Evening star., 1932-09-18
Text of Vice President Curtis Speech

ii IL
BY the Associated Press.
FOGELSVILLE, Pa, September 18-
The text of Vice President Curtis ad-
dress opening his campaign speaking
tour at a rally Of Pennsylvania Re-
pubncans here yesterday follows:
What further is to be done for farm
relief is a big problem. The issue is
not new. 1t has been most important
at different times ever since entered
| Congress in 1898. That agriculture
,, should be stabilized and brought back
| to a condition of profit and prosperity
is admitted by all. That the farmers
should be brought into a situation OF
equality with industry is admitted by
all. While Congress has been trying
to solve the farm problem since the
end of the World War and has en-
acted many measures looking to that
end, yet much more remains to be
done. 1t is an important question in
this campaign, and in order to de-
termine which of the two great parties
is most likely to solve it fairly and
justly it seems to me that a compari-
son of their record on the question is
! most important.
urged to plant and grow more crops,
they were asked to produce more stock
This they did. and at the end OF the
war they were harder hit than any
other industry.
Opposed Price Fixing Move.
When legislation was pending during
! the war there was movement to f1x
! the price of farm products. This was
objected to by Senator Kenyon of Iowa
and myself and others, and We told
/ those in charge if they fixed the price
/ of what the farmer had to sell they
must fix the price of the articles he
had to buy. But in the act of August
| 10. 1917. the President was authorized
! if he should find an emergency existed
requiring stimulation Of the production
| of wheat, to fix the price. The day
before the price was fixed Senators NC
Cumber, Kellogg. Sterling and I called
upon President Wilson and urged MIN
| If the price was to be fixed 1t be fixed
| at the market price when the agitation
| to fix the price began.
Section IA OF the act Of August TO-
1917, reads:
THAT whenever the President
shall find that an emergency exists
requiring stimulation Of the produc.
tion of wheat and that Is essential
that the producers of wheat, pro-
duced within the United States,
shall have the benefits of the guar
anty provided for in this section, ne
IS authorized, from time to time.
seasonably and as far In advance OF
seeding time as practicable, to de-
termine and fix and to give public
notice of what, under specified con-
ditions. is a reasonable guaranteed
price for wheat, in order to assure
such producers a reasonable profit"
In 1920, because of the low rates OF
duties on agricultural products con-
tanned in the Underwood-Slmmon
tariff act, there was imported into this
country agricultural products OF the
value, in round numbers. of $3,OOO,0 ,0O0,-
000 This, of course, started a move
ment for an emergency tariff act on ag-
ricultural products.
Emergency Tariff Voted.
I am sure that the farmers and
stockmen have not forgotten that In
1920 they asked for and were entitled
to an emergency tariff on farm prod
ucts. Such measure was passed by q
Republican House and Republican
Senate. The vote on this measure IN
the House. December %, 1920, was lis
Republicans and l6 Democrats for the
measure and 7 Republicans and "a
Democrats against it, In the Senate
the vote was "a Republicans and 8
Democrats for the measure and Re-
publicans and 26 Democrats against it
After passage the bill was vetoed by
President Wilson. 1t was one Of his
last vetoes and word Of it was sent to
the House March 4, 1921.
A special session of Congress was
called for April IL, 1921. That Con-
gress, being Republican in both branches
and having a Republican President tC
pass upon its act began to work on the
emergency tariff act. The measure
which had been vetoed by President
Wilson was reintroduced and it was
enacted into law under the Republican
administration which took control OF
the Government March 4, 1921. The
vote on this question in the House, April
Is. 1921, was 256 Republicans and 13
Democrats in favor of its passage and
Republicans and 102 Democrats against
it. In the Senate the vote was had May
II, 1921, and stood 56 Republicans and
Democrats for its passage and l Re-
publican and 27 Democrats against.
The farmer and stockmen asked for
an extension of the War Finance
Corporation that had been helpful tc
them. This measure passed the House
and Senate and was vetoed by Presi-
dent Wilson and later passed over
his veto.
Special Farm Drive.
In the session of the Congress in
1921 to 1923 a special drive was made
to help agriculture-there were 26 laws
under Republican administration, the
President, the House and the Senate
When these laws were enacted it was
thought by many that the required re-
lief would be afforded. The American
Farm Bureau in its annual report OF
April 6. 1928, had the following to say
about them:
"The passing Of the sixty-seventh
Congress into history marks an
epoch in the undertaking of the
American Farm Bureaus national
legislative campaign. 1t is not too
much to say that the 26 laws passed
by that Congress, which were initi-
ated or supported by us, are of far
more importance to American agri-
culture than all the legislation re-
| lating to agriculture passed since the
adoption of our Constitution"
This report fully described the %
laws. Among them was the McCumbel
tariff act and by the. way. the Gov
ernor of New York in his speech in my
home town, Topeka, Kans., on Septem-
Der IA, 1882. said:
THE Fordney-McCumber tariff
barrier shut off the normal tide OF
trade"
I Judge the Governor took this state
ment from the report of the Democratic
minority on the tariff act of 1922 OF
from the speech Of Senator Swanson
made during the consideration of the