The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-09-30

fence and proven by scientific re-
search which cam not be ignored
challenge both these who stand
in the shadow of greatness and give
out oraculHr statements about agri-
cultural conditions, and the penny4a "a
liners who ring the changes on these
statements, ito discuss the clear and
definite statement of the industrial
Conference Board that since 1900 ag-
ricultura costs have risen faster and
higher than agricultural prices.
Another undisputed fact is that
farmers relative share of the nation
al income is below that of all other
national groups of producers and is
growing less. No reputable econom-
ist will deny that important and sig
nifcant fact, and the full story is
told in the report of the Industrial
Conference Board, to which / have
previously referred.
Does lit mean anything to politi-
cians who have the title of statesmen,
or to scribblers who pose as editors,
| to know that for several decades the
net income of American farmers has
been below that of factory laborers?
| What is Their answer, what is their
remedy? They have none, of course.
In the light of these two facts alone
costs rising faster and higher than
prices and farmers relative share of
national incomes steadily diminishing,
how absurd are the reiterated static
ments of the political and business
Lon no%
will soon be all right again. Such
statements are mott merely an insult
to farmers they impeach the intelli-
gence or the sincerity of the men
who make them.
| have never yet read in print a
single intelligent analysis of the un-
DERIVING causes 81 the present agri-
cultural conditions by anyone of the
soothsayers who are asking farmers
to abandon efforts to get relief. And,
yet they denounce farmers as radi-
calls and charge them with following
demagogoues. Who, then, is the
radical and the demagogoue, the man
who shuts his eyes to unleasant facts
low his example, or the man who
faces facts with open eyes and makes
am earnest effort Ito improve them?
How many men in this audience
have heard it said or read in the
papers that the McNary- Haugen Bill
of the last session of Congress is
"uneconomic? Hold up your hands,
all of you yho have heard or read
that charge.
Now, how many of you have read
or been told. wherein it is uneco-
nomic? Hold up your hands.
To merely say that measure is
unecononic proves nothing that's
merely the speakers opinion, and
opinions prove nothing, except, pos
sibly, the contrariness Iof human ma
ture.
1t is true that many men have said
our farm relief bills sought Ito fix
prices, but that, again, is merely an
opinion and is mot supported by the
aims or terms of the bill itself. lit
does seek tosinfuence prices, but ito
influence prices is very different from
fixing prices.
The administration and many 9th
en- men who charge that the farm re-
lief bill ahmed at price-fxing,, were
ardent supporters of the Fess and
Tincher bills, which were admittedly
aimed at reducing the cost of credit
TO coopea,atives. What is the differ.
ence, in principle, between an action
of the Government which reduces the
cost of credit and another act of Gov
eminent which increases prices of
wheat, corn and cotton? If the lat
ten is price-fixing, than the former is
price-fixing.
1t is true, also, that Secretary
Mellon as spokesman of the Admins
tration said the farm relief bill was
because lit would make
the prices of certain foods and raw
materials higher in the United States
than in foreign countries. Yet Mr..
Mellon lis "a protectionst and the adj
mitted aim of THE protective tariff
is TO make the price of certain ar
ticles higher i'm the United States
than in foreign countries. In these
respects the farm relief bill and the
tariff bill are in the same category
and If one is uneconomic, so is the
other. And moreover the tariff bill
iteSelf provides the tariff schedules
on grains and meats, and it was in
tended that they should work and all
that the McNary- Haugen Bill is de
signed TO do is to make these tariffs
effective.
What, then, Lies back of the mass
of generaaized criticism and denuncia-
tion Of the farm relief bill? So far as
I have been able to learn, all oppo-
sition can be traced TO one source,
and ito one group or class. The great
industrial interests of the country
want cheap food for their labor and
cheap raw materials for their factor
les. They fear and legislation which
will nike possible higher prices for
these things.
The projected groups have their
boards in Washington that function
year in and year out in the interesa
of these groups. The farmer has N,
board and mo agency to function In
his behalf. He has no seat at the
council table of the nation. He
spreads the feast but the others con-
sumo it. He provides the banquet
but if he wants to get anything Ito eat
/ he must sit on the floor and pick up
L. SO, IL,