The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1921-12-30
POLITICAL NEWS AND COMMENT
FROM THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

, cent with ain ultimate reduction to 10
per cent in behalf of multi-million-
aires and profiteers-
Both of these politically senseless
acts on reactionary level with the
meeting between Senator Penrose and
Vice President Atterbury of the Penn
slyvania railway to discuss who
should be appointed to fill vacancies
on the Interstate commerce commits
sion, which makes the rates for Mr..
Atterbury's railroad. These brazen
evidences of the party's commitments
to reactionaryism and special privi-
lege are Haunted in the face of the
public at time when the entire lib
eral and progressive sections of the
Vest are i'm state Of revolt against
that party because of the 1emonstra-
ton It has given in the late special
session of congress, not only of its in
ability but of its utter incomptency to
relieve business or industry or to deal
intelligently with the fiscal require
ments of government.
Not only do these representatives of
reactienaryism thus defy the progress
sive element in their party every
where, but the speech of Secretary
Weeks pleading for restoration OF
sCagnonism and naming ii as such was
snNde for the special purpose of in
dieting and fiaying the progressive
members of his party in congress who
had refused to obey the dictates of 81
ieaetidnary president and the reac
tionary leaders in both Houses. He
wanted Eannonism restored in order
that the yoke of reactionarism might
be fastened upon the neck of these
progressives to prevent them in the
future from preventing reactionary
measures. He denounced the legisla-
tion passed in behalf of the farmers
and put the blame for the depressed
condition of agriculture upon the
farmer himself. "He (the farmer)
should have foreseen the eyitable coll
lapse of values" declared Secretary
Weeks. He criticised farmer legisla-
lation generally, nttributing it to the
combination Of democrats and pro-
gressive republicans, and especially
he criticised the law increasing the
rate on farm loan bonds 51a per cent
and leaving the rate to the farm bor-
rover the same as. 1t had been; the So
called pure Who'll bill ne called un-
wise; the proposed lav TO regulate
cold storage and the good roads laws
were inctaded.s
Secretary Weeks was taken to task
BY Representative Tincher (Rep.
Kans.), for his criticism of farmer
legislation, especially the increasing
of the interest rate on Farm Loan
Bank bonds. Among other things he
said:
81 desire to call the attention of
the country u the fact that the pres
ldent of the United States has sign
ed all of the legislation that has been
passed by this congress, so that Mr..
Weeks criticism applies to the exc
cutive as well as to the legislative
tranch of the government"
Representative Tincher attributed
Secretary Weeks remarks to the fact
that congress had reduced the army
to 10000 and said he was informed
and believed that the secretary of
war was the cause of President Hard
ing writing the letter to congress
saying that the bill was unworkable.
Continuing Mr.. Tincher said
Suppose the president had follow
cd the advice of the secretary of war
and vetoed that bin then he would
never have known how unsound the
position of the secretary was on this
question. Now, we all know that the
army was reduced way before the
time contemplated by the legislation"
kendriek Would Reneal "Protection"
Guarantee to Railroads.
With aufsfetzfttsra nras
producer unable to ship his products
it profit, the railroads enjoy meas
1fe OF protection under the present
transportation act, SO highly praised
1y President Harding, which guaran-
tees them a fixed income of from 51A |
% . per cent on the aggregate value |
IF the property
Senator kendrick (Dem., Wyo.)
Introduced an amendment to the rail- |
'oad funding bill which would repeal |
his provision, saying that to guaran- |
zee incomes to the railroads and not |
o the producers is to assume that |
is more essential than
reduction.
he cited many cases To show that
ne rates arc practically prohfbitiye
lnder this guarantee. among them
he following:
Nine shipments of hay from diff
erent points in Nebraska to Omaha
Turing the first part of the rresent L
ear showed the following results:
ne selling price was Si2li: the Il
lVerage cost of harvesting was s5.6I
'er ton; commission, 81 per ton:
relght s4.o7; making a total expense
4 $l1.52. The average return TO the
roducer was only So cents per ton"
concerning reports on live stock
hipments, Senator Kendrick quoted
he following:
Among those that appear to me to
Q the most convincing was a ship
lent OF 300 head of what are known
$ eanner cows that were sent to the
.ort Worth market This class of
tock sells for the lowest price and
here was long freight haul Is
ne cattle actually netted to the own
r Is cents a head, making for the
DO head S51."
Senator Kendriek also stated that