The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-10-10
HARDING; To FIGHT
FARMERS ''DL0C''
Ready to Launch Drive For
Railroad Relief Bill.
MAY SPEAK BEFORE SENATE
Republican Majority Turned Into Mi
nority by Semi-Popuiistic Views of
Western Senators.

Washington, Oct lO.-Thc Harding
administration will be forced to again
come to grips with the Agiarian Bloc
in the senate during the week.
The administration j.; preparing to
launch another drive for he enactment
of the railroad relief bin. The rail
road executives are pressing thr matter
and many prominent business men who
are delegates to the unemployment
conference have informed aLmim~,r1-
ton leaders that immcdiHje vuHctmpu1
OF the bill authorizing I'll" government
to purchase Il large h!oc!, Of railroad
securities would be Il great help III
speeding up business.
1t would they predict. enable the
railroads to Immediately open up their
shops on Il full-time basis for repair
ing rolling stock and thus provide emf
ployment for approximately loo.0OD
men. Otherwise. they argue. the car
rierS will not be able To- provide equip
ment if there is q sudden return of
prosperity.
1t will be no surprise if the preSi-
read Il message on the subject. But
the executive is up against an an0ma
louS situation. Noihn" more remark
able has taken place in national poll
tics in recent years than the aSSump>
ton of control from within the element
from the west. What the old line Re
publican leaders proudly pointed to N
lr.ri e
margin of control" for Tile dominant
party has proven Il myth.
Sixty of the ninc1y->iN senators are
Republicans. but tbirty-tIree of rhis
number, or clear majority. are from
the west and are ilnpre%na1ed with the
Semi-Populistic virus which produced
"SocklesS Jerry Simpson AID others
of that element :; generation back.
From the fanCiCd security which the
overwhelming Republican victory gave
the conservatives, they have awakened
to find that by a counting of nosrs they
are in the minority within their own
party in the Legislative branch of the
government.
Today the controlling element of the
senate is thinking only in terms of
what the farmers want and anything
not popular in the alfalfa districts has
as much chance as the prOyerbial Snow
ball. This was shown when the reye-
nue. bill, on which Senator PenrOSe and
his committee had worked for six
weeks, was kicked into the discard
when the agricultural group served
notice it could not be passed, unless
the transportation taxes were repealed,
the surtaX levies put back substantially
where they were in the old law and
other changes made. Only a month
ago Senator Penrose said he had
never heard of the so-called agricul-
tural bloc" but it is evident he has
heard of it now
The farmers bloc don't fancy any
legislation designed to help the rail-
roads. Some of it's elements lean to-
ward railroad control by the govern
ment, and most of its members at least
entertain the belief that enough has
been done for the carriers out of the
federal treasury. Under these condi-
tons, it seems cetrain Harding's appeal
for tn railroad funding bill will fall on
deaf ears.
The farmers bloc put through the
so-called emergency tariff bill in jig
time, but the permanent tariff bill is
tied up Indefinitely. This group forced
congress to enact war finance corpor-
alton bill, providing for Il hllion-dollar
credit relief for farmers in connection
with export SURPRISES, although the adj
ministration fought it vigorously.