Evening star., 1932-04-21
flowed from the Federal Treasury Il
the States.
One Dollar Ont of Five.

flowed from the Federal Treasury to
the States.
One Dollar Out of Five.
Thus, it is clear that only one dollar
out of five appropriated to the Depart
ment of Agriculture goes for our own
eXpenditures-ando of this dollar nearly
90 cents goes for public health services
ano conservation. The remaining AZ
cents may be said to be purely agri-
cultural
Consequently, when the mirror of in
! creaSing expenditures is held before
the Department of Agriculture, we see
not so much the work Of bureaucracy
as the demands of the States and OF
the people.
These statements are made not to
minimize the need for economy, nor to
| belittle any effort to cut down govern
mental expenditures, but to point out
some of the difficulties in the way of
achieving those desirable ends. Beyond
doubt there exists in the vast and
complicated machinery of Government
some of that sinister scheming and
reaching for larger powers which is
covered by the general term BUREAU
cracy." Nevertheless, it is not bureau
cracy which has built the machine and
added millions to our tax burdens. The
real culprit is the demand which has
come from the people, from organiza-
tions of class or special interests to
relieve local burdens or selfish interests
| from the Federal Treasury. To this
demand Congress, which derives its
mandates and its votes from the people,
! has lent an all too willing ear until
we have built up a set of needs and
machine against which Congress is it
self largely powerleSs Local Self-gov-
ernment has avoided its responsibilities
and abd.cated its powers. We have
/ built our own Frankenstein.
! Not the least of our difficulties is
| the fact that, by yielding to local and
| special demands, we have built up an
ever-growing appetite for larger de-
mands. I know of no better example
of this than the so-called crop produc-
| ton loans which the Department Of
! Agriculture is making to farmers.
| The genesis of crop loans lies in the
action of President Wilson when, in
answer to an emergency war need, he
! loaned small amounts in the North
western States to buy wheat for seed
only This action, proper as it was.
| Immediately became precedent which
has been expanded in peace time far
beyond its original intent.
The purposes of such loans have been
expanded to include not only seed but
feed for work animals, fertilizer, oil
and gasoline for tractors and repair
of irrigation bitches. In 1881 the pur-
poses were further expanded to include
drought relief. feed for live stock, agri-
cultural rehabilitation in all respects
affecting crops-and in 1892 to include
loans wherever farmers are otherwise
unable to obtain loans for crop purposes.
In my own three years at this post
I have seen the amounts expand from
six million dollars in 1880 to sixty-seven
million dollars in 1881 and two hundred
millions in 1882.
A few weeks ago I protested against
such loans and the enormous expansion
of the original innocent precedent.
Immediately I found myself in the
headlines. Also, I found myself the
target of some of the gentlemen who
imagined that some benefit would ac-
crue to them or to their constituents
from the loans.
One Senator charged me with being
unsympathetic to farmers. I hope l am
not lacking in sympathy with the Amerl-
can farmer. He is my client. His sue
cess is my job
In opposing such loans I am not
thinking CT the burden such huge sums
cast upon the taxpayers of this coun-
try (among them the farmer himsei)'
but 1 am thinking of the welfare OF the
American farm family.
I assert that you can't save American