The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-11-07

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The President Says NO
Rejection by President Roosevelt Of
the program presented to him by five
midwest governors will surprise few
II any, persons who have followed the
matter closely.
The reasons for the action lie-as
they have from the beginning-in the
program itself.
First of all, it is worthy Of note
that the processes by which the gov
errors would lift farm prices to parity
were essentially the same as those
the government now Is using. They
would curtal production and force
prices upward by creating . relative
scarcity.
The governments program con-
templates an actual reduction Of the
surplus by shrinking the acreages
planted to wheat, corn. cotton and
other crops. It recognizes that this
will be . slow process and so, In or
der to meet the urgent needs Of mil
lions Of farmers, 1t Is paying them =
bonus to cooperate In this program.
The effect Is not, as some have
contended. to give something for
nothing. It u. however. rs close as
one ever gets to that situation, since
it Is advance payment for something
to be done in tho future.
The governors would handle the
surplus Immediately. by fiat of law.
They would organize and regiment
the farmers Of every state, put them
under an iron discipline and make
them vassals Of the government in
the operation Of their own business
the idea being to hold the surplus on
the farm.
In order to insure this, each farm
er would be given card authorizing
him to sell given amount Of each
farm product during . certain period.
Every time he took hog. q can OF
cream or steer to market he would
have to bring his card with him and
the buyer would dutifully punch
enough holes In the card to indicate
how many units Of the commodity
10 had purchased. He would be IL
censed to do business and II he failed
to punch the card. failed to punch 1t
enough times, OF otherwise attempt
ed to fudge" either on hts own ac-
count or in collision with the farmer,
his license would be taken away from
him.
The number Of units each farmer
would b authorized to sell. the gov
errors blithely informed the presi-
dent, would be determined by check
ing up on his past production.
How easy this would be can be
guessed 1T by watching the efforts
Of the communities which are trying
to allocate the benefits from the re-
duction In wheat acreage. This, too,
is based on past production and the
farmers who are attempting to work
it out In this county can tell you it IS
a potent source Of headaches.
As a practical matter. it would
seem that the governors were talking
to hear their heads roar or else found
themselves IL . tight crack where
they had to do something, and seized
upon this scheme Is . way out. II
50. their choice Of an exit from this
dilemma Of their own making is like
" to be an unhappy one. As people
understand 1t better and better their
sponsorship Of this scheme is likely
to become more and more OF . han
dicap 70 them. Not everyone will
grant their sincerity and few win
grant their understanding and In
telligence.
FOR the average farmer viii come
to the conclusion that their scheme
would not have worked. even II the
president had attempted It. They re.
member too well how compulsion
worked out With prohibition. They
know the haudicsps-and the cost
which any attempt ct enforcing such
. farm-relief system would have On.
countered.
- 4
But regardless q any other objsc-
tions to the uoposal. nearly every
one win asrss that~it + dangerous
and sthat Il insults the intelligence
Of the average farmer.
Il Is dangerous because II would
impose upon the farmer . federal
despotism such . this nation has
E9vG1 be1oeo 1een. Presumably this
despotic rule would = : benevolent
one, but there would - no assurance
o. the fact. IN addition. there would
- 10 insurance against further en-
croachment q tie government upon