The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1920-1982, 1922-01-04
The Latest Thing in Blocs

, The members of the farm bloc pro-
test that they are not the only bloc,
but that the woods are full of them.
They point to the beer bloc, the tar
if bloc, the sales-tax bloc, the rail-
road bloc, the labor bloc and enough
other bloes to build quite a monument
of fact and argument. If blocs are
such miquitous things the farm bloc
feels that the catcalls and turnips of
applause should be more evenly dis
tributed.
How, then, came it that the farm
bloc achieved such universal notoriety
in political discussion and got men
toned in eve,ybody's curses or pray
ers, as the case might be, while other
blocs went quietly on their way un-
needed? The one big and sufficient
reason lay in the urgency of the oc-
casion. Agriculture was suddenly de-
f1ated while many ,other industries
continued in their over-infated after
war condition. This ridiculously un-
balanced economic situation soon be-
gan to have its effect on every phase
of the nations business.
Trade halted. The farmer, dislik-
ing prices or unable to buy, ceased
his customary heavy purchases. Then
everybody suddenly woke up to a
realization of the fact that when the
farmers buying power is affected it's
a sad day for all of US. The time
worn phrases about agriculture being
a fundamental industry came back
into use with fresh, more concrete
meaning. Everybody was peddling the
wisdom that there could be no ma
tional prosperity SO long as agricul-
ture was devitalized.
Then came demand for immediate
legislative remedies. Something
must be done for the farmer" was
the Macedonian cry from every state
in the Union. "Give him more credit.
Extend his outstanding loans. Pro-
vide him with better transportation
and distribution facilities. Reduce
freight rates ON farm products. Find
markets for cotton, wool, wheat and
hay. Advance credit to foreign ma
tions so that they will be able to buy
our farm products. Put more GIN
ger into the land banks. Raise the
limit Of their loans. The muzzles on
the packers and grain brokers'. Clap
on an emergency tariff. Revise the
War Finance Corporation. Restrict
the filled-milk industry. Make the
woolen mills declare what they put
into their fabrics. Give the farmer a
credit system that really fits his
needs. Let him have all the cooper
ative marketing associations he
wants. And do anything else neces-
sary to make the farmer happy and
prosperous"
These were only few of the pro-
positions urged upon Congress. There
were scores of others-some of them
sound, but more of them unsound, i'm
practicable or impossible. Farm bills
in Congress were thicker than black
berries. The agricultural committees
of the House and Senate were liter
ally buried under them, and couldn't
possibly separate the wheat from the
chatf without help. And there was no
IIrelief in sight, for more bills were
bein presented daily. Again neces-
slty was the mother of invention. The
farm bloc came into existence as an
emergency means for handling some
OF the legislative means for handling
some of the legislative features of
this great and most unusual agricul-
tural emergency. In other words. it
was perfectly legitimate offspring
Of the economic crisis in which it was
| AN attempt was made to ring down
the curtain on them, but they prevent
ed the adjournment of Congress and
helped to enact a considerable part of
the proposed national agricultural
program. Of course it made the stage
manager bit sore to have his ar
rangements interfered with, but the
scene proved to be highly interest
ing one and the ilregularity was over
looked.
'"Sle are Lne OpenneSS and
pubic character of the meetings of
the agricultural bloc. It's members
90 not work in secret, and thus spare
the public any unnecessary worries
but IN open meetings, with outsiders
present, they discuss and announce
their program and then proceed in a
most matter-of-fact way to carry it
out. Other congressional blocs have
not always inflicted their plans upon
the public in advance. But the farm
bloc continued to discuss it's plans
ana aspirations as we'll as it's trou-
o'es in the most public manner
| Il
AS usual in connection with new
legislation there has been mich loose
scattering, irresponsible talk, and
also great deal Of exaggeration. We
should understand clearly in the first
place that Congress has not been r,n