Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-04-20
THE NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT
BY CONG. JOHN PAUL KvALE

fight on the Senate side of the Capt.
toll, and lost in the House, the farmer
group described i'm last weeks letter
have returned to their homes with
mingled feelings. But they are well
entitled to deep satisfaction over the
results, for they have laid the ground
work even i'm the House, it now APP
pears, for early and positive results
in spite of the apparent setback they
got when they tried to persuade Rep
resentatives to consider and pass the
Frazier refinancing measure instead
of the one that did go through. The
mortgage readjustment bill previously
outlined i'm these letters was sent
through as introduced-except for
minor committee Observation-Disclosures
most drastic gag rule. Strangely
enough, many who subsequently pro-
fessed indignation over being deprived
of vote on the Frazier bill well
knew, when they voted for the rule
which denied them the right to offer
or discuss amendments to the bill,
that they were cutting themselves off
from that opportunity. A conference
committee now has the arduOus task
of perfecting form of the bill salts
factory to both sides, and bringing it
back for formal approval.
In the meantime, the Senate passed
the price parity bill with the Simp-
son amendment for cost of production
included as optional authority for the
Secretary of Agriculture. The JOY
with which the farmers received this
can we'll be imagined, and all credit
! is due them for coming down to the
actual scene, contracting individual
representatives and senators, speak
| ing at mass meetings, and speaking
i'm plain language at that. They could
not help but impress Legislators with
their knowledge of the situation, un-
Outstanding of its causes and convlc-
tion as to its cure, and above all with
their actually desperate sincerity.
Sadly enough, the administration
opposes the provision, and leaders on
this side may succeed in ironing out
the clause before the measure is
ready for the Presidents signature.
But the significance of the victorious
fight at this time cannot adequately
be measured thereby. 1t is tremen-
dOus forward step, and a decisive vic
tory for the Farmers Union under
John Simpsons leadership.
While House leaders side-tracked
the Frazier bill on technicality,
and thus prevented a record vote, they
did indicate that some inflatiOnary
legislation might soon be expected.
That is important news, and subse-
Quent developments seem to verify it.
Strangely, a later proposal to reduce
interest rates on the new mortga ges
slightly was defeated for the simple
reason that there was no chance
under the rule to discuss it, and men,
bers, not understanding what it was,
voted it down overwhelmingly. That
naturally it no credit to the House,
and has left once again the reaction
of SOLDERING some of the enthusiasts
who have up to this time kept their
inane and hypnotic cries of support
the administration" They are finally
beginning to have minds of their own,
as evidenced by cloak-roOm talk and
private condolences, even though some
of them have not yet screwed up their
courage sufficiently to say so publicly.
1t is coming.
Last week this column devoted
some space to the rumored effort of
administration leaders to wipe out the
liberal committee discharge rule.
The showdown on that came sooner
than anticipated, when a Democratic
caucus was called one evening this
week and an attempt made to bind all
party members to support such a
move when made on the floor. TAX
ing advantage of the short notice
given, the writer and others endeav-
ored to acquaint new members-and
they are many in this session-with
l what was involved i'm the way of farm
relief, veterans, banking and none
tary legislation and otherwise, with
the result that the effort definitely
failed. Whether or not it will be re-
newed remains to be seen, but if it
is, real fight awaits the leaders.
Generally speaking, it has been the
| lltW VI oIlCHSIil IhS
West which has gone far to break
ing the old Democratic party caucus
traditions. The two thirds rule still
exists, it is true, under which all
party members, unless previously
committed and unless filing formal
Intention of doing otherwise, are
pledged to vote as their leaders dc
when they decide by two-thirds ma
jority on certain course. But in.
creasingly it is becoming evident that
those days are passing, and that the
Incoming members desire. to make
their own studies, form their own con
victions, admit their own mistakes
and do their own voting on that basis
: Speed the day. Party responsibility
should have its limits.
The writer, as member of the
House military affairs committee, has
been sitting in almost constant SEES
, sion of that committee during the
week. in consideration of the Muscle