The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-04-28
FARM BLOC SPLITS
ONTREASURY DRIVES
Bonus, Tariff, Sales Tax and
Army and Navy Programs
Foment Disc0rd.
LEADERS LOSING GRIP
Rank and File See Powerful
Interests Favored by
New Tariff Rates.
sHOME FOLKS CHANGING
Rally to President on National
Defense and Get New Light
on Sales Tax.
by LOUIS sErRoLD.
Special Dispatch to THE New York HERALD
New York Herald Bureau,
Washington, -. c., April ~.

washington, ~. VI, April ~. y
The non partisan and bipartisan ag
ricultural bloc seems 10 be losing con-
tact with the farming constituencies.
which it pretends to represent In Con-
gress. Recent developments have clear
ly established the fact that the half
dozen groups made up of Senators and
Representatives from farming and
rural communities are not rejecting
the wishes of their voters in their re-
spective States on at least Ave legis-
lative proposals Of paramount national
importance. ss aAs
Some of these Senator's and Repre-
sentatives, who were very active In
promoting the demands and requests
of agriculturists throughout the coun-
try, privately admit that there is a
deplorable lack of cooperation between
some of the Congressional agricultur-
lists and a tendency toward realign-
ment with the two political parties"
The retirement from the Senate of
w. S. Kenyon to become Federal
Judge was perhaps the greatest loss
suffered to date by the agricultural
bloc. as thesIowa Senator, for clearly
understood,.,feasons,. was singled out
as a sincere. sympatLizer with the
fundamental grievances of the entire
agricultural element in the country.
Third Party Talk Ends.
When the agricultural bloc was or
ganized the promoters of the enter
prise automatically conferred upon
Senator Kenyon the title and task of
leader. When he retired to accept
judicial honors the post made vacant
by him was awarded to Senator Cap
per of Kansas, who is generally res
garded as. more of politician than
statesman. Mr.. Capper assumed the
management of the agricultural bloc
coincident with the maneuver of Pres
ident Harding to win the friendship
OF the farming interests by making a
sincere attempt TO have his party
solve the fundamental problems re-
sponsible for the unsatisfactory agri-
cultural conditions.
The success Of the President in this
respect seems to have resulted in
greater personal advantage to him
than TO the individual Senators and
Representatives, who now appear to
be divided over the sort of program
that should be put through to satisfy
the necessities OF their rural constit-
uents. Aw
All talk Of third party promoted
through agricultural agencies seems
TO have been entirely discouraged. The
chief reason for this result is that the
leaders of the so-called agricultural
bloc have been split into conflicting
groups over the tariff. the bonus, the
sales tax and the army and navy pro-
grams of the Administration.
Senators and Representatives who
are not affiliated with the agricultural
bloc assert that hitherto docile fol-
lowers of the leaders of the enterprise
are displaying considerable apostacy
and, in some instances. open rebellion.
The most logical explanation of these
insurgent gestures observed to date
is that the authorized leaders of the
bloc are suspected of favoring certain
special agricultural interests and ig-
noring sentiment among the folks
back home"