The Holt County sentinel. (Oregon, Mo.) 1883-1980, 1921-01-14
A YEAR OF FARM BUREAU ACHTEVEMENT.
The Federation Has Made Itself Agricultures' |
Powerful National Voice

! that the farmer members of the Amer
lean Farm Bureau Federation, in a
referendum, voted almost unanimously
against Government ownership Of rail
roads? But do you think for minute
that, If ] went TO them with the story
Of what you mea have permitted to
I've done in wartime, they would not
reverse their action in short Orderly
The farmers right now are with you
Here's n chance for you TO do some
thing for tiem. You either do II or
the Farm Bureau will tell the farmers
Of America that you have refused, and
why"
Whcreupon those railway executives
looked at each other again, but with a
different sort OF smile on their faces.
The Farm Bureau men left.
Two days later. for the first time in
ihtory. the railroads, of their own yo-
liion. went 20 the Interstate Com
mcrcc Commission and asked that
rates he adjusted to the basis of pei
Uniting IA competing water rate. The
commission not only did this, but even
gave the boats u diffcrcntial rate, and
now the wooden boats arc back IN
commission on the lakes and, whenever
required, are hauling grain. -
congress Takes Heed
How different this u from the story
| IN Fonc years ago when old Commo-
, dntc Vanderbilt. over the same qucs-
ton Of competing freight lines be-.
tween Chicago and New York, in rc-
! ply t. reporters, vas quoted ~ saying,
"rhc public bc damrco"
. Had the full increases in freight and
/ passenger rates asked by the railroads
been allowed, the total would have
h'cn far greater than even the 81 .500,-
000,0no granted and The american
farmer would have rhouldcrcd n hcav-
Ter burden than lc now carries Of the
advanced cost Of transportation. The
imer.can Farm Bureau Federation
however appropriated funds To in
vcstiCatc the claims OF the railroads
and retained clifford horne. the we'll
known attorney, to represent II at the
hearing before the Interstate Com
mcrcc Commission. Mr. Thornc was
the only one who argued that the in
CTcascs asked veto excessive.
In rendering IT. decision tho
comuis sivn fixed the book value
Iuf the alrOadt ut $l,liO,OOO 900
'lrsF tHu the railroad executives asked
that The new rate be- based. This 10.
siliod In y big saving To- farmers as
I well rs g. other shippers. for which
the federation. - ably represented at
the hearing can fairly claim much
e. -d,.
,,.,h.., ..,,, -,n,.If... ..l,,,,,.,,,a. a,
twas the securing of credit, for farm
cr,. Specifically the federation takes
rrod't for pcrsunding the Federal Re.
b. 80 Board t. direct banks to ncccp,
>turaEe-waiChousc rcccipe, for wool
lof wheat rs collatcr,.l on loans. Ais,
following IL presentation Of facts. III,
i, ard deposited S3O,000,000 in Middle
Western banks 10 finance the moving
Of the f'iain crop,
7 More fundamentally, the federation
has made study Of the whole matter
or farm credits and has secured the
approval of the Federal Reserve Board
and Of the Secretary OF the Treasury
a. tic principle that the farmer l.
entitled 20 credit 10 finance his crop
during the year ,f production and over
n pcriOd Of one year Of consumption
Of that crop so financed. A bill has
been prepared and approved that viii
be submitted to Congress this winter
classifying farm notes and requiring
banks To accept farm paper rs collat
Cr,Il.
Among other things claimed rs ac,
complishmcntS ia a national way 10y
the Farm Bureau has been the socuI.
ing of an appropriation of half u mil
lion dollars to fight the corn borcr and
for a quarantine against this pest. II
prevented certain interests from sccur'
ing title TO valuable cotton lands in
Arizona.
Last pring. when Congrcss was IN
session, It cut the proposed appropria'
lions for county agent work to les,
than StO0 an agent Had this provi'
sion gone through the entire county
agent system In the United State
would have been wrecked. The Farm
Bureau cScrted the influence that mol
}, only put the original appropriation
back in the bill but increased Il by
100000.
When Congress was considering
the railroad bill and union labor wa,
clam0ring for omission Of any refer
cncc Ia strikes or arbitration, confer
cnce committees Of the House and Sen
ate agreed to submit bill providing