Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-12
BY WILLIAM HARD. :

The export debenture plan of farm
relief is at this week end in full course
toward more havoc and more laughter.
1t has already split the Republican
party In the Senate and has made the
Democrats laugh. It is now about to
split the Democratic party in the House
Of Representatives, and make the Re-
publicans laugh.
In the Senate only two Democrats,
Ransdell of Louisiana and Wagner OF
New York, voted against the plan on
roll call. Two other Democrats, King
of Utah and Walsh Of Massachusetts,
however, were paired against 1t. The
total, therefore, of objecting Democrats
in the whole Senate was four. AL the
other Democrats in the Senate went
along with the plan, including the rank
ing Democratic member Of the Senate
committee ON agriculture. Smith Of
South Carolina. In the House of Re-
representatives. the situation Is very con-
siderably different.
Aswell Opposes Plan.
In the House the ranking Democratic
member of the committee on agricul-
ture is ASwell of Louisiana. He has
declared himself against the export
dehenture plan most emphatically.
His statement is of large political i'm
pOIIdIlCe. Ii IL dS 1OlkOWS
II have had no objection to the
debenture plan, but I went to Europe
and studied it for several months in
the countries of Germany and Bel
GUM and Sweden and also in CZecho-
slovakia. The conditions in those coun-
tries are vastly different from condi-
tons in the United States. When I
left that study I was convinced that
the debenture plan will not work in
Ian T1ff f0tn t1n
we are so large and have so many
commodities and such large acreage.
1T has been abandoned in England
completely, and in the little country of
Belgium it works on only few articles.
I would never vote for any plan that
would bring the farmers of the United
States into state of poverty that the
farmers are in CZechoslovakia. In my
humble judgment will say that I have
no objection to the debenture plan as
such. 1t would apply to two commodi-
ties, wheat and cotton, and perhaps to-
bacco: but would have members of
this chamber remember that the COM
modities of cotton and wheat constitute
less than 10 per cent of the products
of the United States, and we would
have the other products of the United
States paying tribute to these commod-
tiles. The plan would not work in the
United States"
KincheIOe Fortifies Stand.
These views by Mr.. Aswell would seem
to indicate that part at least of the
Democratic agricultural leadership of
the House will start with strong hos
tility to the export debenture plan as
sent over to the House from the Senate.
This conclusion is fortified by stimuli
taneous statement from Representative
Kincheloe of Kentucky, who ranks i'm
mediately after Mr.. Aswell on the DEM
ocratic side Of the committee on agri-
culture of the House. Mr.. Kincheloe has
said:
81 am going to vote for a bill which
will be signed by the President of the
United States. I know that bill with
an export debenture provision in it Is
not going to become a law. I am not
fooling myself, and we ought not to
fool each other. The President of the
United States has been kind enough to
consult me twice recently about this
legislation. In justice to him want to
say that think he has sincere desire
to bring prosperity to American agricul-
ture. 1 am sure that the bill, without
the debenture plan, meets with his APP
prevail; and If 1t becomes law l think
he will exert every effort to make 1t
workable and helpful measure.
while I am a Democrat, I shall
play no politics In enacting a measure
for American agriculture, but Will CO.
operate in every way can with the
President of the United States to enact
the best farm bill possible and, above
all, want to see a farm bill on thu
statute book of the United States with
in the next few weeks"
These remarks by Mr.. Kincheloe and
Mr.. Aswell together constitute one
trend of thought among the Democrats
in the House of Representatives. A
totally different trend Is illustrated by
Mr.. Garner of Texas, who is the mi
nority floor leader and also ranking
Democratic member of the ways and
means committee, which deals with
tariff legislation.
Mr.. Garner gives his full support to
tho export debenture plan and will rally
as much Democratic strength to 1t as
he possibly can. There seems at this
moment to be little doubt that he will
have considerable success IN ms enort:
His position is one Of the most striking
interestingness.
Garner Open to Conviction.
Mr.. Garner has been extremely de-
voted to effective tariff protection for
the products of Texas. In the ways
and means committee he has given
CFC4y POooAOiS infringement W wiz
nesses who would set forth the benefits
which higher tariff would confer upon
such products as the tomato. Unlike
most of the Democratic advocates of
the export debenture, Mr.. Garner Is
open to conviction on the benefits of
the tariff and able to believe that a
tariff on an agricultural product may
do great deal Of good. Most Demo-
Gratis, in arguing for the debenture
plan. have asserted that the tariff was
ineffective for agriculture and that &C