The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-15
WHEN A Bloc
is NOT A BLOC

The OlOC lSs interesting, says
Mr.. Welliver, because the name
agricultural bloc" was given to a
something that did not exist at that
time it was named; ingenious be-
cause it has accomplished well in
the face OF opposition. But is also
ingenious, because unlike other
blocs at Washington i'll previous
years, the agricultural bloc has
worked in the open; the names of
its members appear in front-page
headlines; it's leaders have been
frank in discussing the motives
which prompted them to champion
the cause of the farmers Of the
United States.
Gray Silver, Washington repre-
sentative of the American farm
bureau federation. is given the
credit for anticipating the present
conditions at time when the gen.
eral agricultural depression was not
so generally realized as now, and
of regulating the first action to help
matters. Mr.. Silver, according to
Mr.. Welliver. suggested confer
ence last spring of a few senators
from the farm states to discuss the
trend of affairs. There were pres,
ent Senators Kenyon Uowa), Cap
per kansas, Gooding (Idaho),
McNary (Oregon), LaFollette
(Wis.), Ladd On. d., Norris tNeb).
Hendrix (Wyo), Fletcher fla /,
Sheppard (Texas), Helm (Ala) I,
and few others.
No Secret Meetings.
Meetings followed meetings but
, at no time were there more than
twenty-five senators present. The
meetings were never secret; indeed,
an effort was made to interest as
many legislators as possible be-
4 cause support was wanted. Every
one knew that these senators were
meeting in an effort to obtain all
the information pertaining to the
situation and to develop some leg:s-
lative program that would antici-
pate forthcoming depression.
The bloc members have thrived
on the opposition. Adverse criti-
cism convinces them that the bloc
is working for some things that
some persons do not want-and
that is proof that the bloc has at
least some few worthwhile quail
fications.
These men began to assert them
selves in July, 1921. when they op-
posed the adjournment of the spe-
cial session of congress, the mem
bers have been active in several
undertakings that have kept the
newspapers filled with news and
the air charged with propaganda
charging that the agricultural bloc
is out to wreck the party in power
Restored Finance Corporation.
BY defeating the adjournment oil
the special session the bloc ,secur-
ed the passage of the measure
which restored the War Finance
corporation to functioning at q
time when it did the most good.
The refusal to adjourn also en-.
' abled the passage of the packers
bill which regulated the meat pack.
ing industry to the farmers inter.
est. These were the first two def.
mite steps which have been fol
lowed By other and increasingly
important. legislative measure.
which are of benefit to the farmer
Not \ Bloc.
"One gathers that the agricul.
! tural bloc is really no bloc at all,
says Mr.. Welliver in the Review o.
Reviews. "but that the name has
hcen rather misappiied to a group
of senators and congressman, Re,
publicans and Democrats alike
from states predominately agricul
tural; acting pretty generally TO-
gether in support Of measures ia
vorcd by, and in opposition Il
measures opposed by. their constit;
uencies; rather eschewing discip'
line. and disposed to ignore party
leadership and organization: deter.
mipod to get what they want. wher
they want it. and not to take wha'
they do not want, no matter who
urges it: as nearly radical" as
anything is our sombre-hued con,
gressional politics ever gets: ans
extreme left" not because it is ex,
IRENE but because it's the extren,.
est there is. whose members. tired
OF being steam-rollered, have gone
steam-rollering. Flavor this recipe
! with strong spice Of the soil. rec
ogniZe the fact that the bloc repre-.
sents agriculture in time when il
is passing through the most acute
crisis it has ever known, at least
since the panic of 1887: concede
that party affiliations everywhere
are very much ropes of sand nova.
days-and you will get pretty close
to what the agricultural bloc is
about"
| The Federation Is trying to dc
big things. 1t not only requires bis
men at the head but big men AZ
1880 !