Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-06-05

reference to Mr.. Hardin's office force
IS hardly correct. Mr.. Hardin him
self says that he has but one stenog-
rapher in his office and he pays her
but $40 a week and borrows the
money at the bank TO do that. The
information on which I based my
statement Was ar incidental state
ment by another mutual friend resid-
irg IN Mission, and / naturally as
sumed that il was a matter of COM
rion knowledge. Since it now appears
that ] was misinformed, ! offer my
apologies to Mr.. Hardin and my SYM
rathy to the girl who is compelled to
labor for $40 a week.
If, in the face Of his overwhelming
defeat two years ago Mr.. Hardin is
willing TO borrow money at the bank
20 invest in another political cam
paign. he should be awarded a medal
az the prize optimist. However. he
dces not seem to have the practical
business judgment that would recon-
p:end him to the voters to handle the
tax payers money.
IL is my intention to refrain from
making misstatements. If | inadvcr-
tcntly do SO. l will appreciate having
my attention called TO the error and
J will gladly make amends.
Mr.. Hardin calls upon me to pro-
duce black and white proof that the
Tax Payers League is supporting his
campaign. If Mr.. Hardin will sub
nit his correspondence TO public in
spection this would probably be pos
sible. ]. may be possible TO provide
the positive proof in any case. III
Mr.. Hardin will say whether or not
he knows or has had any dealings or
conversation with a man by the name
cf E~scavaille and another by the name
of j.. A. Arnold, il will throw con-
siderable light on the subject.
Mr.. Hardin calls upon me to pre-
sent facts and not opinions. ! do not
propose to let him dictate to me
What arguments / shall use. ! have
as good a right 10 express opinions
Of his qualifications for the office he
seeks as he has to express opinions
Of Mr.. Gamers qualifications. Thus
far he has been using his own opin-
ions and interpretations against him
aid has not presented a single fact
TO ~substantiate his conclusions. He
says that the present plight of the
farmer has been caused by Mr.. Gar
ner voting against the Fordney tariff.
That is a mere conclusion on his
rart. The slightest consideration Of
the facts reduces il TO an a%bsurdity.
BY what process of reasoning or logic
can Mr.. Hardin pretend that Mr..
Garner is responsible for the woes
that have fallen upon the farmers as
IA result of a tariff bill hat Mr.. Gar
ner voted against? or all the political
clap trap and buncombe this is the
most stupid and absurd.
Mr.. Hardin talks as il the taSiff
on vegetables was the only item In
that bill. He may think :hat, but If
he does, he is more simple minded
than | give him credit for being. The
Fordney tariff bill was denounced by
the most representative and influen-
tial farmers organization in the Unit
ed States, the American Farm Bureau
Federation. as an ubiquitous measure
which costs the farmers of the coun-
thy more than $500, 100000 a year.
Yet Mr.. Hardin says that he would
have voted for that measure had he
been in Mr.. Gamers position. That
mean that Mr.. Hardin is in favor
of placing this burden on the farm
ers. Furthermore, he is in favor Of
making the farmers of the Valley pay
a tax of 10 cents a pound on their
cabbage seed, 25 cents on their cauli-
flower seed, Is cents a pound on onion
seed. He is ia favor Of free hides
for the cattle men. He is in favor of
taxing the man who buys a suit OF
clothes 40 per cent to so per cent OF
its cost. making the farmers wife
pay a tax Of 20 rcr cen to 50 per
cent for the carpet on the floor of
her home, and go per cent on the I'M
derwear she buys. This is merely an
example of the way the Fordney
tariff piles the load onto the con-
sumer.
Now what does it do for the VAL
ley farmer that Mr.. Hardin rants so
u UGH about? 1t taxes the onion grow
ers of Egypt only ! cent 4 pound, 30
cents = crate. which does not repre-
sent the difference in the cost Of pro-
auction in Egypt and in the Valley.
What is the result? Egyptian onions
ere coming into this country and I'M
derselling u onions. and our farm
ers are unable to move their crop at
u profit. The Fordney bill that Mr..
Hardin favors taxes the tomato grow
ers in Mexico but one.half cent a
round, a tax they can easily pay and
still import their product into this
country and undersell the Valley
farmers. Cuba and the Isle Of Pines
ar ship their grapefruit into this
country by paying one cent a pound.
and then undersell our growers and
make a profit. As proof Of this they
are doing it right now under the
operations of this same Fordney
tariff hat Mr.. Garner voted against
and denounced on the floor Of con-
gress, because he said IL was putting
a low tariff on the things the farmer
sells and a high tariff on the things
he buys, and this is exactly what the
American Farm Bureau Federation
e after maintaining a corps Of ex-
rerts in Washington making a study
and comparison of the schedules.
Since the passage of the Fordney
Gill and the emergency tariff bill.
both Of which Mr.. Garner voted
against. the farmers have been suf-
fering the worst depression they have
ever experienced and farm values
have shrunk billions of dollars. Prior
% the passage Of these bills the farm
ers were experiencing the greatest
era of prosperity they have EVER
known. OF course, the war had n
large measure TO do with this. but
the Fordney and emergency tariff
bills have aggravated the situation
enormously, as the farmers them
selves say. At no time have the
farmers been in such a plight as they
have been under these two measures,
Yet Mr.. Hardin has the assurance 70
come out and say that the cause Of
al the farmers troubles is due to the
failure Of Mr.. Garner TO vote for
these bills. Had Mr.. Garner voted
fcr them, the situation would have in
no whit been changed because the
hills passed anyhow. If he had voted
fer them, he might justly be charged
with some share Of the responsibility
for the result, but Mr.. Garner voted
against these ubiquitous measures.