The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-07-21

DR. /. lADDS
WEEKLY LETTER
Washington, D. G. July Is.
In answer to my inquiry as to what
is wrong with the world and the rem
edy, Senator G. w. Norris of Nebras-
ka (Republican) has kindly consented
to make the following observations. "A
letter Of either approval or criticism
Of the pending legislator referred to
by Senator Norris will no doubt be
appreciated.
The world cannot prosper until ag-
riculture IS put on prosperous basis.
The very foundation stone of prosper
ity in civiliSation depends upon agri-
culture. II you break down the PRO-
ducer, he takes with him, all classes
Of people. Lift up the producer, and
put him an q paying basis and he rails
es the whole world with himself.
Il "The American farmer has produced
q surplus. He has raised more than
the American people can consume. He
is suffering now because he can find
no market for his products. At the
same time, there are millions Of hu-
man beings in other parts of the world
who are starving to death because
they cannot get what our farmers
have produced and desire to sell. The
producers are on the verge of bank
ruptcy, surrounded by surplus. The
consumers Of the world are suffering
for the necessaries of life, because be-
tween the producer and the consumer,
there is chasm that stands un-
bridged.
There are two reasons why the pro-
ducer cannot sell and the consumer
cannot buy. First, there is. the enor-
nous cost Of transportation. The
transportation companies get more
for carrying the products than the
producer gets for producing them.
The second difficulty is that the con-
sumers IN foreign countries are not
able to pay. cash, and hence cannot
finance the buying Of the food neces-
sary for their own sustenance.
Il have intEpduced a bill that in my
Judgment would relieve the difficulty.
It has been reported from the Com
mittee Of Agriculture, to the Senate,
and is now on the Calendar. It pro-
vides for the setting up Of govern
mental corporation, the capital stock
Of which shall be supplied By the Cow
ernment. One Of the principal duties
of this corporation willsbe to buy farm
products in America and sell them in
foreign countries on time. The for
eigner is willing to. mortgage every
thing he has for these agricultural
products, but he must have time in
order to pay. This bill provides that
the capital stock Of 500, 10000 shall
be invested in the purchase Of farm
products III America, and that when
they are sold in Europe, the securities
shall be held by the corporation and
on the strength of them, bonds shall
be issued at such rates Of interest as
will command their sale on the mark
ct. With the proceeds thus obtained,
other farm products shall be pur-
chased and sold in the same way.
Great opposition has developed
against this measure, mainly from fl
nancial men and middlemen, who want
to get profit on these products as
they travel from the producer to the
consumer; and they therefore object
to the Government standing behind
any organization Of this kind. Rather
than to miss their profits, they prefer
that the producer should be bankrupt,
surrounded by an abundance. and that
the consumer schould starve at a time
when he is able and willing to give
the best security in the world. We
have paid hundreds Of millions to onr
railroads. We have financed expor-
tati0n in the hundreds Of millions for
the benefit Of large manufacturing
corporations, and now, when an at
tempt is made to finance the sale OF
the farmers products. the niddleman
cries out against governmental assist
ance ]. M
stIf the farmers Of this country can
not sell the products which they pro-
duce, the country will soon be facing
practical bankruptcy. Private busi-
ness .Aas failed to bring q remedy. Alb
nor1lal conditions canfront us, and il
TIE strong arm Of Government is not
put forth to bring prosperity to agri-
culture, our whole structure Of civili-
ration will suffer.
The present Congress has thus far
failed to enact Legislation that will
bring relief. IL it continues to fail, i
viii suffer at the hands Of the peo-
PIE, the same catastrophe that struck
the Wilson administration ia the last
election.
q notice by the cor1ulle1fs 81 the
duly md weekly press that there i
nlore or less criticism with regard "a
WHIT TIE sixty Seventh Congress has
done 81 what II has failed y do mp q
III present time. We have already
51lS "a ths lhundre dlay mark 8ol
iminist on or q little l49ll
lal Il ope fourt teenth of fhe term fol
H. HILL illent Hardaing NM ejeeted
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