Milford chronicle., 1926-07-16
MILFORD, FRIDAY, july I6, Iyz0
FARw RELIEF LEGISLATION

FARM RELIEF LEGlSLALION
With the rejection by the Senate
on lime 29th of the Fess Bill, which
had received the approval of Presl-
dent Coolidge, and the passage OF
the administration bill providing for
the organization of a cooperative
marketing bureau in the Department
of Agriculture (already passed by
the House), legislation for the re
lief of the farmer" is over for the
present session.
That the condition Of the farmers
has not been what it should be Is
undeniable. That the continued Sc
curitv and prosperity of the country
in the final analysis, are dependent
upon agriculture, which supplies the
.necessaries Of life, must be conced-
ed To benefit the farmer and to help
him solve his difficulties has been
the aim of the party in power, from
the time of the election of President
Harding and continuing throughout
the service of President Coolidge
Certainly the party in power is not
resnonsible for the present lot OF the
farmers and we are not saying that
the nreceding Administration should
hear the brunt of the blame for the
blow that. struck the farmers after
the close of the war.
The farmers themselves are not
without blame for present conditions.
They branched out too extensively
Maid too high prices for land, While
many of them increased their hold
ings at inflated prices.
Nor is that all. Many went deep
ly into debt. Mary moved to town
and looked to their farms to turnlsh
a living not only for themselves and
families, but for their tenants as
well. No, the farmers themselves
were also at fault. They should have
known that the war would not last
and that there would be a reaction
following the declaration of peace
They must have known that there
would come an end to the feVerlsh
activity which existed during and
Immediately following the war. Be
cause they over-borrowed and over
bought many of them lost their farm
holdings and many banks which held
their paper have gone into the hands
of receivers.
These are not all Of the causes OF
the farm difficulties, but it is need
less to enlarge upon them. But it has
been shown by investigations made
bv experts that the condition of the
farmers is more favorable now than
at anv time since 1920. The legls-
lation and the administration of the
marty in power has brought about
that improvement. We shall never
forget thensmark attributed to Con-
gressman Die of Iowa by Mark Sui
liyan in the New York Herald TrlD-
une of April 25th, last. Senator
Brookhart was debating with Repre-
sentative Cole on the deplorable con-
dition of the Iowa farmers. After
Brookhart had talked one hour and
fifty minutes, Cole replied in one
sentence, namely:
''Yes, all Of the Iowa farmers are
going to the pOOrhOuse; but thank
God they can all go in their own
limOUsines."
The audience was composed main
ly of farmers, who, says Sullivan
"saw the point and the rest of the
time was consumed with laughter by
the audience"
The truth is that the improvement
in the condition of the farmers has
been made by and through the Pro-
\tevtiEe Tariff. 1t has kept foreign
countries from pouring their lower
production-cost products into the
United States, thereby eliminating
in part at least the American farm
ers from their own markets. 1t has
brought general prosperity through
out the country, thus making a gooo
market for farm products. If other
people are out of work and hence
hard up, they are not good patrons
of the farmers. What is needed IN
the future to give further help to
the farmers is more adequate Pro-
lection on certain farm products
We also believe that better organiza-
ton of farm marketing is needed
The writer grew up on an Iowa farm
and knows that a large proportion OF
the farmers market their grain just
as soon as possible after it is har-
vested. Dumping so much grain on
+he market at one time naturally
lowers the price. After the bulk oi
the grain has been sold the price ma
+urally increases. 1t follows that the
farmers seldom realize the prices
which they might receive if the sales
by them were distributed more
throughout the year.
We want to impress upon the