Pueblo chieftain., 1921-12-26
FARM BLOC now HASDEFINITE
POLITICAL MEANING AT CAPITAL
Group Steadily Gaining Power In Congress; Tho Re
publicans Should Dominate Senate With
Majority Agr;culturalists Hold Sway

+, Norbcck of South Dakota, Kendrick OF
Wyoming and McNary of Oregon.
Several of the senators who are fire.
Quentiy described as radical, like
Johnson OF California and Borah Of
Idaho. have not been formally identi-
ned with the farm bloc. 1t IL also fact
that few senators who come from
purely agricultural states, and who.
therefore, might be expected to be in
: The heart of the movement. have not
really participated In It In any formal
way. But It In not possible to list all
with exact justice the degree Of par
t!cipation in II or Of dissent from it
| that senators have had. Some sem
Ators who have not attended the for
NAL meetings Of the bloc have never
theiess voted in favor Of most Of the
measures 1t originated. Nothing that
Is here said should be Interpreted too
definitely by readers or those who con-
template political action one way or
the other. based on the Identification.
or lack of Identification. Of various SEN
ators with the farm bloc
SO much for the farm bloc in tho
senate. In the house the bloc has been
iess rigidly organized. but has been.
nevertheless on the whole equally
J potent In casting the balance Of power
Also II Is clearly a fact that the mem-
oership OF the bloc in the lower house
is rapidly growing.
This covers very incompletely and
with no pretense to exact accuracy the
Republican part Of the bloc. Ono Of the
drst acts Of tho leaders. and a thing
which has been at tho heart of their
success. was the forming Of an alliance
with considerable number Of south
ern Democrats. In tho cotton produce
Ing states of the south. farming condi-
.lohs Iast year were fully as distress
ing as Secretary Wallace has described
tnem In the agricultural states of the
west. IT was this partnership in
economic distress that made the DO
Iucai partnership easy. The economic
remedies that would relieve the west
would also relieve the south. Amonw
the southern Democratic senators who
are commonly described as having par
ticipation in the bloc are Smith OF
south Carolina, Fletcher OF Florida,
sheppard of Texas. Harris OF Georgia,
Alabama
In this list Of Democrats. as well as
In naming the Republicans who are
generally regarded As having particle
pated In the bloc, there is no pre-
.ense 10 completeness or to exact ac-
curacy. Some senators who frequently
vote with the bloc are not formally
,oehuiied with Its leadership, and the
local reader In the states from which
tnesc senators come should be warned
a! aSainst making finaI political con-
c9sions based on what Is here said
In turning to a fair examination of
what the bloc has donc with its power.
~ must be said 10 far a. those meas.
uses arc conocrned which they initiat-
"a or advocated little can be said in
the nature Of criticism. even by those
VINO are mostly disposed to deplorc
.ne ,, underlying principle of group ac-
tion In politics. As regards the meas,
urcs which the farm bloc is given
cteoit Tor opposing or defeating, prob
10y somewhat less Is to be said for
.nem. There Is not space in the pres,
ent article for any minute examtnatfon
oh the bloc's legislative program
o'tner or advocacy or of opposition.
.rernaps the chief measure for which
rme DIoG is respons,ole was the ap-
by an agency OF the treasury for the
.enef OF farm conditions. II is true
'nnt tho form In which this nea sure
Ultimately passed was very different
ana much less radical than the form in
" 'In Rm, the ,r IA farmers originally proposed
iinaliy became available for the RELIEF
OF distress in the farming districts ~
was an entirely reasonable measure
considered as an emergency action md
IN its application has done great good.
The fund was entrusted to a represen-
tative Of the treasury. in the nerxon
OF New York banker, Eugene Never
together with several associates who
are business men from various sec
tions or the country. Mr.. Meyer turn
ca out TO be man OF energy and re-
source. He has Travelled up and down
the country. finding out the spots
where there was need Of relief. The re-
licf has taken the form of advancing
money to local bankers. and to Others
VINO. in their turn. had previously loan
cd money to farmers, and stock ra isers
In these cases the original borrowers
among the farmers and stock rai.ers
were utterly unable to pay their notes
when they became due. II the lenders
had foreclosed. there would have been
Widespread distress not only to the
farmers but to the entire local business
committees involved. Tho relief fur
nished by the treasury was in the
shape of advancing money and taking
prior lien on the collateral or other
form of security. There Is no reason
to anticipate that the government will
lose any considerable amount OF money
advanced. and the net result OF the
opera ton as whole has unquestion-
ably been to prevent the sacrifice of
live stock and crops in a panicky mar
ket. and otherwise to stabilize bust
ness conditions generally in the farm
ing states.
Tho rest OF the affirmative program
or the farm bloc, both for the past and