Milford chronicle., 1922-02-10
HARDING CALLS FARM CRISIS
NATIONIS- CONCERN

President Harding took an unexpected
whack Tuesday at the activities Of the
agricultural bloc in Congress when he
made the opening address at the Nation
al Agricultural Conference.
The extemporaneous addition of three
words in his prepared speech virtually
changed the temper of it and took away
the interest of the conference for the
moment from the specific recommenda-
tions that he made for relief of the
farmers.
9The whole country" he said, has an
acute concern with the conditions and
the problems which you are met to con-
sider 1t is truly a national interest and
not entitled to be regarded as primarily
the concern of either a class or a Sec
ton" Here the President looked up
from his manuscript, Or a bloc" he
added, raising his voice.
His Interpolation was not lost on the
conference made up of 1926 delegates, who
included farmers, representatives of ag-
ricultural associations, bankers, packers
implement manufacturers, middlemen and
Government officials. many of whom APP
plauded. But the reception given later
to speakers who, like William J. Bryan,
defended or extolled the blov, indicated
that the majority of the conference were
in full sympathy with the legislative
combination.
Mr. Bryan advised the farmers to re-
main in Washington until they united
upon a program to force through Con-
gress that had shown more fear of the
farmers power than any other session in
his experience.
Aside from the matter of the bloc,
delegates We're generally pleased with the
recommendations made by the President
in his address and frequently applauded
In brief his recommendations We're:
]. Provision for greater working
ing capital for farmers
2. Extension of cooperative mar
keting associations.
3. Better dissemination of scientif-
ic information.
4. Measures to protect farmer and
consumer from violent price fiuctu-
atiOns-
5. Greater development and use of
waterways and eventual electrifca-
tion Of all railroads.
6. Fuller development of natural re-
sources through increase reclama-
tion.
= CToWoSu FtNe-Ody Program
Secretary Wallace, following Mr. Har-
ding outlined the purposes of the con-
ference, which has a long and ambitious
program laid out for its five days of
He echoed his chief in declar-
ing that agriculture in the United States
was in bad state"
Mr.. Bryan, who was called to the plat
form toward the close of the afternoon, (
said that in his opinion the farmers are
worse off than they have been for thirty
years, with the value of their produce ,
driven down to pre-war levels, while .
heir purchasing power has not decreas- 4
cd in proportion. Mr.. Bryan told the far
ners that they ought to demand drastic
reforms not included in the program out (
ined by President Harding. Among the .
hings needed, he said, were State Trade
with the same powers as (
he Federal Trade Commission, and def
lite legislation dealing with middlemen's
buses.
There has come out of the East" he
said, "a warning that the formation OF
he so-called Agricultural bloc is immor-
al. Well. during my thirty years of OBJ
'ervation, both in and out of Congress, /
have never known a time when there
vas not Wall Street bloc or a big busi-
less bloc in Congress. The only differ
,nce is that these blocs operate in secret,
while the Agricultural bloc has the cour-
lge to do its work in public.
II do not say that this Congress is any
better than the last Congress. The rea-
son you have obtained more favorable
egislatiOn is that you have Congress
cared. They are afraid of what might
lappen at the election next fall"
Mr.. Bryan predicted that the day was
n sight when the old-time leadership i'm
congress, which he maintained had been
or many years in the hands of large
financial and industrial interests, would
'e overthrown. The direct election of
United States Senators. he held, was one
# the important steps in this change,
ecause he said. it permitted farmers to
verrule financial interests.
Want Freight and Retail Prices Cut
Most of the speakers of the day, who
included farmers and interests directly
with agriculture, endorsed the
emedial measures urged by President
Harding. Some urged also a reduction
n freight rates and others touched on
he need of lower retail prices as a
leans of causing increased consumption.