The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-03-01
Farmers a Cham
pion of Rights in
Alexan d Legge
Continues from maze one,

sSO1At1IluC' tTOU Ua.G VIC
q block away from the Farm Board
offices, and is up early every morn
ing to exercise with the Hoover
medicine ball cabinet" This rnedi-
cine ball tossing is said to be his
nearest approach to social life. He has
made friends all e the world, but
has no family and usually takes pa
pers to his hotel to work on at night.
All his movements seem to be guild
ed by his determination to put the
farm job over in a big way.
When President Hoover sounded
him out about leaving his 100000
a-year job as president of the Inter-
national Harvester Co., to go on the
Farm Board, Legge is said to have
accepted on condition that he be
made chairman. Originally he took
the Job for q single year. ending next
July Is, but 1t seems unlikely that he
will quit at that time unless con-
vinced that the campaign to put agri-
culture on a sound basis is off to q
good start.
Appreciates Farmer
After selling farm machinery for
40 years Legge appreciated what
farmers were up against and also
that the farming business has been
the basis for his own rapid rise.
I'm not a seeker for the job," he
told the Senate Agriculture Commit
tee after some objection had been
made to confirmation of his appoint
ment. Il am not even a volunteer.
You can't hurt my feelings by send
ing me home. That is perfectly all
right and I am perfectly willing you
should.
80. . I think perhaps I know
more farmers personally than even
any Of you"
Legge was quickly confirmed and
has been talking turkey to people
here ever since. He told President
Butterworth of the U. S. Chamber of
Commerce. for instance. that the
chamber ought to divest itself of the
economic theories of the horse and
buggy age.
Senator Caraway of Arkansas,
questioning Legge. said: II believe
you said you read the farm bill 20
times and didn't understand it?"
Frankly" replied Legge. II will
read it 20 times more and then I am
doubtful whether I will understand
it."
"Work Just Starting
II may be kicked out and probably
WILL" he told the American Farm
Bureau Federation in warning it that
SURPRISES must be controlled at the
source. But the work Is being start
ed and the rest depends on YOU"
Legge's present popularity here was
mostly achieved when he defied Ju-
Illus Barnes and the western grain
dealers. The grain farmers never did
like the dealers, who made most of
the profits in the business, but they
were at the dealers mercy. Now they
have a champion in Legge. The
Farm Board has been trying to set up
q marketing and sterilization Struc-
ture owned and operated by farmers.
II the grain operators + forced
from control the farmers may get q
fair break. Because Legge wanted
the farmer to dominate the Market
ing system the operators went gun
ming for him. Barnes, q large x
porter and chairman Of the directors
Of the U. S. Chamber Of Commerce,
led the charge. He found no IN
couragement at the white house or
anywhere else.
That incident, plus the credit given
him for stepping in at the time of
the stock market crash and pegging
wheat at $l.25 a bushel when it might
have gone down to 60 OF 70 cents,
seemed to make Legge solid with both
the farmers and the belligerent SEN
ate farm bloc which has kept off his
neck yer since, turning it's guns on
the grain dealers.
No Pull" Behind Scenes
That's the first time my motives
were every questioned" Legge said
Of the dealers criticisms after he had
told them that II they wanted action
they must put their case squarely be-
fore the board without depending on
any work behind the scenes.
Some delegations Of farmers come
to the board and want the earth,
but Legge sees to 1t that they COM
ply with the provision Of the law
that all loans must be reasonably
safe.
"All you fellows want is to be led
around by the hand" he told one
group. you've got to do something
for yourselves"
He doesn't often tel. anyone to go
to hell In so many words, but he has
on occasion when they made him