East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1921-12-16

4 I all political conventions of whatsoever character it is the
"A time honored practice to declare that the farmer is the
backbone Of the nation and that without him the nation
would perish, etc, etc. Naturally these fervent declarations are
made for campaign effect and it is never the desire of platform
orators that the sentiments enunciated should be acted upon. 1t
is the farmers vote that is wanted, not his advice and consent
with reference to real legislation.
In the present congress, however, a number of gentlemen
from the west and south have distinguished themselves by tax
ing the unprecedented position that now and then the farmer
should actually come to bat in the halls of congress. So they
presented certain measures in the interests of agriculture and
had this legislation passed. For the most part this legislation
was %unopposed because it would hurt no one (nor help anyone
very much) and any political party is always glad to so help the
farmer II 1T can do so without offense to other and more sensitive
clients. However, on one point the men from the south and west
overstepped themselves. They actually had the affrontery and
Nick Sinnott was one of the villains to vote that the surtax
should be slightly higher than had been agreed upon by Wall
street representatives and the recognized G. @. P. congressional
leaders. In that instance the agricultural bloc interfered with
the special prerogatives of the financial bloc and of course the
agricultural bloc was all wrong. 1t IS heresy in the first degree
Tor any one to intimate by as much as a whisper that Wall stree.
Is not dNinely inspired with reference to the subject of how
much federal tax men of vast fortunes should pay. Has not
Secretary Mellon made it very clear that it is a vicious practice
tc look tc men of big wealth for a fair share of revenue when
that revenue could lust as well be extracted from the pockets
u those IN the middle and lower classes. Was it not one of the
the sins OF the Wilson administration that in imposing war taxes
a pronounced attempt was made to get money from those who
had ii in the largest quantities? Shall the republican party
alton is serious. II til so serious that the "best minds are at
work on the problem of how to send the members of the agricul-
tural bloc to the %guardhouse for mutiny. The big chief has
sPokeh ana tne secretary OF war mas spoken with violence. How
the matter will turn out no man knows and in the meanwhile the
New York World has offered this bit of sarcastic advice:
mo republican party that is worthy of the name can permit
an agricultural faction to bump Wall street or the protected in
dustries. That snot only bad economics but it dries up the cam
pagn fund. The farmers must learn to be reasonable and not
NEEDLE with vested interests. The farmer who would rather see
Wall street pay taxes than to pay them himself is no backbone
of the nation in the sense in which that term was used in the re-
publican platform, and if he does not stop his nonsense the time
may come when Wall street will not care much whether con-
gress is republican or democratic. Then, indeed, will the foun-
dations of the republic be c%rumbling."
There is not much poetry in the foregoing but there is more
truth than there should be.