The Bismarck tribune., 1933-10-17
Tugging at Bootstraps

lugg1ng 0t bOOtetfdpS
Governor william LANCER will find
that proclaiming an embargo on
shipments OF wheat from the state
is q much easier matter than lift
ing the barrier should It be permit
ted to stand without challenge in the
courts.
In commenting on the embargo.
the governor presents IN entirely
new face to the people Of North
Dakota, dropping his role Of political
and economic salvationist and i'd
mitting frankly that the whole busi-
ness Is gesture.
The chief benefit which he expects,
judging from his quoted statement.
i. to call attention to the plight Of
agriculture and thereby. perhaps. In
duce more conclusive remedial action
by the federal government.
What benefit that kind Of adver-
tising may have remains to be seen,
but 1t seems only reasonable that
the process will be expensive 70
many residents Of this state.
The governor himself discounts the
possibility that the embargo will raise
the price OF wheat. In this he un-
doubtedly Is right. in so far as North
Dakota farmers are concerned. even
though the market price elsewhere
might conceivably be lifted during
the period the embargo remains in
force.
But II such an advance occurs, It
will be farmers Of other states, not
North Dakotans, who will be In posi-
tion to take advantage OF 1t.
The action Of Tuesday's grain
market may be taken Is . measure
Of the supreme indifference with
which the major grain centers view
this North Dakota action.
First public mention Of q possible
embargo was made Saturday, too
late for 1t to affect the markets at
Chicago. Duluth or Minneapolis.
The information was available to
the trade" at the opening Of Mon
days market, but seemed to make
no measurable impression. In the
early part Of the day the market
seemed stronger, then it fell and
remained near the bottom until the
markets closed. II there was any
general fear Of shortage the quoted
prices failed to show 1t.
But the fact remains that, what.
ever benefits may accrue from 1t, di-
rectly or indirectly. the farmers OF
North Dakota will be In no position
to realize them. II 1t should de.
velop that declaration Of an en-
barge acts to raise the price OF
wheat, removal of the barrier could
reasonably be expected to have the
opposite effect.
Unless the vast majority of law
yers who have given curbstone opin-
ions prove to be wrong, the law
giving the governor authority to
order and enforce such an embargo
is unconstitutional. The farmers Of
this state well remember the decision
OF dozen years ago which held that
state interference with or supervision
over the grain trade is an unwar-
ranted bar to interstate commerce.
Since that time the tendency has
been to centralize more power in the
hands Of the federal government
rather than delegate additional au-
thortty to the states.
The political angles Of the situa-
tion cannot we'll be overlooked. Some
organizations in the state have long
had the idea that IN embargo would
Be an effective thing.
They evidently were unable to sell
the governor completely. hence his
remarks indicating that hs expects
little to result from It IA the way Of
increased prices.
Perhaps the governor hoped to
curry favor with those Who have ad-
vocated such jdeas. Il 90. both the
justification for those hopes and the
effectiveness Of ths embargo hang in
the balance.
Time discloses many things and in
this case 1t should not take loue.
Just Z Mockery
Americans, who have come 70 put
great faith In the ballot q Q means
of curing their political ills, viii
shudder . little at thought q that
election which WIN - held II Ger
many On November i.
According 70 the American stan