Evening star., 1926-10-19
GRAIN MEN OPPOSE
/. GREATER ACREAGE
Delegation Urges President
Not to Encourage In
creased Production.
BY j. RUSSELL YOUNG.

BY j. RUSSELL YOUNG.
Opposition to the opening of fur
ther reclamation projects in the near
future was voiced to President Cool
1dge today by a large delegation of
grain growers and dealers, who argued
that there already is too much grain
grown in this country and therefore
the National Government should not
encourage greater production.
The President was not represented
afterward as having made any COM
ment upon this objection to one of the
policies Of his administration, and one
that has been tradition with Repub-
Ncan administrations for two decades.
There were more than 30 men, most
ly out-and-out dirt farmers, in the
delegation. They explained to the
President that their object in calling
on him at this time was because the
annual meeting Of their organization,
the Farmers National Grain Dealers
Association, is being held in the Cap
ital for the first time in its history and
they wanted to acquaint the President
with the organizations viewpoint on
some Of the more important matters
bearing upon agriculture.
Relief Ideas Approved.
Besides objecting to increasing the
agricultural acreage by opening more
reclamation projects. the delegation
told the President it approved heartily
Of several ideas he has advanced in
the interest Of agricultural relief. First
of all, their association is on record
as being opposed to equalization fees
and anything bordering on price-fixing
by the Government. They are also
opposed to legislation that would make
cooperative marketing compulsory.
The delegation informed the President
It hoped for early development of the
st. Lawrence waterway as a sure
means of lowering freight rates. espe-
Cially for shippers in the Middle WeStJ
j. w. Shorthill Of Omaha, Nehr..
executive secretary of the association
acted as spokesman for the group.
He stated that the association is OPP
posed to compulsory cooperative mar
keting because such a step would be
economically unsound. He said the
members agreed with the President,
who has advocated that the matter of
increasing and bettering the co-opera-
tive plan of marketing should be left
entirely with the farmers themselves;
that the Governments interest should
he confined exclusively to rendering
financial and moral support and other
practical assistance through the me-
dunn of the Department of Agricul-
ture.
Post Hard to Fill.
AS a general rule, when anticipating
q vacancy in one of the major posi-
tions of the Government, President
Coolidge is fairly we'll prepared to fill
1t Immediately or within compara-
lively short time. But in the case OF
Huston ThompSon's resignation from
the Federal Trade Commission several
weeks ago, the President seems to
have been caught emptyhanded. AS
result, his desk is now stacked high
with papers dealing with the score or
more candidates for this post.
To comply with the law he must ap-
point a Democrat, and since he has sig
nified he desired to appoint a man
from the South, each State in that
section has brought forth one or more
aspirants.
The latest name to be presented
to the President is that of Col. A. r.
Brindley of Alabama, now associated
with the Federal Trade Commission
in the capacity of an attorney. His
name was presented today by Sen
ator Underwood of Alabama.
The Alabama Senator also talked
with the President regarding the
cotton situation in the South and told
him something of his observations
in Europe this Summer. He stated
that Europe is far from having fully
regained it's economic SoundneSs.
Calls Tariff Too High.
The Alabama Senator contends that
the American tariff is too high. He
argues that it has virtually closed the
doors of this country to importation
of European goods.
Senator Underwood appeared very
hopeful of beneficial results growing
out of the assistance being given by
the administration to the cotton
growers and organizations in the
South who are directly affected by
the present depression in the cotton
States. He indicated that he saw no
good reason why the Department of
Agriculture should be criticized as
being responsible for the slump be-
cause of error in overestimating the
cotton crop.
The predicament in the South as a
result of the cotton problem was also
discussed with the President by a
committee representing the American
Cotton Growers Exchange. This del
egation was accompanied by Secretary
OF Agriculture Jardine.