The Washington times., 1924-06-11
PLANK IS.
D|STASTEFUL
To WEST
Hard Sees Political Trouble
Ahead If Concessions Are
Not Made
By WILLIAM HARD.

IN the platIorm-the plank ON az
riculture.
The keynote speech Of Temporary
Chairman Burton yesterday in the
convention was totally unsatisfac-
tory to the representatives Of the
organized farmers as gathered here
in Cleveland.
So was the agricultural plank de-
!ivered here in the tentative plat
form composed in Washington in
conference between Bascom Slemp.
the Presidents secretary, and Con.
gresham Ogden Mills, Of New York.
with the supposed blessing upon it
Of White House influences.
Unless the final agricultural
plank in the permanent platform
reported to the convention today
by Chairman Warren. Of the reso.
lutions committee, is more pleasing
to the Representatives of the farm.
ers, 1t is claimed by them that great
political troubles viii follow in the
Northwest.
This view was strongly expressed
today by e. B. Reed. official spokes-
man In Washington for the Amer
lean Farm Bureau Federation,
which has many hundreds Of thou
sands Of members scattered through.
out the United States.
Mr.. Reed has told the resolutions
committee that the demands Of the
farmers, II they are not granted
by this Republican convention, will
be carried to the Democratic Con-
vention in New York, and, il they
are not granted by the Democratic
convention. will be carried to the
Farmer and Labor La Toilette con-
vention back here in Cleveland on
July 4.
The main point in the demands of
the organized farmers seems to be
as follows:
Demands Of Farmers.
They say that the tariff provides
artificially raised prices for the
products OF manufacturers. They
say that the McNary-Haugen bill,
which was defeated In the recent
Congress and which established a
governmental corporation for the
buying and selling Of farm products,
would have provided artificially
raised prices for the goods which
the farmers sell.
They demand that artificial rails.
go all the way around and .ihaIl
include the farm as well as the fac
tory.
Inquiry among the quite numer.
Gus representatives of farming in
terests here assembled shows that
q great multitude Of farmers will
be satisfied with nothing less than
the foregoing program.
Th0v fhPAotnn o~A
can perform, dire things in the
Northwest unless this program Is
adopted.
Meanwhile it happens that Pres
ident Coolidge is known to be
against this program. Converse
tons with him by farmers repre-
sentatives leave that point ascer.
tanned and fixed. President Coolidge
is personally not in favor Of the
McNary-Haughen bill or of the
principle Of governmental buying
and selling as included in that bill.
Committee With Coolidge.
It moreover is thoroughly known
that in this matter most of the
members Of the resolutions COM
mittee Of the convention are in
agreement with President Coolidge
and are likely accordingly to re-
port to the convention an agri-
cultural plank in which govern
mental buying and selling Of farm
products and governmental fixing
of prices for farm products will
not be commended. In fact it may
even be denounced.
Today, in any case, the political
answer to this political problem is
likely to be known. II the conven.
ton decides against price fixing
for agricultural products 1t will be
following its convictions and it will
be following the teachings of its
most trusted advisers regarding the
principles of sound economics.
It will nevertheless at the same
time probably be losing an undeter.
mined multitude of votes in the
west and northwest.
Many Votes Hang On Plank.
More votes probably depend upon
the agricultural plank than upon
any other plank in the platform.
Many members of the resolutions
committee have been eager to do
something on a large and generous
and emphatic scale for the farmers
but cannot see their way clear to
adopting any price fixing idea.
Secretary Of Agriculture Wallace
10 here and IL well known to be
strongly in favor the McNary.
Haugen principle.
Eugene Meyer, IT., managing
director of the War Finance Cor
poration in the Federal Govern.
ment in Washington, is here and
is well known to be strongly OPP
posed to the McNary-Haugen sort
Of proposition.
The contest between the elements
represented or typified by these two
men is drawing to q close. Ali
other contests in the convention are
really Of small import In comparison
with 1t.
There can be no doubt that the
suffering farmers and business men
of the West and Northwest are in
great numbers crying for economic
remedies which the economic
theories and beliefs Of the East can
not conscientiously grant. Not
granting them, however, the East
ia likely to find a considerable part
Of the West drawing away from It
politically In the next few months.
1t ID cruel dilemma, and It is
not believed that the platform pre-.
scented 20 the convention today can
in any way completely solve It.
This convention will not declare
itself for agricultural price fixing.
The result will be that II the Re-
publican party is going to carry the
Northwest this fall, 1t will have 10
cover 1t with missionaries and ex.
horters and spelIbinders who will
have to convert II away from agri-
tcultural price fixing between now
and next November.