Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-03-08

am not objecting at all. am simply
stating it as a fact. l said / did
not blame New England. l am only
pointing out that they are doing and
have been doing for long time what
we have been accused of doing, but
when we tried to do it in our humble
way we were accused of lacking pa
| triOtism, lacking national view
point, being provincial. We are SIM
ply beginning to follow in the foot
steps of New England, which have
made New England so prosperous at
the expense of the country. We want
some of the wealth we have produced.
We want to be paid for the food we
send to you to feed your people. All
we ask is to be paid the cost of
production, to be put on an economic
level with the people of New England.
Is there anything wrong about that?
Mr.. BINGHAM. No, Mr.. President;
only the Senator's remark that that
is something which has been going on
in New England for a long time and
that he had learned it from New
England, does not seem to me to be
borne out by the fact that the recent,
meeting of the New England council
from which he is quoting is quite a
new thing, and that New England is
apparently acting in self-defense and
has been driven into that position by
the fact that she is not so prosperous
as the Senator thinks she is.
Mr.. SHIPSTEAD. If this is a new
organization, l take it that it has
been formed recently, because they
have never been in danger yet of
paying their board bill There is a
feeling now that the agricultural Sec
tions of the country are going to col
| lect and / assume that if, as the
Senator said, this is an organization
of self-defense, he means it is an
organization to protect them against
this new demand that they shall pay
for the cost of production of the food
which they eat.
Mr.. BINGHAM. Oh no; that was
not the object of the origin of that
organization. The object of the origin
was the fact that they found there
was unemployment and they were be-
ing called upon to meet competition,
that the mills were being closed be-
cause tariff rates were not high
enough to afford the protection
against the rejuvenation in Germany,
that many mills manufacturing wool
en- goods were being put out of bust
ness by causes over which no one
has any control, namely, the DEGREES
of Dame Fashion that people should
wear silks instead of wOOlens. We
have had our troubles and we are
trying to work them out in our own
way. But the Senator's intimation
that the origin of this get-together
project in New England was aimed
at his part of the country in an effort
to withstand the demands of his part
of the country I think is not borne
out by the facts.
Mr.. SHIPSTEAD. If my remarks
perfectly willing to assure the Sen
ator that they were made more face
tiously than seriously.
Now just a word in conclusion. /
wanted to get some of these sug-
gestions before the Senate to direct
it's attention, if l could, to the econ
omic situation which we have here
now and the unequal distribution of
wealth in the last six years at time
when we have produced more wealth
in the United States than ever De-
fore in the history of the country.
How far the tariff affects this I'M
equal distribution of wealth / think
would be well for Congress to find
out. To what extent the fluctuation
| and initiation of the currency and the
credit situation affects it, / think the
Congress could well spend time to find
out. There are so many factors that
enter into the situation that if we
can get an investigation into the tar
iff schedule, and the various other
factors which affect the situation,
such as freight rates, we can have
some facts upon which to base
remedy. AS I said, / do not claim
| that complete remedy is in the pend
ing resolution, neither do 1 believe
complete remedy was in the
McNary-Haugen bill The causes are
many and come from various sources.
The remedy must come in various
measures that Congress can devise.
This, / think, is a step in the right
direction, so l shall vote for the pend
ing resolution.