The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-12-20
HARDING FAVOR
FARM LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20.-With
falsity that can easily be proven and
with righteousness that is readily ap-
parent, a pretended spokesman for
the agricultural interests has been de-
claring in addresses in the west that
legislation favorable to the farmers
enacted in the past two years has been
secured in the face of the opposition
of President Harding. /
While he was Senator, Mr.. Harding
was a consistent advocate of legisla-
ton that would tend to promote the
welfare of agricultural production.
At numerous times in his addresses
as a candidate for the presidency, he
espoused the cause of the faremrs and
did SO not only when speaking in the
agricultural centers of the west, but
when speaking in the manufacturing
cities of the east as well. His pre-
election promises were made good
by his official performances.
1t will be remembered that in the
closing days of the Wilson admins
tration the Republican Congress
passed over the veto of President Will
son the act reviving the War Finance
Corporation, the particular purpose OF
which was to provide financial aid in
developing foreign markets for agri-
cultural products. The Wilson admin
istration refused to act for that pur-
pose. Immediately upon his inaug-
uration President Harding put the
War Finance Corporation into active
and effective operation and it has
done more than any other n thing
to relieve the farmers of the depress-
ing effects of surplus production for
which there was no market. The rec
Ords disclose hundreds of millions of
dollars loaned by this administration
to finance the export of farm products
with the effect of raising the price for
the producer. Much of this fund has
been repaid and reloaned. The Hard
ing administration also changed the
deflation program which had hit the
farmer so hard in the closing months
of the Democratic regime.
The next act of President Harding
in the interest of the farmers was the
calling of a special session of Con-
greas, the particular purpose of which
was to enact an emergency agricul-
tural tariff law, which was enacted
in accordance with the wishes and
with the full approval of the agricul-
tural interests of the country. In his
address to the special ses sion of Con-
gress, President Harding stressed the
needs of agricultural industry not
only in the matter of a protective tar
iff, but the need for lower freight
rates, the suppression of p~rofiteering,
the reduction of federal taxes, the de-
velOpment of foreign markets and
the Improvement of public highways.
President Harding also urged and
signed legislation increasing the
funds of the farm loan board. He ia
vored and signed the sco-operative
market bill, legislation extending the
time to complete payments by farmers
on reclamation projects, and the
grain-future control bill. The presi-
dent called an agricultural confer
ence at Washington for the purpose
of adopting a general policy for pro-
noting the interests of agriculture.
Not in any respect or at any time
has President Harding opposed any
legislation which could fairly be con.
sidered a proper national activity fol-
the promotion of agricultural welfare
In his latest message to Congress he
has urged legislation for the extension
of farm credits.