The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1923-09-05
LAT HORSE SENSE

Ed Cunningham talked to the farm bureau folks at the
Iowa State fair the other day. Cunningham was formerly sec
rotary of the Iowa Farm bureau and is now the dirt farmer"
member of the federal reserve board. It is rather a pity that
Cunningham had not been president of the National Farm bureau
for he is a man of uncommon ability and poise and full of hard,
horse sense. Some of the things he said the other day are:
That price fixing would be a disaster to all concerned and
increase surplus production beyond any hope of the government
to maintain wheat prices.
He disagreed with paternalstc propaganda which would
have the government take care of all classes when any cause they
find circumstances distressing.
That the government could equally well assume the attitude
of not paying profitable prices when the economic conditions
favored higher than the fixed minimum.
That the tax payer void have to bear the burden. Meaning
of course that if the government must buy wheat and carry and
sell at a loss the hog and corn farmer, the wool man and everyone
else must kick in to carry the burden of the wheat farmer.
That in time we should have to undertake by government
aid the protection of all interests engaged in hazardous industry.
What effect this policy would have on the price of agricultural
lands would be hard to determine but Cunningham was sure that
there would be little incentive for land or home owning.
Mr.. Cunningham warned against coalition with any other
group in an effort to attain some far distant goal although he
advocated CLOSE and intimate relationship between the farmer,
labOring man and business man in order that the problems of all
and each can be more fully understood and thereby create a
better appreciation for the welfare of each other"
"They can join in their religion" he said. "They can most
fittingly observe the amenities of a truly social and %neighborly
existence. They can IN their n~eighborly relationship observe the
practice of the altruistic ideal of ~brOtherly love" But, she de-
cared," if labor and the farmer or business and the farmer under
take to form a relationship undertaking to establish prices for
one class or other it will in the end prove disastrous"
Cunningham expects little or nothing from most of the sg
gested legislation for farm relief. Said he:
eff l were asked the question at this moment to what benefit
had come to the farmers from all this asked for legislation on
the part of the farmer undoubtedly l should have to answer
that at best it was somewhat questionable in value. The sun
of it all is that legislation by itself means nothing to the producer
unless it can be accompanied by sound business practices, inteli
gent production and orderly processes in marketing"
What we need at the present time is more men like Cunning
ham in this country. The radical type like Magnus johnson an
Smith Brookhart and few others that the present wave of unres
has fOsted into office do not get us anywhere. They are stroni
on crihcising the existing conditions. So are we all for tina
matter. But radical leaders have yet to propose any remedy tina
has about it the ear-marks of plain horse sense.