The Washington herald., 1920-12-07
SAYSFARMERS
ARE AROUSED
White Predicts Agrarians
Will Demand a New
Square Deal.
DESCRIBES CONDITIONS
He Sees Big Task Ahead
- For Nation Polit-
ical Leaders.

EMPORIA. Kans., Dec. ga dan
gerous political reaction to the pres
ent maladjustment in the matter OF
agricultural interests" was forecast
in an interview today by william
Allen White, one time Bull Moose
national committeeman from Kan
sas. White believes this reaction will
take the form Nof an "agrartan up
rising like that of the nineties which
expressed itself in the Farmers Al
lance and Populist party"
These factors. he feels, are the
disturbing clemens:
A steady decline in the price Of
everything the farmer has to sell.
Continued increase in land rent
and interest rates.
Failure of unemployment in cities
to reduce farm labor wages
Unless the farmer gets relief.
White expects this political reaction
to show itself in the 1922 election.
Fears Reaction.
There is liable to be" White
said, Il really think there will be a
dangerous political reaction to the
present msladjustment in the mat
ter of agfsaltural interests. Last
Saturday there met in Lyon County
court house in response to a more or
less feeling, seventy-five good
staunch Republican farmers, the
type that is on the county central
committee and served on the district
precinct committees, the big farm
owners in this county.
These men had no leadership and
no program, but they were discuss
ing earnestly. but not excitedly, the
terrible conditions which the farmer
has to face. They saw rather def
nitely a gradual decline and an al
most inevitable decline in the things
the farmer has to sell-his livestock,
his grain, his poultry. his hay.
They have seen this decline coming
as interest rates have been rising
and as the rent on land has also
been increasing.
Labor Costs Go Up.
And. while interest and rent have
oeen increasing and prices decreas-
ing, farm labor has also taken a
steady upward trend and has not
been affected as yet by the unem-
ployment OF the great cities. More
over, IL will take a vast degree of
unemployment in the great cities
to bring farm labor down to the
point where il will correspond to
the decline in farm products. The
farmer Is not talking politics: he
Is not even thinking about political
relief-not now. But unless he does
get relief; IL this situation should
become acute during the campaign,
We will say of 1922, this economic
situation is going to take a political
turn which Is liable to be reyolu-
tionary in its character, not unlike
the agrarian uprising of the '9es.
which expressed itself in the Farm
ers' Alliance and the Populist party.
Needs Special Credit.
The tariff" White continued, will
not satisfy this dissatisfied farmer.
He wants some special credit ar
rangement with the Federal Re
serve Bank. He wants some Sc
curity of price in the spring when
he plants his crop for the harvest
in the fall and he wants some right
of co-opeSative marketing encour-
aged and possibly controlled and
stimulated by the government which
will give him a fair show in the
worlds marketing.
He wants a square deal from the
packers and square deal from the
big grain men and the Chicago
Board of Trade.
The political horizon does not
seem TO show exactly the kind of
a leader who should take hold of
this situation. 1t would require
a strong man, a brave man and a
very wise one. But the present DO
litical leadership of the United
States does not have the wisdom;
certainly does not have the cour-
age, and probably not even the DO
litical thrift to tackle this situ-
alton
In the very nature of things we