The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-05-31
HOOVER-A POOR POLITICIAN.
BUT FARMERS REAL FRIEND

The professional farmer will storm the Kansas
City convention demanding the Republican candl-
date for President be in favor of farm relief
the McNary-Haugen bill. Minnesota's delegation
will be headed by National Committeeman Claude
Mckenzie who never worked day on farm in
his life.
The big thought back of the plan is to "get
Hoover" 1t is hopeless, despairing fight. With
Mr. Hoover as the candidate the graceful thing for
Mckenzie to do will be to resign forthwith as Ma
tional Committeeman from Minnesota.
Will he do it? He will not. He is not the
type that passes up sinecures.
The real friend of the farmer is that man who
has shown by actual deeds that he is their friend
William Allen White, Wichita, Kan nationally
known newspaper man, who probably strays off the
Republican reservation more frequently than most
any other man of note, had mighty interesting
article in the current issue of Golfers in which he
discusses the various candidates for the Republican
nomination.
He makes a grave charge against Herbert
Hoover-he is not politician.
In his investigation he found that Mr.. Hoover
had been constructive worker while all of the
present day candidates were building up political
fences Mr. White also found that Mr.. Hoover had
proven by his works that he was the farmers real
friend
The following deductions Of Mr.. Hoover's at,
titude toward the farmer were made by Mr. White:
Hoover, as head of the Food Administra-
ton, asked President Wilson to appoint COM
mission of 40 farmers representing 40 differ
ent agricultural OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES organlza-
ton in America. These farmers, through their
accredited representatives, without Hoovers
suggestion and in Hoover's absence, set the
price of wheat as high they felt it could he
maintained in competition with the South
American products 800
The farmers unanimously agreed on SZ.ZO
at Chicago as fair price for 1917; in 1918
they fixed the price at $500 a bushel Ihey
kept in mind three things: the fact that Amer
lea was at war, the need of encouraging pro-
duce and the necessity of preventing specu-
lation and profteering by middlemen Mr..
Hoover was not in the room when this price
was agreed upon.
President Wilson, in letter of August 80,
1917 declared 'fMr Hoover, at his special
wish, had taken part in the dellDeratlon OF
the committee on whose Recommendation ne
declared fair price, nor had Mr.. Hoover In
any way intimated an opinion regarding tnat
price,"
But after the war the price was threat
ened 1t was then that Hooyers genius as an
organizer was revealed. The sudden termina-
ton of the war had piled up tremendous Amer.
lean food SURPRISES, indeed 100000 tons OF
foodstuffs including 100000 pounds OF
pork, in the United States.
Hoover presumed, OF course, that TINS
American surplus would be sold to starving
Germany He went to Europe with two OBJ
jects, first to sell that surplus to the allies,
and the Germans, and second to MAINTAIN the
had urged to increase production in the spring
before the war closed. In December, the Al
lies, over Hoover's bitter protest, maintained
the German blockade
Hoover protested first as humanitarian,
and second as the representative of the Amer
lean farmers with surplus food to sell. Ger
mans were starving behind the blockade, and
Hoover in Europe, faced with this blockade
and realizing that the American surplus would
demolish the price and leave the farmers the
losers of the war, proceeded to buy that sur
plus himself with money from the Grain Cor
poraton, with funds from the Allies, from
every possible source, and sell it where ne
could
1t was in that period that he wrote to
Wilson: "There is no right in the law of God
or man that we should longer have surplus
of food"
The Quakers, Hoovers friends, distributed
millions of dollars worth of food to the poor
and needy of Germany, and he sold $780,
100000 worth of American food to the Ger
mans He raised $3,000,000 to buy food for
the children of Austria and as director gen.
eral of relief $12,000,000 worth of food was
allocated for the Austrian food relief out OF
the treasures of the Allies; all to hold the