The Washington times., 1924-10-10
HI | elements
REALLY RULE
IN l. 5.
Neither Wall ST.. Farm Bloc,
Of Other Glasses Con-
troll Legislation
~ WTLLIAAF HARD


thu political reporter ID bound to
come if he realistically considers
the current campaign assertion thar
aolnebOdy somebody In particular
owns the Government Of the United
istnfan
me Wall Street, gentlemen who
think that the Farm Bloc, totally
owns the Government Of the
United States are rnanifastly mis-
DESPITE il best efforts, this
ssEarT1 Bloc has not been able
to- make q total capture of the
Federal Reserve Board e has not
been able TO make . total capture
even Of the Department Of Agri-
culture.
Both the Federal Reserve Board
and the Department Of Agriculture
are under continuous attack from
agricultural quarters for alleged
Indifference TO the interests Of
farmers.
The quarters thus attacking the
Federal Reserve Board and the
Department OF Agriculture insist
upon ii that the Government favCTs
the big bankers and--for instance
ALSO the big meat packers.
Packers HaFrIed.
Meanwhile three OF the tive Dig
meat packers namely, Armour ana
Company, and Morris and Company,
ana Wilson and Company have
been so harried by the Govern.
1nent ana have been 90 headed oil
from their former monopolistic
practices that they have been -
the sevorest financial straits.
IN the case Of Armour ana Com
pany and Morris and Company. they
have been saved from final trouble
only by joining Themselves togetner
n the case Of wilson and Com
pany the final trouble namely, 9
receiver in bankruptcy has already
been reached.
This would not seem to indicate
that even Il the big meat-packers
control the Government they are
any too efficient In using It Tor
their own welfare.
IL they do control II, their con-
troll certainly 10 too subtle and too
useless for the mere political re-
porter In Washington to be able to
Gee and understand Il.
The farmers nnanifestly have been
able to take three fifths Of the
'Beef Trust and push It to the
wall.
yet the farmers were not able to
put across the bill for giving Muscle
Shoals to Henry Ford.
Virtually every organization Of
farmers supported that bill. It did
not pass.
Victories for Farmers.
The farmers nevertheless were
able to put across the Federal Farm
Loan Board and the Federal Inter
mediate Rural Credit Bank System
with their special favorite govern
mental loans to farmers and with
their special favorite governmental
income-tax exemption on money
loaned by private individuals
through the Government to farmers.
A farmer today can borrow on
his land from the Government and
can borrow on other possessions OF
his from the Government Ct 81
special favorite low rate which IL
not open to any other sort Of In
dividual.
He ID one Of the most special 81
Yet he persists in believing that
the Government is owned by some
body else.
II certainly Is owned by soma.
body else in addition to him.
He sees this when he tries To
have the Government give Muscle
Shoals away on his behalf to Henry
Ford for less than It Il worth.
* Ia ROa fSRt asnvMAA "a.
to have the Government work ex.
clusiveIy for him.
The political reporter, walking
up and down amid the workings o.
the Government in Washington, ID
obliged to observe continuously
that each and every interest gets
part OF what It wants from the
Government and that no interest
gets al 1t wants from It.
Let us consider one Of the small
est Of our interests.
Release OF "Objectors.s
This 10 the interest which tried
70 secure the release from Jail OF
the conscientious objectore'' and
anti.war advocates.
This reporter doubts IL this Ia.
terest could muster ten per cent Of
the votes In the United States.
Yet It did secure the release or
the conscientious DIRECTORS and
It did secure the release OF the
anti.war advocates.
How did 1t do It?
Certainly not by owning the Gov.
eminent Of the United States.
There IL something In this mat
ter much deeper. much more IN.
tricate. much more human and.
humorous, than any theory about
how any one interest owns and
controls the Government.
The politicians and the carldi.
dates wrangle and declaim and de.
nounce and charge. Il charge =
says any candidate.
He usually charges that some one
set OF people whom he does not
like-are exercising some hidden
power In washington to the ruin
Of everybody else.
The fact ig that under Repub.
leans and Democrats alike It can
be shown that each interest has
won It's victories and Oeach interest
has suffered It's defeats.
The railroad trade unions won in
the Adainson eight-hour law and
lost when the Esch-C ummins trans.
law passed and when the
Howell Barkley bill for abolishing
tk Railroad Labor Board failed to
%
The farmers won when the bill
passed for regulating the packers
and lost when the bill failed to
pass for establishing d Federal
agricultural export corporation.
The chambers OF commerce won
when the Department Of Commerce
seemed TO be favorable toward Ger.
tain sorts Of activity BY trade,