The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-19
FARMERS FAVORED
 IN KEMP PT|ON FROM
 HE ANTITRUST ACT
Democrats Not Fooled By Harding'S Conference With Only Those Opposed to
 League of Nations
Fly HUGH ". ROBERTS
 Washington Bureau The Age -Heral,

500 Davidson Building
 Washington, December 1S.-(SpeciaL) The enactment by the Senate of the bill introduced by Senator Nelson of Minne- sota will confer on the farmers of the United States that immunity from the operation of the Sherman and Clayton antitrust legislation which organized 'aoor for many years has enjoyed.
 The Senate without a record roll call, ts'lssed the Nelson bill. It was adversely fiscussed by Senator King of Utah, Sea- dtor Shoot of Utah, Senator Pomerene of Ohio and others-a1l of whom thought that it's operatiop would be in viola ton of antitrust leglslation-but when the vote was ordered, it was ascer- tained that no one desired to register op- position against it.
 In addition to Senator Nelson, the bill was ably championed by Senators Underwood of Alabama, Smith of Geor- gia and Smith of South Carolina The favorable action of the House is antici- rated.
 RIGHTS OF FARMERS
 The South Caronna senator was espe- cially effective as a pieader for the man of the farm. Senators argue he ex claimed, whether farmers organizations of this country come under the Sherman antitrust law, and consume time draw ing nice legal dstinctons; but in all his- tory of agriculture in this country no case is on record where the farmers have been able to combine and get jus tice. much less to te injustice. The republican pa < committed itself to high protective tariff-for what purpose? In platform after plat form they have declared that industries which not able to meet the com petition of older and more highly organ ized ones abroad were entitled to the protector of the American government So enable them to make profit until they could get on their feet and fight for themselves. Have the farmers less right to ask that the government shall provide means by which they may be protected against the inroads of copital and organizations that ruin them?
 During the war how many nilionaires were added to our great millionaire pop ulation, and from what class did they come? Who knows Of a single farmer who has become millionaire because of the conditions brought about by war? Although they number about thirty-three and one-third per cent if the entire pop ulation of the United States, not one farmer amassed $1,O00,0oo; and now from the very peak of what appeared to be reasonable prices, they are hurled into the very abysmal pit of ruin and disas- ter.
 COTTON MILLS PROFIT
 In course of his speech, Senator Smith referred to enormous profits alleged to have been made by operators of cotton mills throughout the country, and made the point that although such operators have now reduced their prices they are making more money than prior to reduction because of the slump in the cost of cotton
 Il have heard it said that the farmer must take his losses along with other people, he declared. That would be fair view if the farmer had the same facilities for reeouping his losses as q Other people. Let me call attention to ] fact-not a theory. Last year cotton sold around 40 cents pound. Cloth was manufactured from that cotton and sold to the world, and the mills of the south and New England made a profit of 300 per cent, most of them declaring stock dividends and thereby escaping payment of income profit taxes.
 Certain mills in the south and New England have announced that they have cut the price of cloth B per cent. The raw material out of which they make the cloth has gone down POO per cent. If they made 300 per cent out of 40- cent cotton, and they cut their prices 8 per cent while cotton goes down 200 per cent, they are making a larger per centage of profit out of low-priced cot ton than they did with cotton selling for 40 centS."