The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-11-23
KEEPING UP
With
THE NE WIS.
BY LUDWELL DENNY

| Copyright. Scripps-Howard Newspapers,
NTASHINGTON, Nov. 23.-Half
w a month after its election
victory the Republican party as2in
is split over farm relief. The seven,
year battle within the party on this
issue is revived, before the echo Of
campaign pledges has ceased.
This time the fight is over pro-
cedure. That sounds unimportant,
but it throws fear into the farm
leaders, for it is precisely the kind
of lineup that has defeated them
so often in the past
The division now is over whether
farm relief shall be provided by the
regular winter session of congress,
or by the proposed extra session
after Inauguration, when the newly
elected Republican majorities in the
house and senate are seated.
Behind this is the related ques-
ton, whether there shall be piece
meal" farm bills spreading over sew
eral sessions, or blanket legisla-
ton.
The joker is that congress passes
most laws by the time honored
method of trading. For seven years
the farm bloc has traded votes for
other measures, but every time lost
in one way or another. Sometimes
other congressional blocs, after re-
ceiving farm support, have in turn
failed to vote for the farm bills.
At other times-as in the two Me-
Nary Haugen bills-the trading has
been completed in congress with the
expectation and actual result that
the President vetoed the farm bill,
These past farm bloc trades have
included renewal of the federal res
serve board charter, McFaddeIi
branch banking bill, and in gems
eral legislation sponsored by the
industrial and financial east.
= Il
TN the next session the probable
i trade to be offered the farm bloc
is upward tariff revision. AS a part
Of the Hoover and Republican plats
form pledge for general farm aid
the duty on certain agricultural
products is to be raised.
Now that there is to be tinkering
with the tariff, along comes the ina
dustrial east, demanding that its ale
ready high protective schedule be
raised in a general tariff revision.
This of course will involve lengthy
research and debate and tie up cons
gress for a long time, once it gets
started.
The net result, some farm Iead-
GERS fear, is that a tariff revision,
though originally planned as a help
to the farmers, actually may be-
come the chief barrier against COM
plete and speedy farm relief legisla-
ton.
Three distinct and contradictory
plans of procedure are proposed by
Republican leaders. Senator Borah,
chief Hoover campaigner; Genator
AIcNary, chairman of the senate
agriculture committee; and Repre-
sentative Tilson, majority leader in
the house.
Tilson at the White House yester-
day, said there should be an extra
session of congress and that its
chief business should not be blanket
farm legislation, but general tariff
revision. He added that the regular
winter session will be engaged most
of the time in passing annual APP
preparation bills and may get
around to one or two forms of piece
meal farm legislation, such as the
Fess- Tincher and Curtis-Cris bills.
But any complete farm relief
legislation will have to come gradu-
ally-that is, in the indefinite fu-
Understanding to this Republican
leader in the house.
n n
DORAH disagrees with Tilson. AS
Id he told the National Grange
convention, now meeting here, there
must be a special session and its
primary task must be farm relief.
He pointed out that Hoover specif1-
cally had pledged such special
session unless action we're taken to
help the farmers at the winter ses-
sion, and that the President-elect
had not mentioned general tariff
revision.
Borah opposed farm legislation at
the winter session, on the ground
that the time would be too short
for adequate consideration.
"The farm question is not an
easy one to solve" said Borah. eve
ought to deal with it deliberately
and properly at a special session"
But McNary, senate leader of the
farm bloc, in addressing the same
Grange convention, takes exactly
the opposite view from Borah. Urg-
ing immediate action on farm relief
at the winter session, NIcNary said:
IF this thing is delayed until
spring, any legislation that congress
passes will not go into effect until
1880, and that would be too late"