Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-19
TEXT OF GOV. SMITHS SPEECH

sive measure of farm relief presented
by others. and now
This IS the statement of an au-
thority on farm conditions, who was
chairman of the Senate committee on
agriculture. It clearly indicates that
the condition has been known to the
party for at least four years, and that
no adequate remedy is suggested even
at this time. nor has one been forth
coming during the whole period of the
last two Republican administrations.
THE President himself recognizes it.
In his message to the Congress in 1926.
on the subject of agriculture, ne said:
Coolidge's 1926 Message.
1.-The whole question of agriculture
needs most careful consideration. In
the past few years the Government has
given this subject more attention than
any other and has held more consulta-
tons in relation to it than on any other
subject >While the Government Is not
to be blamed for failure to perform the
impossible, the agricultural regions are
entitled to know that they have its con-
slant solicitude and sympathy
This on its face appears to be a
confession on the part of the Repub-
lican President that the problem cam
not be solved by his party. Why else
does he use the language that the Gov
eminent should not be blamed for not
performing the impossible. After eight
wears of promise. coupled with failure
to perform. it must be encouraging in
deed to the farmers of the country to
know that they have at least the con-
slant solicitude and the sympathy OF the
Republican party. =,
1.-THE farmer at this time might well
recall the words of tie one-time popu-
lar song: All I got was sympathy, but
that didn't mean thing to me.
LAS far as the President himself is
concerned. Senator Norris sums it all
I'D in a few words. He stood against
Congress in the measures that they Of
fered. but made no constructive sugges-
ton himself. even after the exhaustive
study he claims the administration
gave to the subject.
He might we'll have added that Mr.
Hoover. as the chief adviser OF the last
two administrations upon the subject OF
agriculture. assumed a direct RESPONSE
bility for the hostility and inaction
of the administration, and continues to
assume that responsibility by his ful-
some Endorsement of the record OF
Coolidge policies.
TT must be a great comfort TO the
farmers of this country to know that
the policv which gave them the SYM
nathv and solicitude of the Republican
administration and gave them nothing
else would be continued in the event
OF Mr.. Hoover's election.
Recalls Hoover Speech.
particularly must this be comfort
to them when they recall that the re-
suit of the eight years of sympathy
and solicitude by the Republican party
is thus summed up by Mr.. Hoover in
his acceptance speech:
1.-The most urgent economic problem
in our Nation today is in agriculture
IF the promises made by the Repub-
lican party in 1920 and 1924 had been
fulfilled it would not be necessary for
him to say today that in agriculture is
the most urgent economic problem In
solic:tude and sympathy for the plight
Of the farmers on the part of the Re-
publican leaders would have ceased to
exist.
What brought about all these prom
Uses Of the Republican party? If there
was no critical condition in agriculture
circles. why the promises of relief?
Why the admissions in the platforms
and what led Gov. McMullen of your
own State. according to newspaper re-
ports, to threaten the Republican ma
tional convention that he would lead
an army of men to knock at the doors
OF that aSsemblage demanding at the
hands of the Republican party a
specific and definite solution of the
farm problem? 1t could be nothing
else except the very apparent distress
of the farmers of the country
In my speech of acceptance, I took
account of the suffering OF agriculture
1 there stated some facts and figures.
not one OF which has since been chal-
lenged or contradicted.
Cites Farm Debt Gain.
From 1910 to the present time the
farm debt has increased by the strik-
ing sum of $4,000, 000, 900. The value
Of farm property between 1920 and
1925 decreased by $4,000, 100000.
1t would be unreasonable to expect
That this great decrease in value would
make itself felt only in agricultural
circles. 1t was compelled, from the
very nature of things, to have an in
iuence on other lines of business. In
1871 tnere were $50 bank failures, with
total liabilities OF over $270,000 900, al
most entirely in the agricultural Sec
tons; as against 40 such failures in
the last year of the last Democratic
administration. In the period since
1870 there have been almost 1000 such
failures. 'O~N 'AA
The business mems commission on
agriculture in November of last wear
said: '"'
Since the war. the prices of farm
prdoucts have persisted in an uneco-
nomic and unfavorable adjustment to
the general scale of prices of other
goods and services. The value of farm
iand and farm property decreased
neaviiy In the postwar defiation. and
large numbers OF families have lost all
their property in the process
i repeat that the figures herein given
ny me as far back as the 22d of last
August have neither been contradicted
nor challenged. " y
according to the figures. there is
abundant reason for the recognition of
Inis crisis In American agriculture life
viewing 1t from another angle. the
reports of the United States Henart~
ment OF Agriculture show that during
TINS period OF depression, ten million
people were driven from the farms with
net decrease. after deductinp ali who
returned, OF four million in the farm
population OF the Nation. That means
tnat Tour million American citizens
were compelled to give up their chosen
vocation. It meant suffering and dis
tress in millions of families ana Drove
me tiiiers OF the soil into competition
with the workers in the cities.
Calls Effect Disastrous.
1T requires no very great power If
imagination or understanding of the
problem to be able to realize the dis
astrous effect on our whole social and
economic fabric that must grow from a
situation such as that.
There are definite causes and res-
sons for this catastrophe, which, to the
ordinary person, are easy of under
standing:
Twenty-Five years ago wheat sold at
approximately the same price that il
brings today.
twenty-five years ago the farmer