Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-06-07
PRESIDENT HARDING
IN SYMPATHY WITH
PLIGHT Of FARMER
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Ueased Wire Service to The Journal.)
Downright, -921.)

Copyright -921.)
WASHINGTON, June 4.-President
Harding is encountering the full force
of the tidal wave which rises out OF
a distressed economic situation and
mistakenly demands that the govern
ment cure all business Ills and re-
store the profits OBJ by-gone days.
The president told friends today
that judging by the appeals for gov
eminent aid, many people imagined
1t possible for the executive and his
administration, by wave OF the
hand, to bring back normal condl-
tions. The president looks upon the
economic situation as the inevitable
result of reconstruction and read
justment following the war The
cabinet at it's Friday meeting dis
cussed what the government could
do, but unfortunately the govern
ment cannot do much more than
buide certain currents that may have
an influence on the situation.
After all. it is the feeling of the
president that the big industries
themselves will find the way out.
America, he thinks, will recover from
the shock of the European war just
as she did from the Civil warm
natural and orderly way. 1t is the
agricultural situation, however,
which causes concern. for while the
big industries can in a sense help
themselves, the farmer needs to be
financed and needs to have an export
trade and at the same time must be
protected in his home market. All
these different desires are the basis
for the so-called agricultural bloc
in congress, composed of members of
both parties, mostly from the west
and south, who are able to put
through congress practically any
measure of relief that the farmers
may want And President Harding
Is unquestionably sympathetic with
the agricultural group.
Trouble at Present
Meanwhile the president himself
recognized that the chief trouble of
the present moment IN the economic
situation is the fact that the profits
Of yesterday out of which it might
be possible for the American bust
ness man to recoup losses of today
are inaccessible. Yarge portions of
those profits have been paid into the
treasury of the United States as in
come taxes and have in turn been
expanded by the government.
Were it possible for the business
people of America to have paid taxes
over a period Of years rather than
over a single year as a unit, they
would have been . better able to fl
nance themselves in the trying era
Of reconstruction when goods bought
at steep prices must be sold below
cost to clean shelves and empty the
warehouses for new supplies.
But this S impossible. The gov
eminent faces a condition and not
hypothetical case. And Mr.. Har-
ding realizes that the full strength
Of the electorate is being exerted to
make the administration move in
this or that direction so as to hasten
a return to normally. 1t is a fact
that the Harding administration has
given more time and thought to do
mestic problems and particularly
business REIMBURSEMENT than anything
else but even the folks in the ad-
ministration admit that the tide of
circumstances over which no one in
The government had control is almost
Irresistible.
Breaks Precedent
During the week President Har-
ling broke a precedent in order to
speed one form of relief for Ameri-
can producers. By implication he
suggested reductions IN freight rates
In the interstate commerce commits
sion and found upon inquiry there
chat already the commission was
trying to work cut a program of vol
untary reduction by the carriers of
burdensome rates. incidentally Mr..
Harding seems to mink that the
days Of horizontal increases or de-
creases n freight rates are about
over and that the inequities of that
system ought not to be repeated in
any revision of freight rates.
The farmers have been clamoring
for an adjustment Of freight rates.
me carriers nave been reluctant but
the power of the agricultural ele-
ments of the nation in the Harding
administration doomed as too great
to resist and the carriers are try
ing to work out a program that i'll
be least harmful to them.
Of course if there were definite
tax program available, the air would
trouble enough with the tariff, let
alone a revnue bill, and the pros
pect- are not as bright as they were
for an early cleaning up of legisla-
ton sSTecting business. The chances
are that next fall congress will still
be here haranguing about tariff or
taxes. Everything moves slowly in
the convalescent period-even the
wheels of congress. The admfnistra-
tion is proceeding steadily but it
would breathe much easier if the
people didn't expect so much of the