Evening star., 1926-06-17
FARM BILL BLAME
SHIFTS TO MELLON
Secretary's Letter Seen as
Diverting Criticism From
President Coolidge.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Was Secretary Mellon maneuvered
into bearing the brunt of the attack
by the Western Republicans on the
Coolidge administra ton for declining
to permit any bill containing farm
subsidy or price fixing 10 become law?
ON the surface. the letter Of the
Secretary was issued in the natural
course of things in response TO an
inquiry as to his views. But the
men who elected the letter were Rep
resentatives 1laugen and Dickinson of
Iowa and Anthony of kansas and
they in turn were induced TO ask
the Secretary his views through the
suggestion OF Representative Menges
OF Pennsylvania. The latter knew
that MI. Mellon did not favor the
IIsugen bill So did the men from
the " est who came 10 see him.
There was some talk that the visit
Was arranged to obtain Il compromise
suggestion. But as 1t turns out. Mr..
Mellon with characteristic courage
took the whole problem under cOnsid
Grafton and announced his views in
unequivocal fashion with the result
that today the attack has been shifted
from Mr.. Coolidge to MIR. Mellon.
One Of the ideas back Of the plan
to let Mr.. Mellon do the fighting was
ctal matters would be apt to carry
weight with the country. But the
Mellon letter contains an argument
against the equalization fee which the
Democrats and Western Republicans
are cOntending now IL really an ar
gument against protective tariff
system.
Letter to BE Made Issue.
With Congress about to adjourn
at the end of this month. the Op-
ponents Of the administration will
take the Mellon letter to the country
as the basis for the Summer and
Autumn campaign. The entire at
titude of the Western insurgents has
been that big business down East"
has been opposed to their plan Of
farm relief and now that Secretary
Mellon has taken the lead In the
fight. the country may be prepared
to hear for the next several months
much of the same line of thought on
the alleged domination by big busi-
ness of the legislative policies of the
administration.
President Coolidge has said nothing
publicly about the pending Haugen
bill. His speech in Chicago early this
year was presentation of his views
on general principles of farm relief.
hut he has not specifically attacked
the Haugen bill. The letter from Mr..
Mellon is taken as a reflection of the
Presidents position. but 1t is a matter
of comment here that the President
chose the Secretary OF the Treasury
instead Of the Secretary of Agricul-
ture for an official announcement of
the viewpoint Of the Administration.
Were 1t not for the Haugen bill the
tariff issue might be expected to slum-
berr. But the Democrats who oppose
the protective tariff system are MAX
ing a good deal out of the contention
of the western Republicans that the
equalization fee in the Haugen bill is
nothing more than an extension of the
tariff principle.
Rorah Paraphrases Letter.
The letter Of the Secretary Of tn.
Treasury was. for example. para
phrased by Senator Borah in his ad
dress to the Senate. using the word
duty" for equalization fee" and the
word foreigner" for farmer.
Senator Robinson. the Democratic
leader. told the Senate that the Hau-
gen bill was killed by Mr.. Melons
letter. The Democrats have been only
too anxious to have the administra.
tion fight the mea sure. SO that they
could go to the voters in the rural
districts and make u plea for II. There
are some insurgent Republicans in
the West who prefer inaction to action
because 1t gives them ammunition for
the campaign.
But the interesting thing Is that
Mr.. Mellon does not run for Office
In Western States and is an ap-
pointive officer. with some credit for
taxation policies on his side of the
ledger Of national prestige. Mr.. Cool
idge, on the other hand Is not en-
gaging personally In any controver-
sizes that he can avoid. All of which
generally is regarded even by dis
interested observers as good strategy
on the part of the White House. par
ticularly in a campaign in which the
Is. ues show no signs Of being def
nitely established on any such cleay-
age as .anti-administration or pro-
administration.
(Copyrieht 1921