The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-12-08

Flags political Quacixs.''
1.-The great need for the present
emergency is clear thinking" Mr..
| Weeks continued, ''basing our actions
on facts, not fancies; putting our faith
! in work instead of words; relying on
| accomplishments, not promises and,
not mistaking license for liberty. The
world is surfeited with cure-alls Of
fered by irresponsibles. These quack
political doctors proclaim loudly and
promise much. They even devise re-
\ markable cures for ills that do not
\ exist The real cure, however, is So
| old-fashioned and so readily within
our reach that some of US fail to rec
ognize it. 1t is work. The people who
are recovering most rapidly from the
effects of the war are those who are
working instead of talking, who are
practicing economy instead of indulg-
| ing in extravaganza and in putting
| their own houses in order they are
solving the problems confronting their
| country
| I'VE do not hear of strikes in Ger
manv the secretary remarked, but
/ they seem rather popular everywhere
| else. The selfishnesS which comes
| fror- the desire to get something at
| the expense OF ones fellowmensis 1Iay-
ing a poten- influence in preYenting
| the restoration the country needs.
These influences have more or less
effect on government and it. is in this
connection that the quacks and I'M
thinking are apt to do serious harm.
1 undertake to say that the govern
ment-and it is largely due to the in
fluences that have come from the war
has done many things which would
not have been given any cOnSidera-
ton whatever had we not drifted
from our moorings."
The farmer-''the backbone of the
country" the first to feel the eff
naf- RI LOTT
tary said, but added that the farmer
could not be entirely absolved from
blame" for his present situation as he
should have foreseen the inevitable
collapse of values.
at did not please him." said Mr..
Weeks, ito find that combinations of
labor or combinations of anything else
were able to keep up the prices of his
necessities, and he turned to iegisla
ton to bring about condition which
would give him a chance to adjust his
situation.
81 shall not take the time to criti-
else the legislation congress has en-
acted for the benefit of the farmer. It
was brought about by a combination
of members of the two great political
parties which had sufficient votes to
obtain the result desired. Some of
this legislation may benefit those for
whom it was enacted. Much of it is
ical standpoint, and very much doubt
if it will be of any benefit even to the
farmer.
Criticises Farm Loans.
zone of the least excusable of the
laws passed, it seems to me, was that
increasing the interest rate on farm
loan ] lnl1 bonds to 5 Il per cent and
leaving the rate to the farm borrower
the r-me as it had been. Under the
present law as I see it. the govern
ment is financing the farmer and is
producing vast volume of non-taX-
able securities, so that. in effect, the
farmer is borrowing his money at a
much lower rate than the current
market warrants. What would be
said as an offset if the government
undertook to finance all the manu-
featuring industries of the United
States by loaning them money at
fixed -"+e and no taxes were paid on
this Indebtedness and then extending
that policy to every industry? We
should soon find ourselves without
taxable property and complete trans
ferral of the investments of large es-
tates into non-taxable securities"
Mr.. Weeks then reviewed the fur
Their legislative program" of the agri-
cultural bloc characterizing as run
wise" the so-called pure wool bill de-
claring that the proposed law to reg
ulate cold storage would make the
price of many articles of food highe-."
and describing the federal highway
bill as being designed to construct
roads purely local in character" for
the benefit of ''one or at best, a few
individuals" The demand of the bloc
for a representative of agriculture on
the federal reserve board Mr.. Weeks
said was as worthy as would be similar
dmands from Manufacturers. labor,
commerce or any single great indus
try"
The revenue law recently enacted,
the speaker said, was drawn in con-
Torrance with a specific party plat
form pledge to reduce taxation In
his opinion he said lit did not go far
enough