Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-22

Farm relief in the form of a new
measure again is a subject of country
wide discussion, with the old lineup
for and against the McNary- Haugen
bill still in evidence. For, notwith-
standing the introduction of the Cur
tis-Crisp bill, with it's appeal for joint
support from West and South, the
McNary- Haugen provisions continue
to interest the advocates Of farm
legislation.
Unto the halls of Congress has now
come the official farm-relief gold brick
of 1927" exclaims the st. Paul Dis
patch. Last year it was the Fess
bill. This year it goes under the
snappy title of Curtis-Crisp. The de
tails are really unimportant. 1t is not
meant to become law. The function
of the Curtis Crisp bill is to accommo-
date the weaker brethren by making
it easy and supposedly safe to side
track the McNary-Haugen bill" The
Dispatch, however, declares that ''the
bill is welcome, in that it establishes
one or two things of importance for
genuine relief. 1t proclaims on official
authority that $3.50 900 is not too
much to advance for farm relief. 1t
exposes the insincerity of objections
to the McNary-H&lgen bill on grounds
of price-fixing. since this claims to be
just as much of a price-tixing measure
as the other"
The Rock Island Argus points out
that "the House agricultural commit
tee has approved the McNary- Haugen
bill by a vote of 10 to 8. defeating a
motion to substitute the Curtis-CriSp
BILL" and insists that the representa-
tives of the agricultural interests of
the Middle West want the McNary-
Haugen bill or nothing, and If this
cannot be passed they will, so it is
reported, carry the issue to the people
with Lowden as their leader in 1928.
From this point of view the Curtis
Crisp bill is just a sop thrown to the
farmers with motives of a political
character behind it, the idea being to
save the face of the administration"
x x x x
"a deep-seated conviction" is eX-
pressed by the Houston Chronicle
that adoption of the McNary-Hauge
principle will serve to rehabilitate the
American agricultural industry; that
the adoption will check a progressive
decadence in this greatest and most
fundamental of American industries,
will bring prosperity again to the
American farm, and consequently will
turn rural civilization from retrogres-
sion to renewed progress. Every bust
ness is interested in the welfare of the
farmer" continues the Chronicle, cit
ing the fact that while constituting
about one-third of our population the
farm community's share of the ma
tional income in 1921 was only 10 per
cent and is now probably not more
than per cent"
Quoting a statement that "the Cur
hill iS q loan Ole9 SIRE and
does not contain the equalization fee
principle" the Des Moines Tribune
asks: What has got it into the think
ing of the Eastern leaders that more
loan money is what is wanted in the
farm West nobody seems to under
stand. But every time the admins
tration shows its hand, it is to loan
the farmer more money, rather than
get better price for him. Just why
Senator Curtis has gone into the loan
plan is not plain. But he does come
from Secretary Jardine's State and he
is an administration leader"
Recognition of existing opposition
to the Haugen bill ION the ground that
it will not give the relief desired, and
will at the same time set a dangerous
precedent in American governmental
methods is given by the Lansing
State Journal. AS the matter appears
to the Portland Oregonian, the nat
ural disposition of the farmer will be,
If assured that the surplus will not
depress prices, to increase production
until the surplus becomes unmanage-
able. If some means We're provided
by which financial aid in handling the
surplus of one crop would be condi-
tional on restriction of acreage sown
for the neYt CROP 1t would guard