The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-01
STILL TRYING TO
 FOOL THE FARMER
(Knoxville SentineD

 tariff on foreign wheat help the wheat farmer?" asks Capper's weekly. Perhaps the best answer to this is another question::
 Did the 30 cents a bushel Of tariff on foreign wheat imposed by the rdney-McCumber meas ure help the wheat farmer? If it did the wheat farmer has been unable to see it. For his wheat declined instead of advancing and sold at lower prices after the law was enacted than before.
 The tariff commission has or- dered an investigation to answer the question. But should not the enable 1t to supply the answer without the cost and trouble of an investigation?
 What is the situation that is sought to be relieved? The coun- try is ovorstocked with home grown wheat. The supply IS greater than the capacity for home consumption. The natural relief for the wheat farmers is to get an outlet for their surplus. What they want is the opening and free ing of trade channels to foreign markets in order that their grain may reach the millions in dire need of it. It serves no good pur- higher around them that shut out starving peoples of Europe from exchanging their goods and values for the grain which the far mers can neither sell at home nor put to any other profitable use. There is no logical use to be served in painfully devising meth ods to keep foreign wheat out of the United States. It would be on a par with the prank of carrying coal. to Newcastle for foreign coun- tries to export wheat to the United States in appreciable quan- tity.
 If our wheat situation were like that of the sugar situation that developed after the Fordney tariff imposed two cents duty on sugar, there would be logic in applying the "flexibility clause" of the tariff act. But the situation is re- versed.
 There was shortage of sugar -or an alleged shortage of su- gar-in the United States, while Cuba and other sugar-producins countries were overstocked and prepared to supply the American people at living prices. But the two cents protective duty kept c,t+, where the tariff commission or the president could have given the people logical relief by employing the feasibility cluase" to lower the sugar tariff. But it was not done and the people suffered for the lack of sugar (many of them) while those who were able paid the unconscionable profiteefs hun dreds of millions of unearned dol lars for the privilege of enjoying their accustomed supplies. The government at Washington appears determined to pursue its policy of cross purposes to the bitter end. The administration knows that the real need of our farmers is the opening of foreign |. iiui hSto anu uOL protection or the home markets for them. The de- , partment of agriculture knows this. While the tariff commission is set to Investigating tariffs. Sec. retary Wallace and his department turn their attention to planning an agricultural export commission but clearly without any hope Of permanent relief in that direction For the secretary is convinced, as he says, that the wheat farmers present. trouble results largely from the "overproduction of tn. foreign market following the war" He argues that the wheat farmers troubles are largely the result of production in excess oi home market demand. Curtailed ! production, he says. is therefore essential to wheat farmer pros. perity.
 | Cut down production, the only source of wealth. to increase pros. perity!
 ITO this strange argument has the party of high tariff walls and isolation come in it's efforts to es. cape the tolls in which It's un.
 yenerous and illogical policies l have involved it.