The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1929-05-10
SAME OLD CAT is BACK
minneapolis Tribune)

WI lllltd pulls AlBtAACy
The situation in the United
States senate today illustrates one
phase of political activity which
has been playing too large a part
in American life. Various sen
ators are lining up on behalf OF
the debenture plan chiefly for the
fun of putting the President in a
hole. The President has already
let it be known that he is opposed
to the debenture plan. The de-
benture advocates are insisting
upon the incorporation of the de-
benture plan in the federal farm
board bill in full knowledge of the
fact that in the event that the
bill reached the President in that
form he would, in consistency, be
bound to veto it. This would
mean that agriculture, instead of
getting it's farm board and its
revolving fund, would get nothing.
Every one knows, of course,
that the congress is jealous of the
presidential prerogatives, and fire.
ouently enjoys making the path
of the President as difficult as
possible. That partly explains the
Willingness of certain Legislators
to subordinate the country's best
interests to the merry sport OF
bedeviling the President. Then,
too. passing the buck has certain
charms for many senators and
representatives. 1t was notorious
that many legislators who did not,
in their hearts, subscribe to the
equalization fee principle, voted
for it because they knew Presi-
dent Coolidge would have to veto
it. and because they wished to ap-
Dear right" before those of their
constituents who favored it. The
same thing is now happening as
regards the debenture plain.
Many legislators who now talk
debenture know perfectly well
that there isn't a chance in the
world to ride the debenture plan
over the President. They may
know. too. or should know, that
the debenture plan would have an
ultimately damaging effect upon
agriculture. But of what import
ance are those considerations
The great thing is to indulge IN
a little buncombe for the deben-
ture constituents back home, and
to make the President the goat OF
the proceedings. If agriculture
loses out all the way round, what
boots it?
That is the attitude which The
Tribune so greatly deplored when
the equalization fee bill was a live
issue. We had hoped that this at
titude would not again make 1t
self felt during the current special
session. But back here it is, the
same old cat with the same old
stripes. "In order to pretend to
the farmer that I'm holding out
for so cents, I'm willing to rob
him of the ten now held out to
him"-that pretty well sums up
the stand which this particular
type of legislator takes. Senator
Debenture, who knows perfectly
we'll that debenture hasn't a
chance. is willing to rob the farm
er of the farm board bill and the
revolving fund in order to pretend
to him that he is an enthusiastic
champion of agriculture. The
truth of the matter is hat his
creed is, agriculture be damned
i want votes" How men who
pose as champions of agriculture
can reconcile themselves to COM
hitting sabotage upon the whole
agricultural program is more than
we can understand. There is
nothing glorious about the game
of bedeviling a president, who is
seeking to do his best by the
country, but that phase of it is
venial beside the willingness to
sacrifice agriculture to a dema-
gogic pose.