Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-12
BY WILLIAM HARD.

Frank Roosevelt, new 1oTk OOV-
ernor, Is preparing to cut wide swath
In the agricultural Republican WEST If
he gets the Democratic nomination for
President next year.
That Is the political meaning inner
ent in his learned academic speech on
local taxation at the University OF Viz
einia last week. Mr.. Roosevelt's an
alysis of local taxation consisted largely
Of the extraordinary accomplishments
Of his New York State government in
lifting local burdens from the farmer
and transferring them to the State.
His speech conceded with vigorous
onslaughts by certain Republican Ma
tional leaders-notably Vice President
Curtis and Senators Capper and Wat
son and Brookhart-upon the Repub-
lican administrators Federal Farm
Board for declining to promise to keep
its Government wheat all locked up
during the immediate private wheat SELL
ing season. 1t also conceded with the
ascertained certainty OF the legislative
revival next December Of the project
for requesting the Federal Land Banks
to stop foreclosing upon the lands OF
farmers unable to repay their loans.
4 =
These two efforts to move the Fed
eral Government toward new forms OF
farm relief" sem destined to enor-
nous publicity but doomed ultimately to
essential failure. Meanwhile Mr.. Roose-
velt'S reductions Of the tax loads OF
the farmers of his State seem likely to
be propagandized throughout the West
as the solidest contribution made to
agricultural welfare by any American
statesman at this time.
So the propagandizers will say, and
- wvtn Ill yv,tA knk1 rtt
racy-the following facts:
/. The New York State government
has abolished the direct State tax upon
the farmers real and PERSONAL property
2. This last year the New York State
government took $85 000. 900 of its own
raised revenue and returned it to the
local governments, mainly rural, within
the State
8. The New York State government
this present year is additionally, in
State aid" granting to the local gov
ernments 100000 for county high
ways, 100000 for town highways, and
| 10000, 900 for schools
4. The New York STATE government
has undertaken to relieve the county
governments of future aggregate expend-
itures of $54,000, 900 for highways and
100000 for bridges.
There are other similar facts which
accumulate into dizzying total on
the political behalf of Mr. Roosevelt.
A neutral scientific comment has been
made upon them by Mr.. Basil Manly
profs ssional economist, who recently. in
company with Mr.. Charles M. Kelley
concluded special study of local agri-
cultural taxation for the Rawleigh
Foundation. Mr.. Manly says:
1t appears to me, out of our study
that New York has made more substan-
tial actual progress toward relieving the
farmers tax burden than-with one DOS
slble exception-any other State in the
Union"
Statesmen here have studied the sta
tisticS presented by Mr.. Roosevelt at
the University Of Virginia with large
political awakenment. They previously
had been much puzzled by. Mr.. Roose-
velt's demonstrated skill at the harvest
ing OF votes on Republican farms in the
upper part OF New York State. They
now perceive that there has been a
solid pecun1ary reason. The two recent
Democratic administrations of New
York State CMr. Smiths and Mr..
Roosevelt's) have been favored by the
urban Tammany vote, but they have
been favcring the rural Republican
vote.
x 81
1t has been rendered apparent that a
dry rural Republican can be quite con-
siderably softened toward a wet urban
Democrat who builds bridges for him
out Of the city slicker's money.
That lesson the friends of Mr.. Roose-
welt propose to expound on a grand
scale to the agrarian leaders Of the
mighty West next year.
vsyi11 ct L..
on the one-sidedneSs, as they will ex-
press it, of the Hoover administration
in the matter Of moratoriums.
4 +
Senator Harrison of Mississippi, DEM
ocrat, did his best in the last session
of the Congress to try to persuade Sec
rotary of the Treasury Mellon that it
would be a good idea to grant an
l8-month moratorium to necessitous
farmers owing money to the Federal
Land Banks in the Federal loan sys-
TEN, under the jurisdiction Of the Fed
eral Farm Loan Board. Mr.. Harrison
Mellon, as Secretary Of the Treasury,
should be empowered to advance gov
ernmental money to the Federal Land
Banks to enable them to stand the
financial strain thus incurred. Mr..
Mellon remained unconvinced. He re-
piled:
"It would be extremely inadvisable,
and, In fact, impossible, for the banks
to announce or authorize any general
extension of time Of payments, since II
is absolutely necessary for the preserva-
ton of these banks and Of their bonds
that every borrower who is able to pay
his installment shall do so promptly"
Since that time Mr.. Mellon has
helped to negotiate a one-year mora :
torium for foreign governments owing
money to the United States Treasury,
and congressional supporters Of Mr.
Harrison's proposed 16-month agricul-
tural moratorium are preparing to greet
Mr.. Mellon, upon his return to this
country, with ar earnest appeal TO the
effect that his Paris precedent be ex-
tended into American practice.
This appeal will be In vain. n a