The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-04-15
HURT
BY CONGRESS
DELAY
Removal Of Business Uncer-
tainty Urged by julius
II. Barnes.
BY w. S. COUSINS.
Copyright, 1924, by Cosmopolitan
News EerYinal

NSWB 6GrVlce.J
NEW YORK, April 15.-The re-
moval of artificial causes or bust.
ness uncertainty is an imperative
necessity, and American business
would soon respond to that treat.
ment, Julius II. Barns, president of
the; United States Chamber of Com.
merce, declared today.
MIR. Barnes referred to the fact
that since the removal of excess
profits taxes on industry, 1900, 900
men were placed on payrolls of
American industrial corporations.
Business Depressed.
THE business world is depressed
by delay of Congress in enacting
constructive legislation, by the feel.
ing Of uncertainty engendered by a
legislature which proposes to i'm
pose new burdens on industry while
discussing increasing the nossibil
lty OF the Government entering into
trade under the guise of farm re-
lief" said Mr.. Bares.
Business has become SO vast
and complex, 1t has altered so great
~ IN character from n1an-production
10 neutrality-suspicious. that its cap.
ltal and credit requirements have
enormously enlarged: and when Gov
eminent fails to recognize this, and
Sympatnetlcally to provide for it.
ousiess shrinks from new under.
taklngs involving great risks. But
american modern business methods
are enormously more efficient than
ever before. and American buying
power Is large when fully employed.
Ihat Is why I lay such stress on
the elimination OF these great bur
oens' that grow out Of Government
authority. -
Capital Needed.
There are 100000 human be.
lngs IN this world who need things
70 make industry. Just as fast as
tner earning power develops they
VIII call on the industry of the
world Tor everything from shoes to
automobiles. do not want the
american people to get down to
the stage where they are willing to
i've without the thousands of new
conVenlences provided in the last
few decades. They can do it il
they must, but in my opinion they
want more and better things. That
IL why we need an abundance of
capital and credit: why big incomes
and wealth accumulations need to
take a chance on developing profit.
able enterprise; why business must
be encouraged by constructive legis-
lation and unhampered by destruc.
tive taxation
The American farmer. Mr.. Barnes
declared, is particularly interested
in the maintenance Of a high pur.
chasing power by working people
at homo and a.
decline in agricultural prices. he
says, is the result of less satisfac.
tory employment conditions and
less confidence in the future of
industry.
"All Of this could be changed.
said Mr.. Barnes, with right under.
standing and proper action. When
business sees the Government be.
gin to set up machinery to buv
and sell wheat and pork, it does
not know how far IT'S activities in
this direction may be extended
Farmers Mlsrepresented.
THE champions of the McNary.
Haugen bill for establishment of a
gigantic corporation to buy wheat
Tor export are again overstating the
case, frightening men and capital
by exaggerating certain areas of dis.
tress as If this condition applied to
the whole agricultural area. The
pity of 1t is that men who want to
see the Government buy grain and
live stock at suppositiously high
price. try to accomplish it by cum
bersone scheme which is so un-
sound that it would fail in a few
weeks, even il it could be started
at all.
Moreover, among other misstate.
mentS about agriculture is that the
farmer pays more for everything
he buys, and has to sell his products
at prices established in world mar.
kets, when for six months American
grain has ruled 10 to 80 cents a
bushel above world markets behind
the protective tariff. Meanwhile, on
this basis, American consumption
has proceeded to the extent of 40
OO0, 900 bushels a month. No one
wants to point to the farmer as
prosperous, but outside of areas of
poor yields, there is little real dis
tress."
Mr.. Barnes declared that farmers
were injured more than they were
helped by mis-directed propaganda
which emphasized their problem and
failed to present the favorable side.
Since 1921, he pointed out, the
value Of American farm property
has risen from twelve to sixteen bill
lion dollars. The process of writing
off losses" in the northwest is com.
pleted, according to Mr.. Barnes,
who now looks for a more favor
able record by both agricultural and