Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-06-30
HARDING, LEARNING
NEEDS IN WEST, TO
PLAN FARM RELIEF
BY DAVID LAWRENCE


(LeaSed Wire Service to The Journal)
Copyright, 1929
EN- ROUTE WITH PRESIDENT
HARDING, June 2S.-The first week
of President Harding's western
travels has demonstrated one thing
above all others-he is personally
popular and the people in the
crowds show real affection for him.
Politically-well that's another
Wyoming were carried by the
for governor in the first two states
and for United States senator in
the third. Has the situation chang
ed much since then? Many good
Republicans who wish Mr.. Harding
the best of political fortune think
not and shake their heads ominouS-
! ly.
The basic fact today is agrarian
discomfort. The farmer is still ag-
grieved, The politicians liked very
much the speech Mr.. Harding made
at Hutchinson and thought it would
make deep impression on the
farmer mind. But of more lasting
effect will be the published stories
of the little conversation between
the president and a dirt farmer
who explained in detail how wheat
was selling around eighty-five cents
Ia buShel when it cost more than
a dollar to produce it.
Nothing But Credit
After ALL as more than one stage
of the agricultural west expressed
it. there isn't much hope for the
future when the farmer is simply
given more credits, indeed more OPP
70
hutchinson speech was a recital of
what had been done by the admin
istration to furnish credits.
What the farmers want to know
is how they can keep from borrow
ing money to pay their losses. And
when the president answers that
problem or gets it solved he will
have done more to advance his
political fortunes than anything else
he could possibly do in the west.
Mr.. Harding knows that's the crux
of the matter because he said the
other day: MANY people have been
inclined to be skeptical of benefits
which might follow the enactment
of legislation to give the farmer
better system of credit. They hav.
said the farmer needs better prices
for his crops and live stock, rather
than easier ways to borrow money.
That is true, but these friends do
not seem to understand that prices
Of crops and live stock are directly
Influenced by credit facilities. /
thoroughly agree that what is need
ed is fair prices; and I very well
know that the farmer wants to get
out of Cebt rather than get further
into debt. But it's my opinion that
both these ends will be much more
quickly accomplished through this
new system of agricultural credits"
Unfortunately there is no way to
prove in the next sixteen months
TIE, merit Of the presidents conjec-
ture. The farmers have been at n
loss to understand how federal
government which Tor three years
could guarantee a price of two dol
lars a bushel OF wheat can't do
something like that now. The cry is
still for q guaranteed or stabilized
price of wheat for, while credits
will enable the farmer to hold out
for a certain length of time, and Will
protect him in times of drought. 1t
will not remove the big fact that the
farmer today gets approximately
One-third of what the consumer payE
for the products of the farm. The
other two-thirds goes to the rail
roads and the distributors of food
stuffs.
This is the farmer taltk today
if helped turn several states upside
down politically last autumn. The
president has just scratched the sur
face of the agricultural problem
Probably until he came west ne
didn't know how serious 1t was, anu,
while the farmers will be gratefui
for the credit system established
by the federal government and the
aid given them by the War FINANCE
corporation, this will not satisfy
them. This prediction comes from
the Republican leaders themselves
who hope, of course, for a steady
| improvement in Republican stock
| between now and the 1924 election
but who know that unless farm
prices are higher the agricultural
vote will be one of protest and VIII
be registered in favor Of the Fords,
| the Brookharts, the LaFollettes,
| and similar opponents Of agrarian
| socialism.
| I1du the pISSIuCIlL USCl CtOlC ~
| promise a reduction in railroad
| freight rates, had he been able to
! present a comprehensive marketing
| scheme of national scope whereby
the farmers could bargain cOllec-
lively both in the domestic and for.
eign markets, there would have
been greater enthusiasm for Mr..
Harding's addresses in the farm re-
gions. The tariff to which the pres
ident pointed with pride is looked
upon as having been effective at
time when foreign products were
flooding America, but the price of
farm products nevertheless has gone
down steadily and the farmer has
had to pay dearly for his protec
ton in the increased cost of goods
he buys for use on the farm. The
tariff alone isn't apt tip keeO the
farmers in the ranks of regular Re
publicans because the acute situa-
ton which produced the tariff has
passed and the farmers are looking
for a word of hope for the future.
The writer is convinced that be-
fore the next political campaign is
in full swing, the administration
will have recognized the necessity
for something much more definite
in the way of farmer aid than cred
its and that the next session of con-
eress will bring a renewal of debate
about cooperative marketing, lower
freight rates and measures to guar
antee or stabilize the prices of farm