American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1922-03-24
Farmers Haze
Friend In s'Bloc I

Senator Arthur Capper chosen as
the leader of the Farm Bloc to sue
coed Senator William s. Kenyon of
Iowa, who resigned from theSenate
to accept appointment on the Fed
eral bench, promises to put even
more pep into the bloc by bringing
sharply to public attention concrete
cases showing the exploitation OF
farmers and the necessity for nom
partisan support for agriculture.
Almost before he has settled him.
self for action the Senator points
ont the case of a farmer named
Krantz who sent a carload of alfalfa
hay to Kansas City, Mo-, for sale.
Quoting from the report of the com
mission merchant these facts come to
light:
"The hay sold for $1,000. Wal tax,
freight, %plucking, watching and COM
mission footed up to 1899. 39."
The balance left for Krantz was
$96.S1, or SO a ton, the exact price it
cost the farmer to bale the hay. The
hauling cost the farmer $3.50 a tom.
The cost of cutting, stacking and ir-
rigating the crop also had to be paid.
The farmer did all the work. When
he got down to figures, not counting
his own time or the value of his land
Kantz found he had sold q, 800 pounds
of hay in the Kansas City market thru
the regular channels and had lost
$2.50ga ton in the transaction.
The railroad made money hauling
the hay, the commission man made
money handling the hay, an army of
small employees made money in ON
nection with the transaction, the gov
eminent made money taxing the trans
action, and the man who did all the
work lost $3.50 a ton.
Other startling facts are fast be-
ing absorbed by the public. For in
stance, a .cowhide sells for about 3
cents a pound. After it has passed
through the business machinery of
the packers it is found that the shoe
maker pays 81 a pound wholesale for
the leather. By the time the farmer
needs a pair of shoes he learns that
his income from an entire cowhide
does not come anywhere near being
enough to pay for them.
Concrete facts of this kind are win
ming a stronger support for the farm
bloc.
"The Agricultural bloc is non-par-
tisan," says Senator William J. Harris,
of Georgia. at has in view as its pur-
poses only those things in legislation
which are for the best interests of the
whole country. 1t has been mainly
concerned in legislation to help agri-
cultural conditions, and where sue
~cessful it has helped all lines of indus
try. The farmers and livestock grow
ers of this country do not hoard their
earnings, but their success means
prosperity for all lines of business.
"To show that the so-called bloc
is non-partisan it is only necessary
to cite the legislation which has been
passed during the present Congress,
with the main support o fthe Demo-
Gratis and the few Republicans who
wanted to help in the agricultural
troubles. Two important bills which
have become laws were the Norris ag-
ricultural credit relief bill and the
Kenyon-Kendrick meat packer legis-
lation. If the Democrats had cared
for party advantages rather than the
welfare of the country those two meas
ures would not have passed. The Re
publican administration will 20 before
the country ON those two measures as
the greatest thing in a constructive
way during their time.
at has been truly said that the farm
bloc has created a great deal of inter-
est and much animosity mainly be-
u it works in the open. Other
blocs which have been successful and
notorious, wanted anything but light
on their acts and purposes.
The safety OF the Republic is not
threatened by the agricultural bloc.
despite the PROPAGANDA fngpirfed hy
those interests who fear their hold
will be lessened through the activities
of those senators who think that the
welfare of the country means some
thing to the masses of the people"