Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-16
P|TTMAN AND ALLEN
DEBATE FARM PLAN
KanSan LaudS Program of
Observation-Disclosures
ASSailS It.
Continued From First Page.>

that the debenture clause finally wa
stricken out. Nobody doubted its ulti
mate defeat, he said, for the reasol
that members of Congress opposing tn
Presidents announced views would no
take the responsibility of going to tn
country with O refusal to concur In al
effort to solve the farm problem. II
remarked that once the Senate force'
the House to go on record with an ex
preston on the debenture plan tina
body voted against 1t with surprising
alacrity."
TT is astonishing" he said. referring
the House, that men will denounc
y measure up to the very moment o
the vote and then vote for 1t" .
realize" he added, that the statenen
casts reflection on q man who get
himself in a parliamentary box"
Pittman's Explanation.
Senator Pittmans explanation Of the
ANAL vote in the Senate, which disclosed
only eight of all who had fought for
the debenture plan voting for the bill
without it, was as follows:
I'm the face of the active and bitter
opposition Of the President to the de-
benture plan. and in view OF the con-
duct Of the House Of Representatives,
further effort upon the part Of the
friends Of the farmers seemed hopeless
and futile, so some of these Senators
surrendered their convictions and voted
to pass the administration bill in the
hope that experience will convince the
administration of their error where
pledges, reason and logic have failed"
Senator Pittman contended that ade-
duate discussion of the debenture plan
was had before the Senate agriculture
committee incorporated 1t in Its bill.
The discussion, he said. incorporated
testimony before a subcommittee OF
Agriculture Department experts TO
whom the President had referred the
subject. He cited Senator Borah's ad-
vocacy Of the debenture plan, deScrib-
ing Borah as one Of the responsible
spokesman for Mr. Hoover during the
presidential campaign.
Allen Held 1t Stranger"
Senator Aliens view was that injec-
ton Of the debenture plan by the
Senate was SURPRISING" Agreeing that
the plan had been discussed in an ear
lier period, he held that the public was
IAN entire stranger to debenture." In
view Of pledges made during the CAM
paign, he asserted, the people were
bound to hold that Congress would fol-
low the President more closely perhaps
than at other times because OF the
primary emergency Of the agricultural
situation.
Senator Pittman prepared his address
IN advance of delivery, but Senator
Allen spoke extemporaneously, not haV-
ing had an opportunity to put his views
in writing for the broadcast.
Senator Pittman spoke as follows:
Ladies and gentlemen Of the radio
audience:
Through the kind invitation OF the
Star National Radio Forum, have the
honor and privilege to address you with
regard to the reasons for and the ac-
complishments of the present special
session of Congress.
Let us first ascertain the reasons
which impelled the President to call the
special and extraordinary session OF
Congress. In the first sentence OF MS
message to Congress he said:
II have called this special session OF
Congress to redeem two pledges given in
the last election--farm relief and linn
tied changes In the tariff"
The pledges referred to In the Presi-
dents message were those made by him
and by his authorized spokesman during
the last campaign, and the promises
contained in the Republican platform
that THE Republican party pledges
itself to the development and enactment
OF medbuTCb WHICH SLldlA pLACC tIIC a6AA-
cultural interests Of America on basis
of economic equality with the industries
to insure its prosperity and success"
The limited changes In the tarih EVIL
IDENTIFY referred to changes that would
tend to reduce the price Of things the
farmer must buy and increase the price
Of the products that he sells. That tariff
revision alone could not fully accom-
plish such purpose was confessed by the
81 nf iVr hA
1ican platform for farm relief and in
the speeches delivered by the Repub-
hcan candidate to the voters Of the
country.
Progress Is Reviewed.
The necessity for q general revision
of the tariff schedules or the raising OF
the tariff rates upon the products Of
manufacturing industries was not inti-
mated in the Republican platform.
What has been accomplished so far
by the special session of Congress in
the redemption of such pledges? Upon
the converting of Congress substantially
identical administration farm relief
bills were introduced in the Senate and
in the House Of Representatives and
referred to the committee on agricul-
ture in each body. The Senate COM
nittee Immediately proceeded with the
consideration and study Of the proposed
legislation. Twelve hearings were held
and Sixty-six witnesses were heard. The
so-called optional debenture plan was
proposed in committee as an addition
10 the bill by way Of amendment, SO
that it might be utilized by the Presi-
dents farm board at its option, in
the event that the permanent plan eS-
fablished in the bill should prove in
effective rs to some particular crop.
Such debenture plan was fully discussed
and considered at such hearings. The
committee favored the adoption Of such
debenture amendment. Before action
was taken, however, subcommittee,
appointed by the committee, called upon
the President to ascertain his views
with regard to such debenture amend
ment. The subcommittee was advised
by the President-so it was asserted in
the Senate-that he had substantially
at that particular moment no opinion
upon the subject. but referred the SUBJ
committee and the committee on agri-
culture to the experts OF the Agriculture
Department.
thereafter the committee on agricul-
NWre called before it the experts OF the
Agriculture Department and listened to
their testimony. The hearings being
closed, the committee voted unanimously
to adopt the debenture amendment to
the Dill, ana tnen, py ununiInOuo fOCe,
reported favorably to the Senate the
bill, including the debenture amend
ment.
Senate Adopted Debenture.
The Senate by an aye and no vote
adopted the debenture amendment u
the bill, and then by an aye and no vot'
passed the bill as so amended. INT
chairman of the committee, on the hool
of the Senate, after the adoption OF thu
debenture amendment and the passage
Of the bill by the Senate, stated that III
and three other members OF the com
I.. axraniikirrA mating of fhI