The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1920-1982, 1922-01-04
THE LATEST THING IN BLoCs
Continued from Page ~

order to give attention exclusively to
farm measures. Perhaps, no previ-
Gus Congress ever passed so compre-
hensive program Of constructive
Legislation dealing with national
economics from an agricultural view
point. 1t was serious effort of real
craftsmanship to face the general in
dustrial depression squarely. Some Of
the chief measures in this legislative
schedule were the rehabilitation of
the War Finance Corporation, the
regulation of grain exchanges and
the control of trading in futures, Fed
eral supervision of the packing in
dustry, providing deposit of $685.
100000 in the land banks, and the
Emergency Tariff.
But of course the agricultural blocs
didn't do this all alone, nor did they
incur the opposition Of all other men,
bers of Congress in pushing the bills.
Almost every member Of Congress
was under great pressure from his
constituents to promote the passage
of the necessary agricultural legisla-
ton.
do not for moment wish to with
hold due credit from any man or any
group of men. am merely suggest
ing the use of common sense in
awarding credit. The agricultural
bloc has been active and influential in
furthering all the farm measures
which have been passed, and stands
firmly behind the remaining part of
the farm program including cooper
ative marketing, agricultural repre-
sentation on the Federal Reserve
Board, general plan for rural Gre
dts and perhaps other measures.
But it took majority in the Senate
and in the House to pass these bills.
The House farm bloc of twenty-five
men in a total membership of 435
plainly needs help to put through any
Legislation. Nor can the Senate farm
bloc of perhaps twenty-five men get
very far without the support of few
others among the ninety-six Senator's.
| One of the big things the farm bloc
can do and has done during the pres
ent session is to help crystalline in
dividual opinion among congressman
and focus attention upon some speci-
fic action. The mass of proposed leg
islation is often quite bewildering.
There may be from ten to sixty or
more bills presented on any given
subject. Some sindividual congress-
man or a group must look over the
whole basket of bills, Gull out the i'm
possible suggestions and combine the
most rational propositions into bill
which will at least have a. fighting
chance of passing muster. can see
how congressional bloc on any sub
ject might crystalline sentiment upon
a piece of constructive, well-consider-
ed legislation. =
+! !4 q -
Moreover, if legislative group rec
ommends a bill for passage it's chanc-
es Of safely running the gauntlet are
greatly enhanced. Committees are
supposed to do3this, and sometimes
they do it. But committees are also
supposed to be cemeteries for the great
mass of impossible or friendless bills
annually presented to Congress. The
chances are always decidedly against
any bill that lacks good booster.
But the agricultural bloc has helped
to keep the whole program of farm
i measures moving.
Will the farm group in Congress be
able to force other interests to look
at agriculture with a more kindly
eye? Yes, if it doesn't run amuck or
become infatuated with an ambition
to hold the balance of power. But
the farm group will get nowhere if
it tries to make agriculture class
and nothing but class.
| = *
We were frequently assured that
the farmer must have a special this
and special that, and that whatever
we might do for the farmer it must
be expressly for him, of an exclusive
design and altogether special and diff
ferent. That philosophy is funda-
mentally wrong. Agriculture doesn't
need a complete special installation of
government machinery for its exclu-
sive use. If that We're done it's very
isolation from the rest of the financial
world would make it far less effic-
lent system than the present one.
What the farmer really needs in the
way of credit is recognition of the
necessity of longtime loans and of
the periods and cycles of farm opera
tons and farm income. The present
banking methods and practice will
require only slight modification to
meet those conditions. The avowed
and obvious purpose of the agricul-
tural bloc ought not to be misunder-
stood. 1t is an attempt to give agri-
culture square deal in legislation.
1t rests on the simple proposition
that agriculture is the foundation