Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-11-20
FACT|ONAL SUAS|O|V
UNLIKELY IN STUDY
Of FARM PROBLEMS
BY DAVID LAWRENCE

Especial Leased Wire to The Journal-Copy-
right, 1924
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1S.-The
most important political and econom-
ical problem of the after-the-war pc
riod in American history is at least
being tackled from a nonpartisan
and judicial standpoint without
either the pressure of party politics
or interference by sectional groups.
A commission of nine selected by
the president has been given the
widest possible scope for its inquiry.
The appointment of the COMMISSION
is a sequel not only to the failure
of the last session of congress to get
together on a farm relief program
but to the unreconciled conflict be-
tween the department of commerce
and the department of agriculture
on the placing of the bureau of mar
kets in one department or the other.
The new commission has been
asked particularly to restrict itself
in no way i'll going into the whole
farm problem. 1t has been told that
it can make recommendations with
respect to the Encouragement or con-
venience of various bureaus has to
do with the department.
1t has only to inquire into the
workings of present laws but to rem
der an opinion on the different pro-
posals pending in. the last session
of congress for farm relief and lastly
it is to concern itself with ways and
means of promoting the study of
cooperative marketing.
On the last point it would not be
surprising if the commission started
program of study in the land grant
colleges so that cooperative market
ing would be studied from the AGA
demic side just as business manage
ment and finance are studied in
prepare ton for the tasks Of the in
dustrial and manufacturing world.
Work Is Important
There is. no operating the I'M
portauce of the work of the new com
mission with respect to pending bills.
Pride of authorship, the inner poll
tics Of farm organizations and half
dozen other problems have become
interviewer with each other to such
An extent that it has been difficult
for the administration to back whole
heartedly any one bill. Nor has it
been practical to obtain the amalga-
nation of several proposals into one.
Nothing was more disappointing to
the members of the senate and the
house from agricultural states in
the last session than the failure to
pass any bill of Importance with
respect to farm relief. Congress had
the desire but lacked the teamwork
and the practical knowledge. The
congressional committees were so
torn by the conflicting proposals
that virtually nothing was accom-
plished.
Mr.. Coolidge wanted to put the
agricultural commission to work i'm
mediately after congress adjourned
last spring. but was advised to wait
till after the autumn election SO the
issue could be taken out of politics
temporarily at least. Now the COM
mission meets, therefore, in favor
able atmosphere. 1t need not think
of what effect it's proposals will have
on any political party, indeed the
chances are that if it can bring out
an unanimous report the Democrats
from agricultural states will support
it as strongly as the Republicans.
No Crisis Is Ahead
Another advantage which the com.
mission enjoys is that no crisis or
acute situation is Immediately ahead.
The condition of agriculture while
far from what must ultimately be
desired if stability is to be expert
enced for any length of time is new
ertheless better than it was a year
or two years ago. Usually if there
Is a crisis in any particular indus
try the proposals for relief are so
extreme in character and the judg-
ments Of the proponents warped by
acute feeling that calm considera-
ton of the merits of any suggestion
is difficult
The new commission hopes to get
Its report ready for the winter ses.
sion Of congress. That is optimistic.
There are many reasons why action
at the coming session would be de-
slrable and even easy to obtain
should there be an unanimous re-
port from the commission. But most
controlling will be the knowledge
that the farm areas of the United
States will be demanding a special
session after March to get some
thing done on the committees rec
concentrations. The committee has
all the cooperation it needs from
government agencies and farm or.
CARNATIONS, and might surprise
everybody by having a report ready
in February. There is meeting of
the national council for cooperative
marketing here in January whose
discussions probably will be very
helpful to the commission