The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-09-19
HOME PROBLEMS
MOST IMPORTANT
COAL AND RAILROADS ECLIPSE
FOREIGN AFFAIRS JUST NOW
IN WASHINGTON.
FUEL PROMISED BY COOLIDGE
Supposed Troubles of the Farmer Are
Intimately Connected With the Rail-
way Question-GoVernment Owner
ship May Be Campaign Issue.
BY EDWARD 8. A

oN GG o. lAh
Washington.-Foreign affairs tenn
pcrarily seem TO be under the cover.
1t appears that the President Is ar
ranging to let the Harding policy of
American membership in the world
court rest quietly until the senate shall
take it up In December.
There has just come from the White
House, in fact, an intimation which in
effect Is specific information that the
President is satisfied to let the ques-
tion Of American participation in an
attempt TO straighten out European az
fairs rest where it Is for some time to
come. There are two great matters
which are giving concern to the gov
eminent today. They are domestic In
their way and; briefly, they can be
written down as coal" and rail
roads,
Judging from the general trend Of
discussion in the press and on the
stump throughout the country, II might
seem that agriculture Is the chief mat
ter of concern In a way it is, but the
railroad question is SO intimately con-
nected with the agricultural question
that in part the two can be considered
as one.
President Coolidge has said that the
consumers shall get their coal next
winter. At this writing 1t IS not known
definitely how he intends to accomplish
this beneicent purpose If a strike shall
come and production shall cease. 1t
seems. however, that the White House
statement Is direct, and 1t is unusual
the executive mansion unless there Is
full intention TO back them up and full
knowledge of the way to back them up.
Government Ownership Issue.
In the winter of 1903 President
Roosevelt settled the anthracite coal
strike. Some people said that he was
exceeding his constitutional powers,
but operators and miners accepted his
dictum and the consumer got his coal
and, In the face of this result. criticism
of extra-constitutiona proceedings
tainted and passed out.
II seems that agriculture ana the
railroads, separately and yet in a way
together, are to be two of the main
points of controversy in the next cam
paign for the presidency. One Demo
erotie candidate for the nomination,
and a most prominent one, is said to
be in favor of government ownership
Of the carrier corporations. II Is said
that in this position he has the sup
port Of organized labor throughout the
United States. There are other Demo
cratic candidates for the nomination
who do not believe in government own
erShip. The candidate who does be-
lieve in it Is said TO have the approval
IN his ambition TO be nominated Of a
Democrat who on several occasions has
sought the presidency in his own be-
half.
So far as is known, there is no Re-
publican candidate for the presidency,
receptive or otherwise, except one who
has little chance OF receiving his par
rvs favor, who believes that govern
ment ownership Is the answer to trans
portation troubles. The politicians
here say that the Republicans will
fight government ownership, but take
q strong affirmative position on govern
ment regulation.
What About the Farmer7
An attempt viii be made during the
meeting Of the next congress to do
something further for agriculture. Ad-
mittedly the layman onlOoker in
Washington does not know today just
what to believe about the agricul-
tural situation. One United States
senator rises 10 say that 1t is worse
than it ever was In the history of the
world, while another American. one
time secretary of agriculture under
an administration Of a different poltti-
cal complexion than the one now In Of
fee. rises TO say that the United States
senator does not know what he is
talking about.
Word comes TO Washington from
here and there that the farmer is pros
porous and in half an hour word comes
from here and there that he is on the
verge of bankruptcy and that nothing
can save him except drastic congress
sional action.
It Is recognized here by the politi-
eians and by government officials gen
orally that there is a conservative ele-
menf even today In agriculture. It
would seem that this conservative ele-
meut is having its voice drowned by a
aood Of words from a nonconservative
element. II is hard to give the facts.
doubIy hard. indeed, for what one man
says Is a fact another man says is a
falsebood.
Agriculture received more attention
In the last congress than any other one
subject. The Congressional Record is
full Of speeches IN the "soil', When
the talk subsidized and such Legislation
as passed went into eeffct, the situa-
ton seemed TO be just about what It
was at the beginning. At least one
would say so, judging from what is be
Ing said in a good many Of the states
of the Union this day.
Saying Nothing and Saving Wood.
Washington is bromide, but ex-
cusealy 50 today perhaps when IT