The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1918-08-22

handling the loans is excellent.
Prompt action has been taken by
both the Agricultural Department
and the Farm Loan Board acting for
the Treasury. The assurance of help
comes in ample time to prepare the
ground for fall seeding. To the peo-
pie of my district this appropriation
and the guarantee of price for the
1919 wheat crop, which | understand
will soon be made public, are the
most important matters since the pas
sage of the Farm Loan Act. On be-
half of them / thank you.
with great respect, l have the
honor to be,
Sincerely yours,
JOUETT SHOUSE."
He has received from the President
the following acknowledgement of
the letter:
"The White House,
Washington.
9 August, 1918.
"My Dear Mr.. Shouse:
"Just a line to say how much and
how sincerely l appreciate your kind
letter of August 8. l hope that the
aid rendered will be effective and
sufficient.
Cordially and sincerely yours,
"WOODROW WILSON,
"Hon Jouett Shouse,
House of Representatives.
One other thing that Congressman
Shouse has been endeavoring to ac-
oo,,nl;sb tb;e c,,,o ~, ar M, hahalf Of
the wheat growers of the state is a
guarantee of price for the 1919
wheat crop. He took this matter up
with Mr.. Hoover before Mr.. Hoover
went to Europe in June, secured the
cooperation of Mr.. Hoover and, at
Mr.. Hoover's request, prepared
memorandum and the result is that
an announcement will be forthcom-
ing within short time which will
guarantee a price for the 1919 crop
on a basis iat least as good as the
1920 which the government is guar
anteeing for the 1918 crop.
"Some recent letters from my dis
trict," said Congressman Shouse, in
referring to this guarantee for the
1919 crop, Convey the news that
farmers IN some sections are under
a misapprehension as to the plan for
the 1919 guarantee. At least por
ton of the farmers have gotten the
idea that l have been trying to have
the President fix the price for the
1919 crop. This is not all all the
case. What l have been trying to do
and what | have succeeded in defin-
itely bringing about is a guarantee
by the Government of certain min
imum price for the 1919 crop which
will be paid regardless of conditions
pertaining to the close of the war.
at is nnown by all those familiar
with world conditions that there is at
the present time the largest surplus
of wheat in Australia in the history
of that country. That wheat cannot
be moved because it is a very long
haul from there to England and it is
impossible for England to divert
shipping from other sections of the
world in order to devote any consid-
cradle amount of it to carrying this
Australian wheat. But once the war
is closed and the necessity for bring
ing munitions into England and
France shall have ceased, England
can devote the necessary cargo space
to moving Australian wheat and it
will very decidedly affect the world
price for wheat.
"There is little doubt that with
big crop in this country next year
and with the war brought to close,
as may happen next summer, the
price of wheat will go considerably
below dollar in this country under
the operation of the law of supply
and demand. 1t is for that reason
that | want the Kansas farmer, be-
fore he plants his wheat this fall, to
have assurance that regardless of
the close of the war and regardless of
other conditions that may obtain, he
may be assured of getting minimum
of 1920 for that wheat any time he
chooses to market it next year.
"Of course the President has the
full power to fix the price of wheat as
long as the war continues. This
power was conferred under the Food
Administration Act. My own activity
has been not with any effort to have
the price fixed for next years crop,
but to have minimum price for that
crop guaranteed, and l am happy to
say that my efforts along that line, as
we'll as to secure seed wheat for the
drouth stricken sections, has been
successful"