Evening star., 1923-06-22
RURAL WEST EAGER
FOR HARDING VIEWS
Farmers Still Discontinued.
Hope to Hear Policies to
Ease Their Burdens.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


When President Harding invades
the great farming regions of the
west this week he will find himself
in discontented country. The rural
times are still out of joint. The
farmer finds "normalcy" coming back
TO him more slowly than to other
branches of the people. He clamors
tor relief in the realms of transpor-
tation and taxation. He wants Henry
Ford to have Muscle Shoals.
On all these points the west awaits
the Presidents speeches in a state
of high expectancy. The situation
which Mr.. Harding is about to con-
front beyond the Mississippi is epit-
omized by Senator Arthur Capper
of Kansas. leader of the farm bloc,
in special interview with this
writer
While some improvement, long
needed" says Senator Capper, has
occurred in the midwest agricultural
region, the situation from the farm
ers point of view leaves considerable
to be desired. The surge of prosper
ity In industry has to large extent
!eIt the greatest industry of all least
ment is not an agricultural problem,
nut employment at less than living
wages prevails in many cases be-
cause prices of farm products still
are far TOO low In comparison with
prices OF other commodities.
Farm Dollar Still Low,
Despite the increases that have
occurred in prices of farm products,
ihe farmers dollar is only IS cents
eHicient. AS the prices of meat and
grain advanced the prices of other
commodities increased more rapidly.
:"usar' steel: woolers and many other
items or which the farmer is a heavy
huyer have so increased in cost as
largely to nullffy the gains made by
farm products
Unfortunately. agriculture still is
out OF line with all other industry.
headJustment that has put the ma
Jorlty of industrial plants on a. diyi-
dend-raying basis has not been so
KIND to farmers, and many of them
are using current income to write off
cents that resulted from the disas-
tIous slump in values in 1920 and
1921. Those farmers who are out of
debt and who are diversifying their
efforts gradually are bettering their
,osltlon; but those in debt still are
in a bad way"
Aren't these conditions driving
FARMERS out of old-line political
narties into the arms of radicals and
D.
Per was asked.
Have Not Turned Red.
Farmers have been severely-in
fact, Observation-Disclosures during
the last three years" he replied. but
they have not turned red. Farmers
are net wreckers or revolutionists
They don't want to overthrow any,
thing. They do want to reform GER
tain things which, it is evident are
working an injustice on them.
The demand for lower transporta-
tion costs springs from the grass
roots. 1t is universal in farming
districts because it is only simple
justice that these rates should be
lowered. According to their reports
for last year and to date in 1923, the
great carriers are making big profits.
The Santa Fe. the Burlington, the
Union Pacific. the Illinois Central and
many other great systems are earn
ing at a rate that is piling up large
surpluses. The. Santa F'e has a profit
and loss surplus equal to it's out
ly s227.000,000.
Farmers are Informed of these facts
They feel that when railroads are
earning so much and farmers so little,
the roads are getting too much for
the service they perform. Railroads
today are giving pretty good service
something the farmer naturally does
not wish to give up-but at the same
time tnelr surplus accounts are
swelling. The farmer is averse to
supplying the wherewithal to make
melons for the delectation of security
owners so long as his income remains
so near the same as his economical
outgo.
Freight Absorbs Profits.
$50 many instances of where the
freight charges on a shipment of farm
products have consumed all the profits
of the sale have come to light that
the farmer is not without the most
convincing of arguments to back up
his demand that rail tariffs be re-
duced"
What does the farming element
propose in the way of remedial meas
ures?" Capper was asked to ex-
plain.
'It is certain in the Sixty-eighth |
Congress" he said, ito demand modi- |
fication of section 15-A of the Esch- /
Cummins transportation act. with a
view to reduction of freight rates. |
The demand for relief from existing
high rates is strong in rural districts
all over the country. 1t will become
more pronounced the longer action is