Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-28

| the country would like to see them get,
but they have Jared better than they
! would had there been no Farm Board
| in the field"
That members of the board "have
done their best to make a go of the
administrators plan of agricultural re-
lief few deny" says the Atlanta Jour-
nal; that they have succeeded still
fewer maintain. Figs cannot be gath
cred from thistles. Certainly the rank
| and file of farmers are no better of.
| Instead the markets for their products
are. in the main, more depressed, the
! returns from their capital and labor
more meager. Whatever the excuses and
explanations, the fact remains that the
promise to place agriculture on an eco
nomic equality with other industries
has come virtually to naught."
Gas for the man in the cotton busi-
ness" argues the New Orleans Times
Picayune, the Farm Board policies
nave taken away part of his estab-
liShed trade, but supply and demand
went on just the same, as far as prices
are concerned Hurting the business Of
the cotton man did not help the BUSH
ness OF the farmer On the contrary.
olsrupting the regularly established
trade probably helped to hurt the farm
ton supposedly taken off the market.
The designations of Chairman Legge
and Mr.. McKelvie might well change
this situation. If we must continue ex-
perimenting with an unsound PROPOSE
ton. at least let it be done without run
ming contrary to economic principles
and without disrlpting the established
business OF the country, especially If the
farmer receives no benefit from doing
otherwise
ADVICE from the Charleston Evening
Post 1s4lSat President Hoover set about
lquldat1hg the Farm Board as fast as
possible" and as to the retiring chair
man, that paper offers the comment:
Cotton and grain will be a long time
getting ever the i'll effects of the chair
mans policies. He will be chiefly re-
membered as the man who exhorted
farmers not to sell cotton when it was
~ cents pound and wheat when it
was 81 so bushel and who urged hold
ing at these prices with all the weight of
government authority behind his adj
wee. Nobody can calculate what indi-
Vlduals lost as result of Mr. Legge,s
ADVICE. Worse than this, however. was
ms EFFORT to try to corner the cotton
ana wheat markets with buying orders
INTENDED to prevent the inevitable down.
ward trend of the two commodities.
This will eventually cost everybody
money, put most of all the farmers il
was intended to help"
The position that the personnel of
the board was good, but that the law
ialied to meet the situation, is taken
py the Dayton Daily News, the Column
ouS Ohio State Journal, the Mem
pms commercial Appeal the Chatta-
las Journal and the Detroit News. The
charlotte Observer says that Mr.. Legge
tackles job that the ablest mind in
the Nation would have quailed before"
ana that he had the courage of his
convictions" The Sioux Falls Argus
Leader points out that the members of
the BOARD, "venturing into new field"
forts to be of assistance" The Hous-
ton Chronicle advises "a new approach
to the farm problem"
The tendency to criticize harshlv
ana lndiScriminately all men in public
once Is growing upon the people, and
creates very serious, If not menacing
situation, which may cripple public
service" declares the Pasadena star.
News, while the Buffalo Evening News
mterprets the criticism of the board
as expressions of resentment at tbs
policy OF bringing into public service
men of the highest business experiences
and ability" The Savannah News sue-
gests that Chairman Legge may go
back to private business convinced that
oE!y man with a skin as thick as an
alligator's ought to try for public hon
ors." The Kansas City Times feels
tnat 1t must be a matter of satisfac-
ton to Mr.. Legge to receive so many
protests over his retirement"
The people of the country as
whole" asserts the Little Rock Arkansas
Democrat. will applaud the man for
his efforts, whether or not they were
successful. He has displayed an excep-
tionally unselfish spirit and that is more
novel than some might believe. especially
dlstry as Mr.. Legge."