The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1934-03-08
Picking on the Packers

washing uc OCpdI VI
Agriculture has laid down another
barage of accusations against group
of large meat packing concerns, but
the fight thus started promises to
transcend the charge of crookedness
on the part of ten corporations cited.
From the undercurrent of information
around Washington, one can readily
believe that the questions of policy
may become the focal point of the
current controversy. While the pack
ers may fold up their tents, admit.
some of the charges and not fight
back any further, the situation is
fraught with possibilities of politics
that lead directly to an attack on the
Roosevelt administration New Deal
policies. Fundamentally, these ques-
tions involve determination of how
far the people want their national
government to manage business af-
fairs.
1t is unfair, of course, to hold that
the ten big packers are guilty of
combined effort at manipulation of
prices or Vaccinations to drive out
competition in certain sections of the
country, solely because some officials
of the Department of Agriculture
made the charges. 1t is likewise UNI
fair to hold the packers have clean
records because the charges were
made by some of the officials of the
department that was described by
members of congress as being full
of Communists" 1t is a fact that the
packers have been dragged into court
before on similar charges, and it is
also admitted that there are some
officials in the Department of Agri-
culture who are so radical as to be
DESTROYS of seeing private business
destroyed.
With these facts in mind, it is well
to recall also that in the last several
months there has been smoldering
sentiment that the federal government
is going too far in directing the af-
fairs of private individuals. A good
many observers here believe that the
charges now renewed against the
meat packers, after fifteen years of
comparative quietude in this direction
will precipitate a political fight over
the main question of how far the gov
eminent ought to go. That is to say,
some think the packer controversy
will bring the larger question to a
head.
There was q plain disposition on
the part of most persons to withhold
criticism of the Department of Agri-
culture all through the early months
of President Roosevelt's administra-
ton. Whether one agreed with the
New Deal program or was definitely
opposed to it, the disposition was TO
avoid attacks on the Department Of
Agriculture because of the sad plight
of the industry it was supposed to
help. But differences have arisen
among the farm leaders and among
the members of congress from agri-
cultural districts as to the way things
have been run at the Department of
Agriculture, and these differences are
not concealed any longer. Conse-
quently, it appears just possible that
Secretary Wallace and the professors
on whom he has leaned so heavily may
soon find swirling storm around
their heads, which, once started, sure
ly will go beyond just that phase of
the Presidents New Deal program.
For instance, there is bill pend
ing that proposes to make the federal
government supervisor Of the secur-
ity exchanges, the stock markets. It
is far reaching; of that, there can be
no doubt. But differences Of opinion
are sharp, and, generally speaking,
they may be traced back to ones bas-