Evening star., 1928-10-28

element of human happiness. At the
door Of every home there Is q new
servant, knocking and asking for ad-
mission. This servant will do all the
washing and ironing, the lighting and
cleaning of the homes of America at
nominal cost II she is given the oppor-
tunity. In order to get the benefits of
electricity 1t must be cheaper. We must
take the private profit out of the busi-
ness. We must make it as common in
every home as water. There Is no rea-
son why the United States should not
have as cheap electricity as Ontario.
IF we would drive the electric trust
out Of politics, II we would stop the
expenditure OF unconscionable millions
used to deceive the American people
and to debauch our public officials, we
would be able to get the benefits whicn
would accrue from a sane, honest and
fair development of our power and It's
distribution to the homes of America.
'All these things are happening and
going on across the line in Ontario,
where power magnates do not control,
where there is no electric trust, where
the people get the benefits of their own
property without paying tribute to mil
lionaire corporations that are using the
peoples money to deceive the hand
which feeds them.
Constant Fight In Congress.
For eight years there has been a
constant fight in Congress between the
power trust and the people as to who
should get the benefit of the great gov
ernmental development at Muscle
Shoals. The administration of which
Mr.. Hoover was part has been, from
the beginning, on the side of the trust
In the last session Congress presented
to President Coolidge bill which final
ly settled this question in behalf of the
people, and he refused to sign it.
Sitting by the side of him was Her
bert Hoover, who was importuned on all
sides by the progressive element of the
country to use his influence with his
chief in favor of this legislation. But
he refused because he, himself, was OPP
posed to it. So it is safe to say that If
Mr.. Hoover had been President he would
have vetoed this bill. 1t Is likewise safe
to say that II Gov. Smith had been
President he would have signed it. This
places fairly and squarely before the
American people the attitude Of these
two men on this important question"
OGI1dOOA 4NOlAAo IAASAA IoOA1OAACd A1ibO q
discussion of farm relief. Admittedly
he declared, agriculture is in distress.
He defined the causes as eXorbitant
freight rates, excessive cost of distribu
ton and the farmers failure to get the
benefit of the protective tariff because
his surplus must be sold abroad and its
price determines the price of the entire
crop.
He said:
"Mr. Hoover, after more than seven
years of inaction, comes forward with
three remedies. His first remedy is to
give the farmer more tariff, when 1t Is
common knowledge that tariff on any
farm product of which surplus is pro-
duced has no effect whatever upon the
farmers price. We have a tariff now Of
AZ cents upon wheat. It would be just
the same If we had a tariff of $42 so
long as We produce surplus of wheat.
Second, Mr.. Hoover would help agri-
culture by building the st. Lawrence
Canal. No one is opposed to that. If
we were able to start tomorrow all of
us would be dead and forgotten before
the project would be completed. So, as
a practical proposition for the relief of
agriculture neither the st. Lawrence nor
the other project of an all-American
canal offers relief within the life of the
present generation.
Cites BrOOkhart's Stand.
"The third method of relief proposed
bv Mr. Hoover is to lessen the cost of
the distribution of farm products by
giving assistance to cooperative organi-
cations. This is another remedy which
no one, so far as l know, objects to,
but this will not relieve the freight rate.
This will not give the farmer the benefit
of the protective tariff.
Soon after the war the Senate COM
mittee on agriculture reported a bill to
the Senate which undertook to relieve
the agricultural situation by providing
for lower freight rates and the lessening
products as they travelled from the
producer to the consumer.
Senator Brookhart, who Is a student
of farm problems and for whom 1 have
a great respect, has publicly proclaimed
on the stump and from the floor of the
Senate that this was the best farm
bill that had ever been presented to
Congress. It was, in modified form,
twice reported from the Senate COM
mittee on agriculture. 1t was twice
beaten by the combined efforts of the
millionaire middle men and the political
bosses.
"One of the greatest influences that
brought about the defeat of that legisla-
ton was the powerful influence and
voice OF Herbert Hoover. The record
shows that he appeared before the COM
mittee and opposed the bill. He was an
important element in an administration
that brought all the power it could
muster to bring about the defeat Of
this measure, and thus any effort to
give the farmer lower freight rates and
to lessen the cost of distribution of
farm products was defeated, and Mr.
Hoover cannot shirk his part In bring
ing about such defeat"
Senator Norris recited the history of
the McNary- -Haugen bill twice passed
by Congress and twice vetoed by the
President. He said:
Everybody knows that Mr.. Hoover.
from the beginning. was always op-
posed to this bill. Now, what is the
position Of Gov Smith? In his Omaha
speech he came out courageously and
frankly In the Endorsement OF the
principle involved In the McNary-
Haugen bill. The only reservation was
as TO the machinery necessary to carry
1t out. He would undertake, II posi-
BILE. to improve it. and as one who sup