Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-07
Curtis and Senators Watson
and Capper to Push
Fight on Selling.
FARM BOARD REFUSES
REVISION OF POLICY
Asked to Hold Grain From Market
Up to 85-Cent
Level.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Believing that the wheat situation In
this country threatens to become more
grave and that other agricultural prices
cannot fail to be affected, Vice Presi-
dent Curtis, Senator James E. Watson
Of Indiana, Republican leader of the
Senate, and Senator Arthur Capper of
Kansas, indicated today that they have
not abandoned their effort 10 have the
Federal Farm Board withhold from the
market for the next few months all Of
the wheat which the board took over
in the stabilizing operations of 1890
and 1929.
Just what the next move will be on
the part Of the Senators and the Vice
President has not yet been indicated.
The Vice President and Senator Cap
per appealed to the Farm Board itself
yesterday in a two-hour conference to
revise its statement of policy, but with
out success. So far they have not
taken the matter up with President
Hoover, it was said today. Nor did the
Vice President or the Senators say they
proposed to 60 direct to the Chief Ex-
ecutive in the matter. 1t seems prob
able, however, that after the final rush
VI lIlS llIGISOh6IIlIIlGIllSl OGUL Su>pGIi-
sion negotiations is past this matter OF
wteat may be called strongly to the
attention of the President himself.
Price Vital Matter.
Senator Capper said today that the
price of wheat is OF vital Importance to
the farmers of the West right now.
Both he and Senator Watson felt that
some assurance must be given to the
fa1 ~ no fral in in
that none CT the wheat surplus holdings
of the board should 60 on the market
for months to come and that state
nent should be issued by the board
to the effect that the policy would be
to sell no wheat either for a period of
several months or that it would not
sell until the price Of wheat on the
market had reached at least 85 cents
a bushel. They insisted that such an
assurance by the Farm Board would
greatly bereflt the farmers, who were
being pressed hard for money even be-
fore their wheat is harvested.
The wheat crop in Kansas, despite
less acreage than last year, promises to
be big, and the wheat crop for the en-
tire country is expected TO be millions
of bushels larger than last year. II
this be the case, unless there are crop
failures in Canada and ether wheat
growing nations, the surplus of last
year will be augmented by another sur
plus from this years crop.
Senator Capper and Senator Wat
son both expressed the opinion that
President Hoover's debt suspension
plan. now agreed to, was an eXceller>
move and would undoubtedly aid IN tn
world situation, and by improving gel
eral conditions might be expected to
aid the American farmers. They IN
sisted. however, that something must
be done to improve the market for
American wheat and to restore the
confidence Of the farmers and the buy
ers of wheat This could be done. they
said, by prompt redeclaratlon OF pol
icy by the Farm Board.
The wheat situation in the West, IN
addition to its economic possibilities mas
wide variety Of political possibilities
The farmers in the Western States for
the most part are Republican.
They look. however. to the admins
tration for relief and if they do not get
it the G. o. P. may suffer next year
in the national elections. Despite the
fact that Kansas is reckoned strong
Republican State. it elected last year
Democratic Senator and a Democratic
Governor The Republicans in Kansas
are hoping to supplant both these Off
Gals next year. They are looking for
ward to carrying Kansas for President
Hoover again, too They admit. however,
that there are difficulties which must
be ironed out in the Sunf1ower State II
they are to be successful And one OF
their problems is to make the farmer!
a bit more satisfied with their lot.
Talk Is Speculative.
Talk that Vice President Curtis
stand on the wheat question lines hiri
up in opposition to the administration
is the merest kind of speculation. The
Hoover administration is strongly sup
ported by Senator Capper and by Sena-
tor Watson, and will continue to be, al
though they have taken the same posi-
ton as the Vice President in this wheat
ma ter. The Vice President is still
as mum regarding his own political
plans for next year as he was before he
left Washington to return to his home
Continued on Page 2, Column D.