The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1935-10-24

let, But Now Claims Law I'm
satisfactory.
Secretary Wallace and the AAA,
caught between two fires, give every
indication Of an intention to stall
along with the potato problem until
January, and then dump the whole
mess in the lap of Congress.
During the time that has elapsed
since President Roosevelt signed the
Warren compulsory potato control law,
Secretary Wallace has been confronted
with two hostile farmer camps; the
small growers who have served notice
they will defy the law if attempt is
made to enforce it, and the threat of
the large commercial growers that Mr.
Wallace may face impeachment if he
does not enforce the law, as written.
Mr.. Wallace has hold of a dilemma,
the like of which never beset any other
member of the cabinet. His only way
out is to play for time until Congress
reconvenes on the third of January,
and then return the whole problem to
the Senate and House with a request
for further instructions.
To placate the large growers the
Secretary intimates he will take pre-
liminary steps looking toward en-
forcement. To quell the threatened
riot of the small growers he prom
Uses to recommend raising the eX-
emption limit from to so bushels
and repeating the penalties which the
law imposes on purchasers and con-
sumers.
The AAA was not always so nervous
when potatoes were mentioned; there
was a time when it seemed ready to CO.
operate along the lines of the Warren
Act, if that was what the growers
wanted. 1t called a conference at the
Department of Agriculture on the
18th of January, 1885, called it on
short notice, and devoted day to
hearing arguments of potato growers
from states not more than a two-day
ride from the National Capital. West
ern growers were excluded because
they did not have ample notice to per-
nit them to get to Washington for the
hearing.
The record discloses that the hearing
was opened by Congressman Lindsay
C. Warren of North Carolina, author
of the potato control law. Mr.. Warren
at the time, had not reduced his ideas
to writing, but roughly he proposed
what subsequently was written into
law and approved by President Roose-
welt. He told the potato conference that
the tobacco control plan had been the
most successful of all control plans de-
veloped by AAA. at has been worka-
BILE program" said Warren, "and, as a
whole it has been fair program, and
if the inequalities and hardships in it,
especially with reference to the small
grower which have existed (and ironed
out) we are highly hopeful of the re-
suits"
After roughly outlining the applica-
ton of the tobacco control program to
potatoes, which is what the Warren Act
does, the North Carolina Congressman
said to the potato conferences: eve
would have a sign-up campaign and if
a certain percentage of the farmers
would enter into this program, say
two-thirds or three-fourths, then we
would come in by the strong arm of
legislative enactment and see that
those on the outside shall not chisel in
and destroy the plan. We would pro-
vide against this obstruction by a pen
atty provision, that when man raised
in excess of his production, this pen
atty would automatically apply.* y
You have got to have penalty pro-
vision that will mean the absolute en-
forcement of what we write on the
statute"
Following this Introductory speech,
and few supporting remarks from
others present, Mr.. Chester c. Davis,
Administrator of AAA, was called.
Viewed in the light of the present at
tempt of AAA to dodge and evade the
potato issue, what Mr.. Davis had to
say on the 18th of January is both in
teresting and enlightening:
"For the last 20 months my associ-
ates and have been wrestling with the
Irish potato question from every an
gle. 1 think they have devoted more
time to that commodity than they have
devoted, without a direct and SPECIFIC
issue, to the problem of any other ag-
ricultural crop. 1t wasn't because OF
lack of interest that we have not had
potato plan in operation. 1t was be-
cause, first, this crop is so widely
grown and a crop in which there is
such violent see-saw in percentage OF
profits that it presents peculiar prob
lem; and secondly, because the Agrl-
cultural Adjustment Administration
does not contain provisions which we