Evening star., 1920-01-11
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

II VERY once in a while some one
X considers it necessary, or at
least beneficial to the welfare
of this county, to call to-
gether a convention of producers
manufacturer and consumers to
thrash out the cost of living and 50
make it clear what Congress should
do to reform or readjust the economic
scheme.
AS a matter of fact, every time
Congress sits down to consider leg
islation it constitutes a real assem-
blage of producers. manufacturers
and consumers-the. most representa-
tive gathering that could be assem-
bIed in this country. representing
practically every phase of growing OF
mining or manufacturing, in every
section of the country and every state
Of the Union.
The producers in Congress and the
manufacturers in Congress are there
because they studied out the problems
in their own particular lines, made a
and SO were selected to represent
their fellow citizens in framing leg
islation affecting such industries for
the general good.
Their Experience Overlooked.
Somehow the country seems to have
overlooked this fact, and to have got
ten into the frame Of mind where II
takes it for granted that Congress is
not in touch with affairs OIL the farm
or ranch, in the mines or factories.
and that some one must come here to
tell Congress all about it.
AS matter Of fact there is scarce
ly a committee OF Congress- which
gathers. to hear producers, manufac-
turers or consumers which has not In
its own personnel some members who
could give more accurate, reliable and
really helpful information than the
witnesses. Because it is not the
business or habit of members Of these
committees to express their own
opinions or to refer to their own ex-
perienced In these hearings, the wit
nssses frequently leave with the idea
that they have been talking to men
Who were not very well informed
4bout what they had been discussing
Take the committee on agriculture
for example. More than half Of the
members are practical farmers, and
the chairman is a big farmer of wide
expeFtencA
Representative Frank w. Nondell
Of Wyoming. the House lsadeig has
had considerable practical experience
- 3 farmer md stockmAii. He bs-
li6tss that he can run farm bettef
than he can do anything else. In
cluding performances Of duties in hia
present position. He il today a pro-
ducersof be9f and food materials. He
knows what the conditions are under
which they are produced-not only
stock raising, but grain raising. He
was brought up on a farm. as was a
large percentage OF the members of
both .houses OF Congress.
The chairman OF the ways and
means committee. Representative
Joseph W. Eordney. was born and
spent his youth on a farm. He is
one Of the best informed men in the
entire nation on lumber. for from the age
Of sixteen he has been acquiring a
thorough, first-hand knowledge of
pine lands and the lumber industry.
Senator Francs e. Warren of
Wyoming is one Of the leading live
stock men Of the country. He was
engaged in farming and live stock
raising in Massachusetts, before 1868,
when he moved to what was then
part Of the territory Of Dakota, and
itas been in the business ever since.
A Real Cowboy.
His colleague, Senator John B.
Kendrick, is q real cowboy. He went
to Wyoming in 1879, driving a herd
Of cattle from Matagor,la bay, Tex,
and has followed the business of
stock growing actively ever since.
He'll tell you that is his real business
today.
Senator John Sharp Williams has
written into his autobiography that
Gin 1873 he moved to Yaxoo City,
Miss, where he engaged in the prac-
tice Of his profession and the varied
pursuits of a cotton planter"
Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas
is a double-barreled producer. He is
producing boys who are earning their
own living and raising hogs to help
Living. He has loaned 100000 to
boys and girls without capital or
security, and never lost a cent He
starts the boys raising pigs and the
girls raising poultry. More than
$4,000 worth Of registered pure-bred
pigs and fowls were raised and sold
last year by these clubs. Capper was
a Washington newspaper man twen-
ty-seven years ago.
Then there is Representative Tincher
Of Kansas, new member on the
agricultural committee. He raises
cattle and wheat and is proud of the
fact that something he produces is on
your table.at every meal. For twenty
years he has averaged 500 head Of
cattle each year and about 400 acres
of wheat. When witnesses are before
the agricultural committee he knows
pretty well what the producer actual
ly gets and how much the middle men
get. His hobby is figuring out how
much the consumer has to pay over
the price the producer gets. and he
says it averages 200 to 500 per cent.
Representative Jack" Garner of
Texas has been sailing under false
colors for many years as the goat
king. Serene Payne. when handling
his famous tariff bill. made speech