The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1924-10-16
Representative Of National
Legislative Department
Speaks Here
FOUR BIG PROBLEMS
CONFRONT FARMER
Taxation, Transportation,
Marketing and Legisla-
tion are Big Ones

Taxation, transportation, market
ing and legislation are the main
problems confronting the American
farmer today, Chester III. Gray, of
the national Legislative department
of the American Farm Bureau Fed
Grafton, told small audience in the
Commercial club rooms last evening.
"T'he Farm bureau is not primarily
interested in such secondary prob
lens as roads, schools, country
churches, and better homes, which
are ordinarily considered as para
mount" Gray explained. at is not
thought by the Farm bureau that
these questions are negligible but
their solution cannot be adequately
found until the primary economic
problems are disposed Of"
Mr.. Gray declared that the time
will never come when all the farmers
of the nation can be brought togeth-
er into one organization. There are
two types Of minds among farmers
as among any other class--the con-
structive minds and the destructive
minds" he said. "The farmer of con-
structive mind believes in program
of evolution to gradually improve
conditions while the destructive mind
wants to tear down, and discard ex-
listing institutions before he has de-
wise a workable and reasonable SUBJ
stitute. The Farm bureau believes IN
constructive progress and stands for
building up rather than tearing
down."
In speaking Of taxation Mr.. Gray
said the people may as well forget
the good old days when the chief
and almost the sole function of
government was to provide the
citizens with police protection.
Civilization today is complex
and government of necessity
must be complex" he declared. "We
have outgrown the time when all we
wanted Of government was to protect
our lives and our property. Today
we are demanding service of the the
government and service costs mon
ey whether it comes from the indi-
vidual or from the state or the ma
ton. Practically every new tax bur-
den which is levied upon the people
is put there because the people de-
mand it."
Mr.. Gray called attention TO the
very marked progress which has
been made in recent years in enact
ment of Legislation which has proved
beneficial to agriculture. "We talk
about the tremendous power and in
fluence Of big business. We look
upon the international Harvester
company and the Standard Oil COM
pany as giants in the world of indus
try and trade. But comparable to eth
er of them, is the Grain market cor
poration, capitalized at $26,00O,000
and owned, controlled and managed
by bunch Of farmers. This new
giant of the grain market is hand
ling million bushels a day and is
destined to dominate the grain trade
Of the world. Its departments are as
efficiently handled an as highly
specialize as are the departments Of
any of the corporations of big busi-
ness. This organization was made
possible by laws that have been enact
ed within recent years. Five years
ago its organizers would have been
jailed as violaters of the then ex-
listing laws. 1t cost the farmers a
filing fee of $40 to incorporate, had
private interests organized a corpo-
ration of this size they would have
been required to pay fees amounting
to $4,000.
Mr. Gray said that while the Farm
bureau was disappointed at the fail
ure of the McNary-Haugen bill to
pass at the last session of congress-,
members of the legislative depart
ment are not discouraged. The ef-
fort to have the salient features of
the bill enacted at the short session
in December, will be continued.