Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1933-05-18
(QoJ|'jdi79'g}llSlljij q{le({
National Topics Interpreted II f1771T1&
by William Bruckart AEaE1nf


to its constitutIonality and 1t has per-
haps the strongest array of opponents,
for the consumers will help pay the
bill In q big way. That Is, all except
those who are unemployed and with
out funds. They cannot buy now, and
charity or public relief sources VIII
pay the added COSTS
The amount of the tax to be levied
on the professor, and paid the farm
ers who agree to reduce acreage-and
that agreement must be made-is
thing which must be worked out Dy
the secretary of agriculture. Never
before us far as my research has dis
closed. has an official of government
In this country had such wide pow
ers. But the President justifies them
on the ground of the necessity for
preservation of agriculture.
The professors tax Is to be added
to the price the farmer receives for
that portion of his crop consumed In
the United States. Normally our e1-
ports rs d whole are only about III per
cent of the total. The bill, however,
Is not applicable to all commodf-
ties. 1t takes In cotton. wheat,
rice. tobacco, sugar beets, sugar cane,
milk and Its products and hogs, but
the secretary of agriculture has power
to make 1t imperative as to any one or
all of them II market conditions are
such as make the use OF the law mad
visable.
The professors tax Is being levied
under the guise OF what Is called
parity of prices" 1t Is the purpose
to lift the returns which the farmer
receives to basis where compensation
for his labor shall be propnrtionately
the same, In relation to the prices he
pays for things he buys, as the ratto
between the sale and purchase stood
In 1914. That is involved. 1t Is COM
pick In the extreme.
But there Is no need of services OF
soothsayer In pointing to the ire
mendous organization TINT Is going TO
be necessary In carrying out such leg
islation. A thousand and one things
must be considered, Inspected guarded,
negotiated enforced. Government en-
pl0yees must do that work. The ma
chine can be made to click and run
smoothly. say supporters OF the plan.
It Is the most gigantic political ma
chine In history, say opponents OF the
program. Whichever view Is correct, 1t
remains as a fact that there will be
government agents In every county to
tell farmers who enter into the agree
ments ON acreage reduction what they
shall do and what they shall not do;
there will be inspectors galore In
processing plants and accountants
checking books when necessary, and
there will be taxes collected In what
ever amount the secretary OF agricul-
ture DEGREES to be needed to pay the
cost.
It is In the appointment OF the per-
sonnet for carrying out the act that
opponents OF the plan Insist there Is
| the greatest dangeE- They hold that 1t
will be impossible to obtain men and
women who Will .construe the law In
the same way or who will use their
discretionary power to the same ex-
| tent.
| Now to give consideration to the
Muscle Shoals legislation:
Senator Norris, OF
Muscle Shoals Nebraska, has been
Experiment promoting . program .,
/ the Tennessee river since the national
| defense act of 1915 provided for an
1 experimental production of nitrates
| with water power at Muscle Shoals
The late President Wilson obtained
legislation In 1917 for construction OF
two dams there, and for power plants
and laboratories for the fixation oil
1 nitrogen from the air. That was fol-
military purposes. but as soon as thai
need passed, the atmospheric nitrogen
was to be used for~fertilizer. Senator
| Norris has argued for years for utili
cation OF the country's water resources
In development of electric power, ant
the use of that power In providing
cheaper fertilizer for farms. He |!
known as an especially bitter foe O
power companies, and times unnum
bered he has charged on the floor o.
the senate that the power c0mpanie.
are a trust. He has accused them o
constantly bleeding the public VIII
have to buy those products.
But the present Muscle Shoals pro
gram. as enacted Into law. goes IA
beyond the original Norris dream. |
Is, indeed, the dream of futur
Tennessee valley as man-made parn
disc, a laboratory for the good of tn
human race, a public benefaction Oh
the part of the government.
In addition to completion OF tn
nitrate plants and the great powe
program, the new law prescribes cor
tlnued tests of various kinds. improve
ment Of navigability Of the rive
itself, reforestation<~ uf the cutove
hillsides and proper use Of margina
lands" In that later authority, 1t
conceded, lies permission to accom-