Mexico weekly ledger., 1922-07-06


enthusiastic crowds attending aspo1-
itical gathering in Mexico for years
Breckinridge Long, candidate for the
Democratic nomination to the u. s.
Senate, spoke on the east lawn Of the
Court House Thursday night. Mr..
Long had toured the county earlier
in the day speaking at Vandalia to
crowd Of 500 which gave him an en-
thusiastic reception. Later, at Lad
donia, where he did not intend speak
ing, committee met Mr.. Long in
sisted on his going to the local thea
tire where more than 800 packed the
building and accorded him an atten-
tive hearing and enthusiastic COM
mendation.
Judge w. w. Bolts, chairman of
the Long For Senator Club, which
has already passed the 1000 mark
in membership, presented Judge Wal
lace Fry to introduce the speaker.
That the audience Of twenty-five hum
dred persons was decidedly friend
" came to light at the very first. AS
Mr.. Long appeared at the rear Of the
speakers stand he was welcomed
with applause and following his intro
duction he was given prolonged APP
plause.
Judge Fry's introduction was a
classic in itself and was punctuated
throughout with generous applause
IN approval of what he had to say re-
garding Mr.. Long and his construc-
tice criticism Of Reed.
In his opening remarks Mr.. Long
asked the Democrats Of Audrain
whether they wanted a candidate
nomination by Republican votes as he
had reliable information that in the
cities especially some Of the Repub-
lican bosses weres making their
threats. He charged Ed Glenn,
without naming him as Reeds man
ager) with having gone so far as to
write to colored Republicans inviting
them into the Democratic primary
and that he had letter to prove this
assertion s. @
Long dealt again in his speech
with wheat price conditions during
the war. Long said his followers
told him that Reed had not switched
any OF the farmers on the Hoover
stuff, but from other sources il was
stated chat Reed had switched some
votes in agricultural circles with his
assertion that wheat would have gone
to S bushel had it not been for
Hoover and food control.
Discussing Reeds statements con-
cerning wheat price and Hoover,
Long said, "You may have heard in
the campaign how much money you
might have gotten for wheat during
the war. The facts Of the situation
are that in 1917, after we had enter
ed the war and when we were plan
ming a large army which would take
many men out Of production, it be-
come apparent that we would need
more wheat than ever before in our
history. So it was planned to stim-
ulate the production and to give as
surance to every man who would
grow wheat that he would get q
reasonable price for it no matter how
much he might grow and no matter
how much others might raise.
uThe crop for 1918 had to be sown
in the fall of 1917 and it was that
crop which it was intended to slim
ulate. sls
"With that idea in view there was
arranged, not BY any omnipotent
presidential authority, and not by
any man in military uniform, not by
any civilian dictator, but hy the rep
resentatives Of the people IN Con-
gress that guarantee Of W bushel
would be placed upon the wheat
raised for the 1918 crop.
aThe farmer was to be assured
that he would get 81 for each bushei
IL wheat no matter how much was
raised. Then Congress passed Law
known as the Lever act and when y
reached the Senate on its way 70 pas
sage only six Senator's voted against
N Among those who voted for It
was that old war horse, the late SEN
ator William ]. Stone. AS regards
the 1917 crop II was harvested and
mort of iii had been sold and had
4 passed out Of the hands Of the farm
ers and into the hands Of spectators
shortly after the passage Of the
Lever act speculation had become
active and wheat was selling above
Ss on the Chicago market, but the
farmers had sold that wheat " some
thing less than So and had sold the
crop Of the previous year for Z A.
ssThe difference betwegn tie figures
ii something under ~ and the price
on lie Chicago exchange represented
numerous speculative profits atld "
looked IL il shs pr0fteera ana specsi';'
latofs Wezs goirla to rnn sip ths price
81 wheat. afSer the farmers had sold
il. 10 Point which would bsve cost
th6 consuming public enormous prices