Milford chronicle., 1927-09-09

q a Federal Board of Agricul-
q ture or with any sound pro- 2
Il duction control or co-opera-
q tive marketing measure.
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cies of education, organization, CO.
operation and such legislation as
seemed necessary. During all the
years this program of the Grange
has been sound and has greatly ben
Gifted rural life. 1t is just as sound
today as it has ever been in the years
behind us. However, there are basic
inequalities that need correction and
we come to a time when this same
quality of Grange service that gave
us rural mail delivery, Department
of Agriculture and host of other
benefits, must be redirected to secure
a square deal under present-day con-
ditions. We must still place empha-
sis on cooperative marketing and
seek to shorten the route between
producer and consumer. We must Sc
cure a sound production program.
We must favor economy and the re-
duction of the cost of government.
We must favor enforcement of law
and we must place a new emphasis
on the value of research in our ru-
raj problems and experimentation to
find new uses for farm products.
A New Remedy
When we find that taxes stand at
1850 above pre-war level, labor at
20O% most manufacturing commodi-
ties at 5000 or 1000, and wholesale
prices of farm products at approx
mately only 1900 above that level,
we can realize the disparity that is
in part, at least, causing farm de-
preston. We can also realize that
agriculture needs a new weapon to
secure a square deal.
The correction of the above in
equalities has caused wise statesmen,
sound economists, our farm Organi-
zatiOn leaders, and the farmers
themselves much thought and effort.
The remedies proposed have been
many and various. Some of them
sound and workable, others vision
ary and impossible of practical ap-
plication. We have no intention of
criticizing any farm relief legisla-
ton now pending in Congress. We
are simply saying that the Export
Debenture idea, as advocated by the
National Grange, is one of the new
measures that can benefit rural
America.
Tariff Inequalities
We have a lot of people in Ameri-
ca who have never studied the work.
ings of the tariff thoroughly for fear
it might run counter to their own
opinions on this issue. Some day the
farmer will be more concerned in
tariff programs that protect agricul-
ture and put money in his pocket
rather than in a tariff program to
put politicians on or off the public
payroll.
We need to remember the wisdom
of Grover Cleveland and John Han
cock when they declared "The tariff
is a local and an economic issue and
should not be political football"
AS an example that the tariff is a
lOCdl lDOuCg VIC CelA ACAA4CAl1DCA
Alabama was a great free trade
state. Yet with the development of
iron and coal and the building of a
great steel plant at Birmingham, we
see Oscar Underwood, once the apos-
tie of free trade, become the advo-
cate of the highest tariff schedules
on steel in the United States Sen
ate. So we might continue. We are
only pleading that farmers shall
study the tariff from an economic
and not a political standpoint.
The tariff is as old as our govern
ment. Alexander Hamilton recon-
mended in a report to Congress in
1891 the adoption of the tariff idea to
protect the manufacturer, to en-
courage the infant industries and to
provide revenue. He also pointed out
that if we adopt the tariff policy we
should also adopt the export premi-
um policy in order that agriculture
should not be injured. Congress
adopted the tariff idea but neglected
the export bounty or debenture plan
and all will admit the wisdom of
Hamilton's prophecy that the tariff
would benefit the manufacturer more
than the farmer. History has amply
vindicated his opinion.
The position of the Grange on the
tariff is clear. More than 40 years
ago the National Grange declared in
substance
"Whether we adopt tariff or
free trade is a political issue,
and should not be discussed in
the Grange; but as long as the
tariff policy is the policy Of this
government we declare for tariff
for all or tariff for none"