The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1921-09-09
ACID TEST APPLIED
TO CONGRESS WORK
RiddiCk Declares Record Better Than
Amy Previous One OF
Peace Times.

! Tense of the record OF accomplish
ment Of the present Republican Con-
gress, in which he gives facts and
figures to show that it has surpassed
all previous sessions. He says:
Let us apply the acid test Of the
record of things asked for and things
done. President Harding, in his mes
sage to Congress at the opening Of
the special session, asked that certain
laws be enacted How has Congress
respo aided?
HE asked the passage of a peace
resolution. 1t is done.
He asked an emergency tariff to
help the farmers. 1t is done.
He asked the enactment of a
budget law. 1t is done.
He asked the passage of Army
and Navy appropriation bills. 1t is
done.
He asked the Inauguration of rig
id economy IT, public administration.
1t has been done in every department.
"He asked the coordination of the
federal agencies for relief of ex-ser-
vice men. 1t is provided for in the
Sweet bill.
"He asked the enactment of a per-
manent protective tariff law. The
Ways and Means Committee. after
weeks of hard work, completed the
drafting of the tariff bill, night 5es-
sions of the House were held to eX-
pedite its passage and it is now in
the hands of the Senate.
"The President asked the revision
Of the federal tax laws. Committees
having this in charge worked day
and night. Sundays and holidays, TO
formulate such revision. 1t has
been passed by the House within four
months after the special session con-
vened.
This is 90 day record of con-
structive legislation which has not
been equalled by any peace-time
Congress in United States history.
Il promised our farmers that Pres
ident Harding would show a special
interest in aiding agricultural inter-
ests. He has done this.
Farming interests have been up
permost in the minds, both of Con-
gress and the whole Administration
In addition to the emergency tariff 10
relieve agricultural producers. Con-
gress has enacted a law increasing the
amount of funds available for farm
loans by the Federal Farm Loan
Bank. This act has already made
S2O.000,000 available for farm loans,
and this sum will be increased. The
bill TO increase the rate of interest
paid investors in farm loan bank
bonds has passed the Senate and will
pass the House in a few days. This
will enable these bonds to compete in
the market with commercial and in
dustrial bonds, and thereby further
increase the funds of The Farm Loan
Banks.
''In order to expedite the financing
of stock raising interests, the Harding
administration took the initiative in
calling conferences of private b"nk-
ers to fern S5O,OOO,OoJ fdnd % be
loaned cattle men on reasonable
terms AMI for a long tiHe. The
fund is ral ~ ami loans are already
b,ing made. Under the arrangements,
credit can IA obthineG frc maximum
period of two years.
"This makes 100000 extra
credit the Republican Administration
and Congress have provided for the
farmers in the past sc 1avs.
"There also was the administration
oc the special 100000 appropria-
ton for relief of the drought-strick-
en- farmers of our own State Of Nom
tana and neighboring territory, altho
the bulk Of it went to the farmers of
Montana. Secretary of Agriculture
Wallace assumed personal superVl-
sion of the handling of this loan, and
the money was distributed in record
time. Within II days after the work
started. all the necessary machinery
was set up, and loans were being
made. over $4,000 loans, aggregat-
ing $1,95O,OOO. were made, and over
one million dollars Of TN fund was
loaned to farmers Of our own State.
"There is some Impotence over the
delay in enactment of the packer reg
ulation bill and the grain futures bill.
In both cases haste might well mean
wastc-of effort and time. These
bills touch basic economic principles
and should be modelled along the
fundamentally sound lines that un-
derlie such federal supervisory bodies
as the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion. The enactment Of the hastily
drawn, ill-considered law would only
breed dissatisfaction and greater ir-
yitatiOn among all affected parties,