The Washington herald., 1921-06-07
Lesislating for the Whole People.

INNCE upon time in the years OF long ago, a
~ holder of large block of Bell telephone
stock was earnestly Grating to a friend on the
menace to this country of monopolies. Thcre-was
much danger, he saw it, that some great monop-
oily, such as the United States steel then just in
full swing, a combination of monopolies would
get control of the government. But, asked his
friend how about the Bell telephone" oh was
the reply. that is my monopoly"
Every since the heyday of Mr.. Bryan's cross
of god." there has been like fear from very much
|, like source, that class would run the gov
ernment and dictate legislation for its own ad-
vantage. In Mr. Bryans time, it charged that
the financial powers known then, now, as wall
street." was such class Again it has been the
manufacturers debating tariff laws or the railroads
getting restrictive legislation to their liking, and
later labor with its exemptions from control and its
Adamson laws.
Just now it is the farmers who are striking
terror the souls of all these other nnocents The
truth is that this present fear largely born of the
someone else;" the farmers not class. As
fact the farmers do not form class The farm
is industry, each farm is individual factory.
1t is plant with output, largely of raw ma
terials. Each one is owned by the man who runs
it, and he is both employer and capitalist. Or
it is rented by manager who is also capitalist.
In either case the farmer is usually laborer as
we'll as manager and capitalist. He is also shipper
and merchant, producer and consumer.
Farmers include all classes. They have SYM
pathetic ties with all classes. As producers, man
ayers and capitalists they naturally conserva-
tive AS laborers they have labor sympathies Re-
mote from their ultimate markets. dependent in this
way upon distributors isolated in their operations,
combined only at rather long range and dependent
in their factory output on Providence rather than
human effort, they are inclined to spasms of
radicalism. e.
When organizations of manufacturers, and all
they represent sent out warnings against the
farmers as a wouldbe privileged class, that this
is "a country of laws-tariff laws-and not Of men,
that special class legislation is dangerous to the
class itself and that congress must represent "the
whole American people" it has strain OF un-
conscious humor 1t is difficult to recall time
when these same men were not asking congress for
legislation for their special benefit, though of course
for "the whole American people" whose prosperity
was wrapped up in their prosperity.
Agriculture is the basic industry upon which
all other industries are based 1t provides the
cotton and the WOOL the meats for the packers the
grain for the mills, the feed for animals and the
food for the folks Going and coming. it provides
the bulk of transportation. Farm output has been
the chief factor in foreign trade and for settling
debts abroad Farmers are the buyers of larger
percentage of American manufactures than any
other class and nearly equal all the rest combined
If there is any legislation which is national, 1t
is that which is agrarian in its immediate objective
If it is possible to have any legislation ,for the
whole American people without special reference,
or special aid or special benefit to any, it is
that which promotes agriculture and agricultural
conditions.