The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-01-03
ANOTHER EFFORT TOBE MADEFOR
 FARMERS RELIEF
Every Agency, Though Doing Best, Has Made PaIpable Failure in Extending
 Relief So Far
By HUGH W. ROBERTS Washington Bureau, The Age Herald,
 5OO Davidson Building

Washington, January 2.-(Special) As far as extending concrete relief to the farmers of the country. the Con- gress, the agrarian bloc, the joint Sommittee on agricultural inquiry, the department of agriculture, and the administration. have scored palpa- ble failure
 For the market value of everything produced on the farm is less than cost of production. and in the west. by vir- tue of the advice of the Secretary of Agriculture, farmers are burning corn for fuel.
 At the same time every agency. whether impelled through political or humanitarian considerations has ex- erted itself for the producer of farm products. There will be another trial January 23. At the instance of the President, the Secretary of Agricul- ture has called farmers into confer ence to investigate their plight and reach if possible conclusions in the form of recommendations.
 No Reason for Conference
 To the Washington observer. there iS uO TSdSOu LOT the conference or January 2S joint congressional committee has just completed most thorough investigation, and Is now preparing an Illuminating report. This committee sat at the instance of the Farm Bureau federation,
 d its members were selected friends
 the farmers It studied transpor-
 ton. credits. and cooperative mar eting.
 There may be a political reason. The administration is heartily in sym pathy with the farmer and his plight. Sut the administration Is opposed to the agrarian bloc and has moved to it's destruction. The action of the President in summonlng the farmers to Washington will dispel, perhaps. an impression that he opposes them when he opposes the bloc.
 If this result obtains, 1t may have effect fin the congressional elections next fall.
 Farmers Growing sIepticai
 Reports reaching Washington are that the farmers who farm are get ting little skeptical of the prom ises of those high officials in Congress and elsewhere who farm the farmers.
 There was the emergency tariff for the farmers Farm products decreased in value after the enactment of that bill. Then came the joint commit tees investigation. The report of that body Is held up because the Sem ate members opposed the determina- tion of the House membersc to refrain from critlcising W, P. G. Harding. governor of the federal reserve board. The committee is divided Into Hard ing friends and friends of John Skel- ton Williams. former comptroller of the treasury, who cordially dislikes Harding.
 And the farmers have not profited. There Is everywhere the familiar smell of politics.
 To Affect Political situation
 President Harding may or may not have political motives in calling the farmers Into conference. But the conference will have effect on the po- litical situation.
 The President. 1t is indicated, is willing to try out every scheme which might possibly benefit humanity He Is as idealistic as Woodrow Wilson, and as far removed from the cynic. He called a conference to eliminate unemployment. It's effect has been negligible. His conference for the elimination of wars may result in failure Ills conference of farmers may not increase the price of cotton.
 But he is willing to try. It Is un- derstood that he has always made New Year resolutions, although aware that there was every reason to be- lieve he would break them