Evening star., 1922-01-13
The Presidents Farm Conference.


President Harding's call to farm
ing and allied interests to get togeth-
er and talk their troubles over at
Washington elicits from the Wash
ington Star Gndependent) potential
agenda: fare the farmers profits
eaten up by those who handle his
produce on the way to the con-
sumer? Are they absorbed in trans
portation rates? Are they merged
into production costs, into the prices
of seed, fertilizer, machinery" Co
operative farm marketing" which
has been tried with only a lalr
measure of success" and the tease
system, (which prevails widely IN
some sections" are also mentioned as
within the line Of possible discussion.
These various causes Of the farm.
er's depression. in the opinion OF
many editors. would all be cured py
a market. what is needed Is the
proper kind of legislation and ra,
the rest OF the world that will re-
store commercial relations on a pay
ing basis. says the wheeling Regis
ter Idemocratic), and this, in the
opinion of the Knoxville Journal and
Tribune republican), cannot De
done through government ,, sgosi6ues. Snn"
combe." "The big Improvement waits
ON higher prices for farm products
and lower prices for manufac tured
products" says the Jackson (Mich.l
Citizen Patriot GndependenD. calling
Enrone fell off so per cent last year"
and the Houston Post (democratic) Is
convinced that European revival
must precede any approach to normal
over here, and the reorganization o.
Europe's monetary systems :rt MIS- an9 no
unbearable debt and tax burdens.
must precede European revival
"TN.,en one gets down to cases. IN
the opinion Of the Hartford Times
Idemocratic), "it appears that the
farmers plight will not be improved
materially until there is a greater mar.
ket for his products, and there Will not
hs si,ch a market until Europe Is able
:" hnv his goods" Whatever action
sv;,i act EUROPE orce again on her fnarl-
ciai feet and start her actively Tor
ward in the work Of reconstruction Will
40 Tar more to start the bank, balance
of American farmers upward than any
farence at Washington" is the verdict
Of the Columbus Dispatch Qndepend-
ent). s..
determining a program, the New York
Globe independently describes IT as the
saracfous course" since It Will assem-
ble competent representatives OF the ag-
ricuItural interests and seek to learn
from, them how their plans for recov-
ery can best be reconciled with the
general interests Of the country. Inat
fae conference may be the means OF
bringing into the spotlight economic
facts which might be disconcerting 70
the best-Iaid plans Of parties and the!r
leaders" is suspected by the St Louis
Post-Dispatch independently, since: as
yieWed by the Rrchtn6nd'' Times-Dis-
natch (denocratic), "the country's ag-
ricuItural interests have been grossly
discriminated against by 1egfsiation
which nas tended to make this an IN
dustrial nation at the expense OF those
| who TN the eEsoil" "A lot Of gpod Ti!l
and . lot Of truth develop u 2 meeting
tAat u fsss to iaee with Pr9ss,e%as snsans
neid. renublican), and "a national con
Ference, such Is the President has sus.
eested, viii enlarge the vision OF the
view 81 tiis possibilities" '&''.-
That some persons have been SO
uncharitable as to intimate that this
| is q political move on the part OF the
President to take the wind out OF the
sails Of the agricultural bloc in Con.
Eress" is branded by the Philadelphia
Record ldemocratio) as only sur,
Journal ltndependentl. believes "
Hin So one 6f the worthwhile accom-:
plishments pf Rreaident Hardinfs
regime & the conference dissolves the
fsfm bloc and increases confdence
between the farmers and the admins