The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-02
GAINING FARMERS CONFIDENCE

GAINING FARMERS CONFIDENCE
 Both, Republicans and Democrats are claiming additional strength for them selves arising out of the recent increase in the market price of grain. The Re- publicans think that the farmers will now forget their grievances and return to the party fold. The Democrats think that the farmers will now perceive that Republican laws have been of no help to them, and that they will incline to the party which promises them wider market for their surplus.
 Of the two positions that of the Dem- ocrats is the stronger and better based on good sense. No sort of price-fixing nor of raid on the public treasury would permanently relieve the farmer. The origin of his periodic inflations and de- pressions is fundamental and based on conditions which must be changed. No superficial remedy will reach the center of the difficulty. The farmer knows that artificial influences over which hitherto he has had no control have governed the price of his products re- gardless of the laws of supply and de- mand. Accordingly, the farmer has or- ganized and is organizing his forces in such manner that this control will pass into his own hands, not that he may manipulate prices, but that he may pre- vent those mysterious fluctuations which make him potentially rich today and po- tentially poor tomorrow, without one sack being added to or taken from the stores in his granary. The farmer knows that the intrinsic value of his com- lnodities has not changed, no matter how high or how low it's equivalent in cur rency may go.
 The ostensible reason for the recent low price of grain, particularly wheat, was that a surplus was piled up Tn the elevators of this country beyond the inn mediate needs of the millers. As this surplus has diminished the price of wheat has crept up, thus proving that the sur plus was seasonal and not truly sur plus when compared with the total do- mestic needs until the new harvest. There is also suspicion that those trafficking in wheat, in order to help the Repub- licans under whose rule this sort of thing has been permitted, have deliberately set the price trend upwards as sort of indirect contribution to the Republican cause. The farmers should not be mis- led, however, by any such assault upon their intelligence.
 It has not gone unobserved by those who have been genuine leaders of farm CTS for their own good that there has at all times during the past three years been a world shortage of wheat. All the while that grain has been piled high Tn our granaries and elevators, foreign mar kets have yawned widely for this very commodity. Yet Republican policy of aloofness and isolation has made it diff cult to market that wheat abroad. Even the tariff has initiated against selling wheat abroad, because it has reduced the exchange value of goods which for eign countries would fain barter for our wheat and other farm products.
 This situation the Democrats pledge themselves to remedy. The record of the last Democratic administration lends as- surance of sincerity in this purpose. The Democratic foreign policy has tended to reconstruct trade relations and to re- store mutual confidence among nations. Our more liberal tariff views tend to conciliateS and not offend those with whom we would develop trade inter-re- Iationships. The markets of the world will promptly absorb all our grain sur plus every year, if our government pur- sues the proper policy.
 Even in domestic trade there is no necessity for sharp increases and de- clines in the prices of farm staples. Tenn porary periods of market stagnation should not be permitted to be reflected in reduced prices. Ultimately the stag nation will pass and the price rise, to the profit of those who have been able to take advantage of the situation to buy and to hoard the commodity during the period of price depression. This is overcome by farm co-operatives, which are each year growing stronger and more efficient. Encouragement of this sort of activity by needed legislation, if leg I Al. sible manner in which to relieve domestic marketing of it's hindrances and unearned tributes The Democratic party is in strongest position to inspire the confi- dence of Western farmers in the party ability to apply economic principles to the entire farming situation.