Evening star., 1932-11-24
BUSINESS SSMENbACk.
FARM AID PROGRAM.
Chicago Conference Gives
Agriculture Support 1t
Never Had Before.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CHICAGO, November "a. When
Congress again takes up the problem
of devising practical measures OF reliei
for agriculture, it will find an entirely
different class of backing for the pro-
gram offered than at any time in the
past. az
Overnight, business has joined agri-
culture in this section of the land, 10
demand enactment Of legislation that
win provide the farmer with the same
sort of protection as that accorded
industry by the tariff. During. past
years, when farm organizations forced
enactment of bills designed to work this
reform, business has inspired presl-
Dental vetoes.
Hartman Leads Conference.
The present week has seen in Chi
cago gathering of executives OF m
dustrial concerns to formulate rele1
program fer agriculture and to provlde
the driving force for its enactment.
Henry I. Hartman, president OF the
Chamber of Commerce of the United
states, has inspired the conference. end
Gen. Robert E. Wood. president OF
Sears, Roebuck &, Co., is vigorously sup
porting him, with many prominent IN
dustrislists enlisted in the enterprise.
At the same time the Chicago Jour-
nal of Commerce, in the past actively
opposed to all measures for providing
a subsidy to agriculture similar to tnat
given industry through the tariff, has
Indicated sympathetic reaction 70 tne
present moves. The Chicago Daily
News, conservative and Republican, has
done likewise.
City Depends on Farms.
Said Mr.. Wood, sounding the new
note of support for an agricultural pro-
gram on the part OF industry:
'.It has been mystery to me why
business men of Chicago and the Mid
die West, whose prosperity depends on
the prosperity of the producers in the
States of this area, should adopt an at
titude of opposition to any possible
move that would help the farmer.
'.The city Is an artificial organism.
The farm or homestead is natural
one. Elementally, the land producer
can do without the city, but the city
cannot do without the farmer.
''For IL years the farmers OF this
country have been reduced gradually
to q condition of improbable operation
of their farms Unless the normal pur-
chasing power of the farmer is restored
his poverty inevitably will drag the
city down to his economic level.
There will be no return to sound
basiis in this country until we place
thel farmer-i -industrialist Upon per-
manent income basis comparable with
the city-irdustrialist.
Would Tax Middleman.
TO work that change, there is a dis
position on the part of big business to
regard sympathetically some features
of the so-called voluntary domestic al
lotment plan for farm relief. This
plan provides an ingenious method OF
taxing the city consumer, or the mid
dlernan. to provide the producer with a
benefit equal at least to the tariff,
which now is imperative because sur
plus products find the. price con-
trolled on q world basis
The Daily News has editorially cut
lined features of the domestic allot-
ment plan and showed willingness to
consider it without Judgment
fate that has not attended the consid-
Grafton of other relief programs.
IE Copyright, 1ss2D