The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-11-19
BY QUICK

troubles.
BY HERBERT QUICK
n OR the past three or four years
r now, the demands and the
IL troubles of agriculture in the
United States have been also the
troubles of our Government and It's
Legislature.
The farmers have become a nuisance
in Washington. For it is always a
nuisance when real economic or social
issues supplant the fakes of party.
The farmers, through the farm
bloc, have held at times the balance
of power in both House and Senate.
They have swept into power several
State governments. But In spite of
these successes, and Of the measures
passed supposedly for relief OF basic
industry of agriculture, the farm
ers were never so depressed or so dis
co~ntented, within memory, as they
now are.
They do. not believe laws controlling
the dealing in futures in the terminal
grain markets has done them any good
in stabilizing prices. They laugh bit
terly when the protection" Of our
present tariff law is mentioned. AS
to the new rural credits law, providing
for longer-time personal credits han
banks can give, they say what they
need is some system by which they
can get out of debt. rather than into
it, on even the easiest terms.
Fertilizer Too High
In the East and South. they find
that they must allow their fields to
revert to sterility because of the high
price Of fertilizer. In Minnesota,
thence west and south. they are in
political revolt. and have sent to
Washington Shipstead, Johnson,
Brookhart, and the Non-Partisan
Leaguers.
They are talking in the wheat and
cotton regions OF daIrying and diver
sihcation of crops. Men like Brook
hart, seeing no real hope, apparently.
in the old remedies. are agitattng for
cooperation along h old Rochdale
lines.
All these things are signs Of a whole
class Of our people in the agony of
economic suffering. Whatever they
do in the way of protest is legitimate
if ii calls attention to their plight.
I, who am a farmer myself. n who
come of a family Of farmers, have
seen this thing growing for fifty
years.
Agriculture Languishes
If agriculture languishes our civil
cation then enters upon its decline.
And it is languishing.
Farmers all over the world are IN
strenuous competition with Zach other.
Our farmers have no monopoly Of any
product worth mentioning. In cotton
production. if our farmers were to so
organize as to make cotton scarce in
the worlds markets and send the
prices upward. the operation would
merely stimulate a cotton boon IN a
dozen tropical countries.
In wheat and other grains the com
petition is keen with India. Argentina,
Australia and the countries Of Eu-
rope. Russia is coming back on the
wheat market.
If We shut out the foreign grains
it will do no good-except perhaps
temporarily in certain specialization
we produce more than the country can
consume. II we were completely shut
out from the world by an impossible
wall. some of our crops would rot on
the farms for lack Of market. The
cotton and grain raisers are as much
dependent on the foreign markets as
though they We're close enough to Liv-
erpool and Manchester to haul their
products to those markets.
Vxv.u Du~A...o c.
This will be so until we have de-
creased our agricultural output, or
developed our domestic consump tion
to more than we can produce. Then
we might artificially raise our prices
by law. But our city folk would never
consent to this. They would not allow
the cost Of living to be so raised,
and they have the votes.
It would seem, then. the remedy
of restrictive laws will not work. Our
farmers must remain subject to world
prices. There is no hope we shall
ever. as farmers, be relieved from
strenuous competition with +he world
on grains and cotton.
We have now a plan for trying to
relieve the surplus in wheat and per
haps in cotton, through a holding
movement. A new law now let's the
farmers warehouse their wheat in
their own %granaries or in local eleva-
tors. issue warehouse receipts, and
borrow money to the extent of three
fourths Of the value of the wheat
through the new intermediate credit
banks& It is what is called In the
financial world a "valorization" plan.
Plans Never Work
Such plans never work in q field
open to world competition unless they
arc accompanied by a decreased pro-
duction. The surplus held back be-
comes a nightmare to the holders
after the regular marketing season
has passed. If our holding plan
should boost prices, 1t will cause ev-
cry bin all over the world to be
scraped for wheat to sell.
The trouble in both wheat and cot
ton lies in two facts: the poverty
stricken peoples Of the world are 60
ing naked and cutting down their
cotton demand; and starving and cut
ting down their wheat demand.
But they cannot buy from us be-
cause we. through our tariff laws, re-
fuse to take the goods with which
they would pay for our wheat and
cotton. So they go on naked and
H. I1AIA@I