Evening star., 1927-11-11
PRESIDENT SHIFTS
FARM AID STAND
Puts Problem Up to Agri.
cultural Leaders in Sig.
nifiCant Move.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

The spectacle of President Coolidge
trying to persuade the various farm
organizations to come to an agree
ment or take full responsibility for
the failure of farm legislation is about
the most significant thing that has
developed since the controversy began.
Up to now the President has been
in the position of watchful waiting.
He did not champion any particular
measure until the closing days of the
last session of Congress and while
he has encouraged the working out
of a plan by Secretary Jardine of
the Department of Agriculture. it can
not be said that the President as
sumed any leadership in the matter.
Today things are different. Mr..
Coolidge has conferred with leaders of
the various farm organizations and
has found them as far apart as ever.
They all know now that the President
is in earnest and is desirous of get
ting some kind of legislation through
Congress and that a "popgun" bill.
passed with the knowledge that it will
be vetoed, is no longer desirable.
Debate Lasts Seven Years.
The principal thorn in the side of
the administration is it's failure to
pass a farm-relief bill after seven
years of debate. The insurgency in
the Republican party has grown al
most entirely out of the farm discon-
tent. Under the circumstances Mr..
Coolidge is prepared to go to great
length to close his present term Of Of
flee with farm bill of some kind on
the statute books.
There is little difficulty in getting
an agreement on the administrative
features of a plan which shall take
care of the export surplus, but the
principal stumbling block is the
amount Of Government aid and au.
thority that shall be given to the
project. Even some of the farm lead
ers have expressed doubt about the
practical effect of the equalization fee
contained in the McNary-Haugen bill,
and have conscientiously sought q
| substitute.
May Prove Boomerang.
The fear has been expressed that
unless the plan can stand the acid
| test of actual help to the farmer 1t
| might prove a boomerang. There are
some Senators, for instance. who
| voted for the McNary- Haugen bill who
had serious doubts about the consti-
| tutionality of the equalization fee, but
| who voted for the measure just the
same in the belief that it should be
| given a trial and that the courts could
| pass upon the validity of the act in
| due time.
Mr.. Coolidge, however. Is not in
clined to favor any experiment on
which the farm organizations them
selves might have divided view
| point. He thinks that compromise
legislation should at least have the
support of the principal farm organi-
cations in order that the plan may
have behind it the necessary public
| sentiment to make it work. 1t will
| be several days before the farm lead
ers will be in conference again here.
| but they know now that the Presi-
dent will insist upon united action
| from as many groups as possible in
order that he may lend his whole
hearted support to some measure that
will I'VE a chance of passage this
| Winter.
! Politically, the passage Of farm
| legislation is more important to the
| Republicans than to the Democrats,
but there are enough Democratic
Senators from the agricultural States
to insure the passage of any measure
| IN which the farm organizations
| themselves can agree.
tCoDyright 1871