Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1920-01-08
HUGHES SAYS AID
TO FARMING LEGAL
Declares il Duty Of Government
to Protect Nations Food
Supply.
TAX EXEMPTION NECESSARY
Former Justice 81 U. 9. Supreme Court
Makes Powerful Argument Defend
Inc censtitutienality o. Federal
Farm Lear, Aea

tWM &SU4AtbhNSW8Nhy ~ FWSSs -
Farm Lean Aea
That the general welfare Of the ma
tioc demands that the gOserninent
shall encourage. aid and protest ngri-I
sculturs by swhateser means and tog
Irwhateyer., extent may, be necessasy TO-
safeguard the NATIONS food supply,
even though. those means Of aid and,
| protection. shall include the appropria-
ton OF government money and the ex-9
tending OF government credit, or even
|. the lending OF government moneys
was the contention or formtfv Iustics
Of the supreme Court Charles tEyans
| Hughes. when he appeared In the feds
Iseral court at Kansss GityssseQe Qf the
Iasttoneys to- defend TIA aeopptttpttonai-
ity Of the federal farm loan ,act-sS -
h css.mmsstss Duty A AID rasntne-
Mr.. Hughes pointed out that from
|. the earliest history Or this nation there
| has been continuous disburseneit or
public money III aid q agrfcultursi 90.
T veIopmsnt He showed lhOws awhiie
Congress had not attempted ~ soperate
YARNS and had not stepbe4 into any
Z stase toilegissnte asstotthe No q farm
lands, still congress had provided m
| formation, ~, had disseminated gtnstruc.,
lions, had distributed seeds and had
supported N every manner which was
| deemed Wise, the great, national inter.
est of agriculture. He told how the
government had sought to protect agri-
culture from great pests such rs the
gypsy moth. the. brown-tailu moth, the
| boil ;weevil.r or even the grasshopper>-
all for the general welfare,
He showed how the government had
! provided for the distribution OF seeds
of new and useful varieties and how II
| had provided for the Introduction and
| protection OF insectivorous birds and
how II had provided also for the estab-
lishment and maintenance of labora.
tories for experiments in agricultural
chemistry. He told how later the bu-
reau of animal husbandry was estab-
| lished to study and to disseminate In
! formation as to the proper breeding
and as to the diseases Of domestic anil
mails. He told later of how the
weather bureau was taken away from
the army and put in charge of the de-
partment of agriculture so that the
farmers and all interested in the pro.
duction and distribution of food might
nave comprehensive information as to
rainfall and weather representations.
Protecting Nations Food Supply
From all this he reasoned that the
government recognized it as a proper
function of government to encourage,
aid and protect agriculture, and he
held that it was the duty Of the gov
eminent to guard against any shortage
in the food supply of the nation. There
fore, he said, when this great under
lying industry stood in need Of funds
for operation or for development 1t
was clearly the duty Of the govern
ment and clearly within Its rightful
\ powers to provide the means by which
the necessary funds could be placed at
the disposal Of those engaged In the
cultivation Of the soil.
/ "Here is great activity he said.
(which has received financial support
IIDul ttG 1OuA0aliOn VA t1C 6ONVAh
ment ye
"Our position Is that the federal gov
4 eminent was competent In the applica-
tion Of money and investment of
moneys In the stock Of the federal
land banks. to organise these banks
and to invest moneys In their stock. to
borrow money. and to loan money for
these purposes, and to provide for the
issue of bonds for these purposes. Be
ing competent to do this. the govern.
ment could organize whatever agencies
a were necessary and convenient and
could authorize them to borrow to do
this thing for the government
a. 35 Bonds Had 70 BE Exempt.
/; MFR. Hughes commended that as con-
gross could create the land banks as
corporations and clothe them with
power to lend money and to issue
bonds, the government could, OF course,
protect these corporations and these
bonds issued by them from discussion
or impairment by any action. He said
that "as the power to tax was the
power to destroy" the government, OF
course. had the right to exempt these
bonds from taxation. And this rule
he said, had particular force In this
case, AS the bonds of these banks had
to be sold in competition with other
tax-exempt securities, and that with
out their being tax exempt money
could not be secured for the farmers
at low rates of interest To help the
farmer the rate had to be low, and to
get the low rate the bonds had to be
exempt from taxes
Tn DESTROY P0lII TRY MITES