The Washington times., 1920-07-02
AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS.


AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS.
To the great agricultural interests
of the country the Democratic party
does not find ii necessary TO make
! promises.
1t already is rich in its record OF
things actually accomplished. For
nearly "A half century of Republican
| rule not "A sentence was written into
the Federal statutes affording one doh
| lar OF bank credits to the farming in
terests of America. In the first term
| of this Democratic Administration,
the National bank act was so altered
| as TO authorize loans of five years
maturity on improved farm lands.
Later was established a system OF
| farm loan banks. from which the bor-
| rowings already exceed three hundred
! millions of dollars and under which
the interest rate to farmers has been
so materially reduced as to drive out
of business the farm loan sharks who
| formerly existed by extortion on the
| great agricultural interests of the
| country.
| Thus IL was Democratic Congress
in the administration of "A Democratic
| President which enabled the farmers
| of America for the first time to OBJ
| tain credit upon reasonable terms and
insured their opportunity for the
| future development of the nations
agricult ural resources.
Tied up in supreme Court proceed
| ings in suit by hostile interests, the
| Federal farm loan system, originally
opposed by the Republican candidate
! for the Presidency, appealed in vain
| to Republican Congress for ade-
| quate financial assistance to tide over
81 t,ntn mi, hat ha hao in N iv,,p
and the ending of the current yeas,
awaiting a final decision of the high.
est court on the validity of the con-
| tested act We pledge prompt AMI
consistent support of sound and etfec-
/ tive measures to sustain. amplify. ana
! perfect the rural credits statute and
! thus to check and reduce the growth
and course Of farm tenancy.
Not only did the Democratic party
put into effect a great farm loan sys-
tenn of land mortgage banks. but I,
passed the SmithLever agricultural
/ extension act, carrying to every far
I mer in every section of the country.
: through the medium Of trained eN-
perts and by demonstration farms, the
practical knowledge acquired by tn"
! Federal Agricultural Department in
! all things relating to agriculture. nor
! ticulturc. and animal life: ii estab
! lshed the Bureap of Markets. the Bu-
reau of Farm Management. and passed
/ the cotton futures act. the gram
! grades bill. the cooperative farm ad-
! ministration act. and the Federal
| warehouse act.
! The Democratic party has vastly
| improved the rural mail system, and
has built up the parcel post system to
! such an extent as to render it's activi-
Of n
pensabYe to the farming community.
/ 1t was this wise encouragement and
| this effective concern of the Demo-
! cratic party for the farmers of the
| United States that enabled this great
| interest'to render such essential serv-
ice in feeding the armies of America
| and the allied nations of the war and
| sucCoring starving populations since
! armistice day.
CONCESSIONS TO LABOR.
! Meanwhile. the Republican leaders
| at Washington have failed utterly to
propose one single measure to make
rural life more tolerable. They have
signaliZed their fifteen months of Con-
gressional power by urging schemes
which would strip the farms OF labor:
! by assailng the principles OF the farm
| loan system and seeking to impair its
! eHlclency, DN' CONtEblN dtNth'pN'hS w
! destroy the great nitrogen plant at
Muscle Shoals. upon which the Gov
crnment has expended S10,OOO.O0O 10
supply American farmers with fer
, tiliZer at reasonable cost; by ruth
! lessly Gripping nearly every branch
! of agriculture endeaVor, literally
Gripping the productive mediums
through which the people must be
| fed.
|, We favor such legislation as viii
iSonfirm to the primary producers OF
the nation the right of collective bar
gaining and the right of cooperative
handling and marketing or the
| products of workshop and the farm
and such legislation as will facilitate
the expectation of our farm products.
We favor comprehensive studies or
farm production costs and the uncen-
sbred publication of facts found in
such studies.
LABOR AND INDUSTRY.
The Democratic party Is now, as
ever, the first friend of honest labor
and the promoter of progressive IN
dustry. II established the Depart
ment of Labor at Washington, and
Democratic President called to MS Of
Rcial council board tho frst practical
working man who ever held a Cabinet
portfolio
Under this Administration have