Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-28
Farm Board Made Subject
OF Debate as Members Quit

Vigorous debate on the subject OF
Federal Farm Board policies follows
! the announced retirement of Chairman
! Alexander Legge and some of his aSso-
ciates in the organization. Much at
| tention Is given to the appraisal Of the
services of Mr.. Legge revealing sharp
| differences of opinion as to the value
of the work. Favorable comments credit
| the board with a contribution to mar
keting methods.
"Mr. Legge was selected for his job, y
according to the New York Sun, "be-
cause he is q business man who knew
| farming, an executive acquainted with
rural conditions, a f1nancier sound, but
not hard-boiled. In that job he has led
dual life: the exigencies OF an i'm
possible task have led him into deals
condemned by his judgment, but con-
doned by act of Congress. He will leave
the ungenial atmosphere of public life
with the Farm Board almost smothered
in wheat, the United States Govern
ment in the market up to the flag on
the Capitol dome, Congress dissatisfied,
the farmer-politicians unappeased and
the business community bewildered."
Some solid accomplishments" are
seen by the st. Paul Dispatch, such as
solidifying of the cooperative move
ment and the rescue of agriculture from
the consequences of the more complete
price collapse that took place else
where" The Dispatch feels that much
of this success has been due to the en-
ergy and courageous determination of
Mr.. Legge." The Chattanooga Times
assumes that eff the American people
SHALL because of the disappointing re-
suits of the relief undertaking, lose some
80 l,1i,. FoiA H..
power of government to work wonders,
been in vain" That paper comedies
that conditions might have been worse
if it had not been for the board" and
advises, "Overproduction at home
against the advice of Chairman Legge,
overproduction abroad and a general
def1ation movement were factors which
neither Chairman Legge nor any other
man, the Federal Farm Board nor any
other agency, governmental or private,
could have overcome"
X X X
Statements by Samuel r. McKelvie,
one of the retiring members, are quoted
by the Roanoke Times, particularly one
that the board docs not regard emer-
gency sterilization operations as some
thing that can be lightly or frequently
reSorted to-" The Times states further,
1T is pointed out that the board does
not believe that any agency, either
public or private can permanently stay
the operation of natural laws" The
Erie Dispatch Herald holds that "these
men have performed valuable service
in instructing farm interests on the
benefits to be secured from cooperation
and in pointing out the futility of add
ing increased production to an already
excessive supply of commodities"
What Mr.. Legge did was to take
flier,'" thinks the Rock Island Argus
IF he had won, he would have been
hailed as a financial wizard. 1t is no
discredit to him that he didn't win.
Maybe 1t was worth more than the
board spent to make the experiment.
Mr.. Legge put in his best ticks. Let
Yakima Daily Republic sees "a gesture
that had to be made to satisfy certain
factions that it was futile"
The chairman's plain speaking" ac-
cording to the New York Evening Post.
added to the criticism of the boards
activities. particularly in his attempt
to stabilize the grain market, but many
Of his critics were willing to admit that
the board contributed materially to the
rehabilitation of agriculture" Although
recognizing bitter opposition" as af-
fecting the retirement of the chairman.
the Walla Walla Bulletin contends that
the board ''has just begun its work and
is far from through with the program
which 1t undertook"
1T is probable" in the opinion of
the Oakland Tribune that Mr. Legge's
efforts have fastened the time when
the wheat farmers will be organized
and educated in ways to cope with the
problems of world markets. AS a unit
they may reduce acreage; as individuals
they have refused. Through its stabili-
cation corporation the board has taken |
in hand great stock of wheat in the
face of world overproductions and has
pegged the American price we'll above |
the world price The wheat Rrowers
have rot been receiving as much as
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