The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-07-12

that nothing but defeat can come
OF continued confidence in the rep
resentatives of the interests which
are at the bottom of the farmers
difficulties?
The Hoover Era with its pro-
gram of intensified competition
against foreign countries has need
of the greatest possible control and
Capitalization at home. The pres
ent special session of Congress has
pending fully a dozen bills intend
ed to further the process. The one
which is creating the most criticism |
IS the Tariff Bill with its attempt |
to enlarge the power of the execu-
tive through the flexible provisions
of the 1922 Fordney-McCumber
law. Actually, however, the pro-
posed James Manpower Conscrip-
ton Bill is the most menacing. A
word first about the tariff bill.
So significant is the flexible
provision in the bill considered that
even such reactionary representa-
tives as James M. Beck, Republi-
can of Pennsylvania (for reasons
of his own, of course) have taken
a stand and have voted against it.
Beck has characterized it as the
most far-reaching transfer of the
powers of Congress to the presi-
dent that has ever been proposed"
The flexible provision, it will be
recalled, is that feature of the bill
which grants the president auth
ority to change by 500 upward or
downward the duty on any commo-
dity if in his judgment he believes
the situation warrants it. Under
! the provisions of the bill passed
by the House, the tariff commits
! sion, need no longer be a bi-par-
: tisan body, thereby further en-.
{ trenching the presidents hold
/ The president may arrive at his
! estimate of valuation of article!
v to be changed by considering only
| home production costs--or he may
f guess at those costs if suitable
: statistics are not availablel Thi
\ power can be used by the president
n Beck, has shown, to favor one in
r dustry as against another, one sec
e ton of the country of many; i
e might be so used as to destroy al
). industry entirely; he might througl
). the virtual taxing power thus plac
: ed in his hands build up a machin
t and a following to perpetuate him
r self in power and office that onl
r. death or political revolution
d could unseat him, Beck has de
g clared.
n Under the proposed James Mar
a power Consumption Bill which
h due for consideration in the regu
al lar session, the president would b
Is empowered at any time to pre-
2 claim a state of war with any n;
4 ton. Congress in passing tn
Id legislation, in connection with oil
r er measures recommended by tt
m war department, and for whiC
ne there is known to be considerab
e. support, would abandon its W;
ne making power in toto. The Fe
eral Farm Board, it has been r
ry peatedly shown virtually max
he the president and his appointe
al the dictators Of agriculture, pr
ge negative to be exercised not il
Oh mediately, of course, but when t
re situation has been sufficiently ia
tie en- in hand and when the prese
mt novelty of the business has wO
nd off. The census bill just pass
d. place in the hands of the preside
he not alone for the next but in t
W case of all future reapportio
d. ments the power of declaring t
H. number of representatives for We
M ious states or districts. An amen
ms ment to include the appointees
he the civil service list was defeatt
1t hence the president will gain t
Use additional power of naming a hu
nd dred thousand political workers