into human eff
fort?
Mr.. Reed-If we make it upon that
which the farmer produces, we must
make it upon that which the farmer
consumes, or we will ruin the farmer
and we will stop the production of the
very thing which must be produced in
excessive quantities because it is now
being consumed in excessive quanti-
ties.
Mr.. Page. The Senator will confess,
presume, that in formulating this
bill nothing was further from the pur-
poses of the committee than to place
the farmer in the position where he
must submit to prices which some
outside person might dictate. We GER
tainly did not design to do that. We
may have done SO, and ] know the
Senator so believes, but know we
tried as best we could to relieve the
farmer and the livestock grower in
this respect, so as not to permit any
body to wrong him. While / am not
certain that the Senator is not right
in saying that if we make a minimum
price we make maximum price also,
at the same time l am not ready to
confess that, and hope it is not true.
Mr.. Reed. Mr.. President, / ask the
Senator to consider this matter: AT
the present time the farmer raising
a thousand bushels of wheat has bid
ding for that wheat all the neutral ma
tions of Europe, all our allies, and al
so the American public. If this bill is
passed and if other laws which we
have enacted are enforced, tO-wit, the
act, the open market which |
now exists will be taken from the |
farmer, and he will be compelled to |
sell his product to one agent of the
allies, who probably also will be the
agent of this Government. Thus he
will sell in market that is absolutely
so far as his surplus is con-
rerned. The European markets will
no longer be open to him, as it is
now, but whatever sales he makes
here he must make in accordance with
he wishes and the mandate of one
man. That, therefore, means, does
{ not, Senator, that the farmers OPP
m market is gone and that it is with
n the power of this one individual
to fix the farmers price?
Mr.. Page. If l thought that would
,e done, Mr.. President, / should vote
against this bill. | have no expecta-
ion that any such result will obtain.
Mr.. Reed. Mr.. President, / con-
ider the Senator one of the fairest
men in the Senate. / am going to
ry to convince him, by just the short
st kind of statement, that that is
he very purpose of this legislation.
The reason that we are to have a
God control at all is to control the
rices and keep down the maximum.
accordingly, it is proposed that the ,
lies shall buy through one agent,
o longer bidding against each other,
nd Mr.. Hoover has already testified !
nat that arrangement is made. Ac- {
the competition between
ne allies is already cut off.
Second, Mr.. Hoover states that our [
overnment intends to cooperate with 6
nat agency-which means, of course, '
nat the supplies for our own govern
tent will be bought in manner not 9
, compete with the allies. v
Third, we have passed an embargo a
It which provides that nothing can S
} shipped except with the consent of a
lie President; and it stands admitted
and | think was admitted by Mr..
it is proposed to say to t
of the neutral countries that, if t
ey obtain anything in this country, b
ey must buy in manner not to
mpete with our allies or with us. p
deed if you do not do that you do t,