Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-24
FARMERS' DEMANDS
PROVE CONFLICTING
Want Foreign Markets and Also
Urge Measures That Would
Close Them
CLASH WITH LABOR SEEN
BY CLINTON w. GILBERT

stan Correspondent Evening Public Ledger
Copyright, IeQs. bV PubHo Ledger Compdni
Washington, Jan. 24.--Let us try tC
get mental picture of what the Amer
lean farmer is thinking. II Is rather
| important, for the agrarian interest Is
now the strongest and best organized
interest in this country. and this farm
conference at the Willard is the most
important political gathering that will
be held in this country this year.
II won't be a perfect picture, for this
conference looks like one OF country
bankers. You don't see sun burned
faces here. or horny hands. These are
the bigger business men among the
farmers. But they are the leaders Of
an organized movement. They will
probably determine the direction In
which IL will go for year or so. at
least until and unless 1t swings over
to radicalism.
The comic paper farmer Is evidently
extinct. These are gentlemen with
cost sheets and statistics at their fingers
end. Unlike the farmers Of another
up in his famous phrase, They started
In to raise hell and had an over pro =
duCtion." They have not had an over
production of hell, though they may
have Of other things.
Palliatives In Conflict
Like the rest of the bewildercd world
which the great war has left. they have
not a cure for the situation in which
they are. They have n lot Of paliu-
tives, but no cure. Some Of their pal
liatives are inconsistent with each
other: in which mental confusion they
are no worse off than the rest of The
business interests who wait for the res
toration of buying and selling.
For example, they want market
abroad and they want foreign ex-
change conditions improved. 1t Is ono
of their favorite subjects. But they
also desire high tariff rates. To their
mind, the only defect in the Fordrey
tariff Is that It is not high enough.
They say so loudly. This is another
point Of division between East and
West.
Also. thrifty people that they are,
they insist that We must hang on Ia
those shadowy debts which our late
Allies owe us. Cancel ten billions due
us? No, by heck On tariff and debts
and foreign markets they want to cot
their cake and have it, too, which IS
quite like all the rest Of us.
Like everybody else. they are quite
willing to pass the buck to the Govern
ment. Federal credit for farmers.
Every one here desires il, the radicals
going so far as to Gsk for billions. to-.
gethcr with a Federal underwriting OF
nj farm crops. Bits of wild applause
break out oil around the hall when the
whole program Is suggested, but the ma =
jority of these country banker-li like
delegates shake their heads when too
much IS demanded.
At the same time they will demand
that the Government cut railroad rates
and perhaps also stop underwriting the
railroads TO the extent of the per
cent guaranty in the Esch- Cummins
law.
They will probably pass over the
question Of wages as they enter into
the cost of transportation and coal.
But all the pressure of the conference
will be toward lower wages in these in
dustries. Samuel G0mpers, sitting on
the floor among them. scowls and shakes
his head. II the farmer swings to-
ward radicalism, II will be at the other
pole from the radicalism of the indus
trial city, IL that comes too.
Muscle Shoals and Ford every one
Of them is for, whether he comes from
New England or Texas. Muscle Shoals,
suppose, means more use of Govern
nent credit Somehow there must be
n picking and choosing amoIg the va
rious objects upon which the Federal
borrowing power must be employed.
There Is no clear thinking on this point.
The war, which has left governments
everywhere more straitcned than they
ever were before, has created the i'm
preston that governments can do any
thing and everything
Harding Made Good Impression