The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-12-17
Struggle for Farm Aid
Tears At the Vitals of
the Capitalist Parties
BY J. LOUIS ENoDAHL.

CHARLES McNARY, oregon sena-
~ tor, new head of the agricultur-
al committee, has introduced a re-
vised McNary-Haugen agricultural
relief bill in the senate. 1t will be
the basis for the most intense strug-
gle in the present session Of con-
gress. Io
In the old party political game Of
give and take,' every effort will
be made to log-roll this relief mea-
sure, in some form, thru congress.
The so-called farm bloc, the repub-
lican members Of which have desert
ed their insurgency and accepted IA
vors from the "old guard" must
have something tangible to calm
the discomfort of the agrarian west.
The Coolidge-Butler-Mellon regime
fears the wrath Of the wide open
spaces" that lie to the west of Wall
Street, and may agree to a salts
fartory compromise.
Already the new McNary measure,
successor Of the McNary-Haugen
bill, appears in congress shorn OF
many Objectionable features.
The much fought over equalization
fee, that was opposed by the South
erners, remains, but it is assessed
against leach marketed unit" in
stead Of against all producers. Chief
opposition came from the South,
but a compromise was reached.
This was shown at the American
Farm Bureau Federation gathering
in Chicago, where the Southerners
agreed to the equalization fee ii
the Northerners would consent to
the private operation of the Muscle
Shoals project. The horse trade
was agreed to. The tariff yard
stick" and the fair and reasonable"
price standards of the original
McNary-Haugen bill have disappear
ed. The new bill contains no refer
ence to price standards or price
levels. 1t is proposed that there be
an appropriation Of $3.50, 100000 for
a revolving fund from which loans
may be made to commodity stabili-
cation funds in anticipation Of col
lection of equalization fees. 1t is
urged that loans be also made dt-
rectly to co-operatives for handling
the surplus.
The scope of support sought for
the McNary bill is shown by the In
clusion of five basic commodities to
be benefited, cotton, wheat, corn,
rice and swine. Cattle and butter
have been eliminated and rice ap-
pears for the first time.
The proposed measure has not
yet been introduced in the house OF
representatives. Representative Hau-
gen, heading the house agricultural
committee, says he is looking 1t
over. 1t is declared, however, that
the companion bill in the house to
the McNary measure in the senate
will be fostered by Representative
Purnell (republican) Indiana, and
Representative Fulmer (democratic)
South Carolina. Thus the democrat
ic south joins hands with the repub-
ncans north in boosted political
'non-partisanship."
The tendency of this legislation is
to set up an agricultural monopoly
or trust. The farmers have looked
with jealous eyes on the huge pro-
fits taken by industry and COM
merce, with agriculture being plung-
ed more and more into bankruptcy.
The demand is made that agricul-
ture be given the same assistance
as industry thru the erection OF a
high tariff wall that serves two
purposes:
a. Maintaining the home mar
ket exclusively for home grown
products at high prices; (2) thus
enabling American agriculture to
compete more successfully with
cheaper products in foreign mar
kets. In this way It is hoped to
dispose Of the surplus crops.
1t was this plan that Andrew Mel
Ion, the secretary Of the treasury.
who piled up his many millions in
the highly protected industries Of
the Pittsburgh district, declared