Evening star., 1923-07-23
FARM B[OCDEMAND
MENACE IS FEARED
President Refuses to Call
Extra Session, Disappearing
of Minimum Price Plea.
BY ROBERT II. SMALL.

President Harding will not cali al
TO information received here, because
he does not wish TO "infict" Congress
on the people before the constitu-
tional beginning of the regular ses-
sion on the first Monday in December.
The President and his advisers do
not see that there is any immediat,
legislative remedy for the condition
in which the farmers Of the coUntry
find themselves today.
| The greater part OF the last seesio..
| of Congress was given over TO con
sideration Of the farm problem. Eir-
tually every other class Of Iegisla-
ton, aside from the routine appro-
priation bills. was sidetracked in
order TO give the farmer the center
! of the stage. A farm credits bill,
drawn by Senator Capper of Kansas.
| regarded by many as the real spokes-
man of the farmer interests in the
| Senate. was passed and signed by the
president. The new law. II was con
[ fdently said, would ameliorate the
| condition of the farmer in an entirely
satisfactory manner.
| But today il Is declared the new
extension Of government and banking
credits 10 the farmer is not meeting
! the problem at all. The placing OF
| the farmer on an equal borrowih"
| plane with the business man, or 4
| little better than that. has not proved
| a pandcea at all.
| Want Minimum Price.
1t is now proposed by the radical
| bloc" in the Senate that the gov
| ernment shall guarantee the crops
4 nj n ar hEy Gxf fPtF tfs1g
price for his staple products and
| taking of his hands at that price all
that he can raise. OF course IL the
| market affords the farmer a better
| tee the government stands aside.
| To the "old line" republican mind
! this proposal snacks of Socialism"
! II is against all of his ideas Of bust
ness. President Harding himself H.
| his inaugural address laid down az
! d fundamental policy of his admin
! stration that there was TO he more
! business in government and less
| government in business" He said
| he wanted the government to get
out of price fixing and all sorts OF
| control" just as speedily as possible.
| Holding these views still. il is easy
TO see why the President has no in
! tention of calling an extra session
| tion which would put the government
1 permanently in control of the farm
! ing industry of the country and
make it virtually the biggest bust
| ness concern in the world.
See Consumers' Demands.
| Further, the President has been
| advised from Washington that II
| the government undertakes to guar
! antee a fixed price to the. farmer,
| there will be an overwhelming de-
| nIand from the consumers Of the
| country that they also be guaran-
Y IL ~. ,s.,f kha-z
! can buy the necessaries of life
I Already there Is a growing de-
| mand that the government shall eX-
! ercise some sort OF control over the
coal mines. The United States Coal
! Commission, headed by John Hays
! Hammond, has recommended that the
| government take control In the event
| of a strike, but the consumer who
| cite that cost but SAP 70 mine feels
that the government might take con-
troll OF the coal situation even in
| the piping days of Industrial peace.
II is difficult for the consumer 10
see how a short freight haul of zoo
| or see miles. and the handling of
| the coal by the retailer can amount
| to the difference between what Il
| ground, plus a reasonable profit, and
! what he has to pay for II at his cellar
door.
| OIL Control Asked.
In some sections of the country
| there is a demand that the govern
| ment take control of the oil industry,
| as one of the natural resources of the
country, and guarantee the consumer
! fair price, and to the consumers
| mind there is no fair price that is not
an exceptionally low price.
| 1t would be an opening of Pandoras
box, the Presidents advisers believe,
to go into the guaranteeing of mini
mum prices to the farmer. Govern
ment activities in other directions
twould follow as a natural consequence
and no one could see the end of It all.
President Harding often has profes-
sed his friendship for the farmer. II
is a sentimental friendship as well as
a political friendship. Mr.. Hardings 3
early associations were in a farming
community. He also knows that the
Ihealth and prosperity of the repub
llican party rests largely with the
farmers of the great western country.
But the President has no faith. in the
farm remedies proposed by the radical
lbloc and he thinks that the time be-
tween now and December can be en-
ployed better in an intensive study of
the entire situation than by rushing
into ill-considered legislation.
The President has announced his
belief in the efficacy of cooperative
mark and will lend the power of
the government TO such enterprises,
but he has his mind set against put
ting the government itself in bust
iness again.
Therefore there will be no extra
session of Congress for further farm
Legislation.