The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-06-14
congress DaIIies as the
OXoTicuIturaI Crisis Grows

members of the Senate will have the
excuse that thy fought a noble if
losing fight. The administration will
take the blame-but after four wears.
it is hoped, the farmers will again
forget and forgive.
All this has a certain plausibilitv
1t may even come to pass but basic
developments point to a quite differ
ent course than the politicians of easy
conscience anticipate. In the first
place the farm crisis now developing
is no passing matter;experts admit
il is a more or less permanent one.
Coupled with it, though not yet drae-
tic. is growing industrial depression
as evidenced by the recent break in
the stock market all along the line.
Both developments react on one an
other
Government officials IN the Depart
mert Of Agriculture freely admit T..
not f0r ptb,ication, of course, liza The
administration farm bill viii have -
appreciate effect OIL the farm crisis.
The break IL farm prices since the
rresert s,.ssi'n of Congress has peen
called has already, it is eltiria ell.
cost the farmers some $250,010,0O0.
Wheat is selling at the lowet fiyue
in 10 Gears. Department of agricul-
ture officials predict that It will %
t. 75c a Lshel Conservative es :
mates place the possible farm loss E..
this year due to the current nartec
break alone at between fiv and TX
hundred iailllon of dollars. This will
mean untold hardship and bankruptcy
ly the thousands.
In the face Of such a deep-go.ne
crisis political maneuvering alone will
not suffice tor the Representatives
Of the people" Those like Senate.
Arthur Cappcr whose ear is ever tc
the ground to hear the direction The
wind is blowing have already become
sufficiently frightened to pay hurried
calls upon President Hoover. Senator
Capper followingl his conferenc,
sought to appear deeply non-commita
but managed to convey the broaC
hint that the subject of discussion
was the matter of Kansas patronage
thereby suggesting what was un
doubtedly the fact, namely that h,
had been threatened with the loss O,
patronage should he withdraw sup
port of the administration.
But there is an even more poten
reason for believing that the betray
al of the farmers cause will not b.
so easy this time, that is the issu
of the tariff. Try as the administra
tion will, the farm bill and tariff
measure are inseparably held togeth
err. The members of he Senate, a
much as they might like to do SO
cannot escape the penalty which the
know will follow the abandonment O
the farm problem and the passage o
the highest and worst tariff bill i
the history of the country. At tn
same time the manufacturing inter
ests and their spokesman in tn
, House have no intention of abandon
ing their effort to get the tariff bi
. passed. 1t is apparently both @
| neither. But no tariff bill acceptabl
{ to the manufacturing interests can b
{ passed without the consent of the me-
alignment of farm representative
{ and Democrats. This means thu
r some agreement must be worked OF
, in advance which will help the Sens
: tors save their faces for home dii
= play.
Y But how, in the light of the grow
r ing farm crisis. This question
t keeping many a politician awaE
E nights.