The Washington times., 1924-08-02
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Black Rust on Wheat Likely
@ Save Farmer Vote Where
Laws Would Fail
BY WILLIAM HARD

BY WILLIAM HARD
'sLucky Cal" does certainly con-
tinue to have the luck.
That is the outstanding feature
Of the national political situation
once more at this weekend.
Coolidge continues to profit by
circumstances which he did not
create.
Even the weather works for
him.
Even plant diseases work for
him.
Weather and the black rust
(which is a disease of wheat) at
tackled the wheat crop in Canada
and in the basin of the Danube
and in the valley Of the Volga and
elsewhere and produced a world
wheat shortage.
Caused Rise In Wheat Price.
The shortage produced a sharp
and emphatic rise in the price Of
wheat. The price of wheat now
stands approximately at the level at
which the promoters and supporters
Of the famous McNary- Haugen bill.
In the recent session. of Congress-.
would have put that price through
operating their famous. so-calIed
: ratio" plan Of harmonizing the
price of wheat with the price of
other basic commodities.
Virtually all that the McNarv.
Haugen bin proposed to do through
artificial Government action has
now been done by nature.
1t certainly was not done in any
way by Calvin Coolidge.
This writer realizes that in cabinet
meetings in Washington no subject
has been so continuously and so
earnestly and so anxiously discussed
as the condition of the western and
northwestern farmers.
This writer also realizes, however.
that the upshot of all these discus.
gions has been in general to the
'dtscouraging effect that nothing of
a. really basic nature could polite.
ally and GoyernmentaIly be done for
the farmer.
Did Try to Help Once.
Once, indeed, the President did
't1cautiously stretch out his hand
to help the farmers. On that occas-
ION he simply had to do sitsiraato
: The tariff commission reported to
him that statistically 1t had been
proved that the tariff on wheat
should be raised In order to equalize
the cost of production abroad and
the cost Of production at home.
The. President was morally Obliged
s to follow this report. He followed
It.
The price of wheat thereupon
went sharply down.
Instructed by this lesson, the Pres
ident thereafter played with the cat
and did nothing about wheat. The
cat ran away but the rest Of his luck
stayed.
Drought and the black rust got
busy for Calvin. Coolidge and ate into
the wheat crop and raised the prize
OF wheat and began to diminish dis.
content in the West and the North.
Vest and presumably possibly tt
diminish the vote for Robert Marion
La Toilette.
The La Toilette followers claim. II
y true, that the farmers are SO deem
~ In debt and that the country
banks IN the wheat region are go
deeply involved in financial diff.
culties that for many months e.,
come there will be no result from
TIE revived prosperity of the West
ana Northwest except the payinc off
Of old obligations.
400 Banks Broke.
The La Toilette followers poirr
out that some 400 country banks In
the wheat region are in the hands Of
receivers. They point out that these
banks will have to be put back on
their feet before their owners aid
the neighbors will enjoy any nigh
feeling of prosperity.
They claim that this process win
not be completed before November
Iney claim that the present condi.
ton is bankruptcy and that the time
DetWeen now and November il TOO
snort Tor bringing the farmers and
tneir banks to any new condition
except that of being merely even.
perhaps, with the world, while ths
recent memory of hardships and tina
recent sense of injuries and eriav.
ances VIII persist and will seek rc.
venge at the polls.
This argument Is believed to hays
some merit in 1t.
It Is realized, on the other hand.
mat one OF the chief claims of the
La toilette supporters has been
tnat II they got into office thew
would rescue the farmer.
NOW the farmer is on his full
way toward being rescued without
their help and without any gov
ornamental action at Washington,
winch essentially and basically is
the Coolidge policy.
Policy Of dumb Delay"
He has brought it to success by
what used to be called watchftil
waiting and is now sometimes called
dumb delay.
Meanwhile, in addition to getting
S'e-s-s
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