Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1926-03-12

now the scene of an aggressive,
organized drive to ram radical
farm legislation through Con-
gress, present one of the most
amazing situations in recent pc.
litical history. The House of
Representatives, the first object
of the drives attack, is being
stormed by a group of Midwest
politicians, purporting to speak
in the name of American agricul-
ture as a whole.
Within the past few days it has
become apparent that the So
called Committee of o." from
IL corn-belt States, is utterly
without a mandate to SPEAK for
the farmer body of the country.
The Dickinson price-fixing bill,
which the Midwesterner boom
ers arc fomenting, has the sup
port of some officials Of the
American Farm Bureau FEEDER
alton and group of smaller al
lied organizations. But the big
gest agricultural organization in
the United States, the Nstional
Grange, has publicly declined to
endorse the Dickinson bill. Nor
has the large and powerful Far
mers' Union gone on record in
its favor. At its January meet
ing in Washington, the nation
wide National Council of Farm
ers' Cooperative Marketing As
sociations gave every evidence of
hostility to the Dickinson propo-
sition.
1t can be stated on authority
that it is this gaping breath
within the ranks of organized
agriculture that alone holds back
genuine farm relief legislation at
Washington. This can be stated
with positiveness that when
the farmers get together" I'M
mistakably on something that
represents the undoubtedly mass
opinion of the best elements of
all American agriculture, the
congressional support will be
forthcoming. But the Dickin-
son bill drive, which all initiated
authorities know is doomed, has
turned a glaring searchlight on
the fact that the scheme ema-
mating from the corn belt is re-
gional and sectional, and far re-
moved from commanding gener
al farm approval.
The National Grange, with
close to 10000 members scat
tered throughout 80 states, al |
most exclusively in the North, |
East and West, has just set forth |
its attitude on pending relief
measures. Though not specifi-
cally named, it. is mainly at the
Dickinson bill which the follow
ing Grange statement aims :
The executive committee of |
the National Grange recognizes |
the adverse conditions under
which agriculture is laboring
and believes that relief legisla-
ton is desirable. But it is con-
fronted by the fact that various
farm organizations and various
sections of the country are badly |
divided on a method of bringing
relief. Many measures are pend
ing before Congress dealing with
this subject, most of them hav
ing several points of merit. But
the executive committee cannot
endorse any Of the measures
now pending in their present
form"
The National Grange is not
only the Oldest but by far the
largest farm organization in the
1t dates from the six
ties. Compared to its nearly a
million members, the American
Farm Bureau Federation, some
of the officers of which are back
ing the Dickinson bill, has only
300, 600 or 400, 90 members. The
Farmers Union has about 200,- \
900. The Farm Bureaus mem
bership is mainly in the corn
belt, which accounts for it's in
tensive support of the measure,
which originated at the Des
Moines Midwest conference in
January. DIR. Thomas G. Alike
son, veteran Washington repre-
Of the National Grange.
who has probably a wider expe-
rience in dirt-farming and FARM
politics than any other agricul-
tural leader in the United States
has little patience with the med
lcine now being concocted for
farm relief.
THE American farmer faces
real problems" said DR.. Alike
son to the writer. He is emit
tied to have them solved, as cap
Itals industry, labor and even
professions like the law and
medicine have had their prob
lens solved solved by control
legislation enacted either by the
State or by the Federal govern
nent. But the farmers troubled
s that too many immature states
men have been spewed to the
surface by exigency. Too manyl
politicians of such an origin are
with the farmer's
problems. They are not only
ooling with them without real
but in too many cases
With an eye cooked toward per
ional political aggrandizement.
some of them, backed with mil
ions which they either married
r inherited. are doing thei
american farmer small service
" lending fhnir infiuanfialt