Evening star., 1935-10-16

HALTED BY A. A. A.
Vested interests Difficult to
Eradicate After Tie.Up
With Bureaucracy.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

officials Of the Agricultural Adjust
ment Administration are very much
concerned lest the various production
control associations for wheat, corn
and other agricultural commodities
may become political instrumentalities.
Publication by this writer of the
text OF letter sent out from a wheat
production control association asking
for funds for propaganda campaign,
with an assessment to each farmer
based on benefits received from the
Government, has led to the issuance
within the last "a hours of an order
to stop all such tactics.
The memorandum was first pre-
pared on october l when the A. A. A.
says it first heard Of activities in Iowa
relating to propaganda funds, but for
some reason or other no action was
taken and the memorandum was not
distributed. The letter sent out by
the Texas organization asking for
funds for propaganda was dated Oc-
tooer S, and whatever reason there
was for delaying the issuance OF the
orders was apparently removed when
1t was realized that the movement
already was in full swing.
Apprehension Expressed.
1t is understood that the A. A. A.
acted not only because of adverse
criticism that might come if it re-
manned inactive in the face of such
ABUSE ot' the production control asso-
citation machinery but because ma
tlonal farm organizations like the
American Farm Bureau and the Ma
tlonal Grange have expressed appre-
hension that they might find COM
petitors in these production control
associations.
Thus if the millions OF farmers
benefting from A. A. A. could be
brought together into these produc-
tion associations for propaganda and
lobbying they might find less reason
for belonging to the farm bodies
which have been raising funds
through dues in order to bring pres
sure on Congress in connection with
farm legislation.
There's something in the agricul-
tural adjustment act itself and in the
charters of the production control as
sociations which forbids them to
function for any other purpose ex-
cept arranging the production allot-
ments for farmers on which A. A. A.
benefits and subsidies are to BE- calcu-
lated. 1t is held, therefore, that the
raising Of funds to defend the A. A. A
against its critics goes beyond ttc
original charters granted these asSo-
Citations.
1t is interesting to note that H. G.
Lucas, chairman Of the Farmers
Protective Committee at Brownwood.
Tex, who asked j. A. Pitman. presi-
dent Of the Wheat Production Control
Association of Deaf Smith County,
Tex. to contact every farmer and get
a contribution for propaganda, is the
same man who figured in the organi-
cation Of the famous march" or
Washington last May which was
hailed as a spontaneous demonstra-
ton of farmers who wanted a contin-
uance of the A. A. A
Addressed by President.
1t was this group of agricultural
missionaries to which President
Roosevelt delivered an address from
the rear steps of the White House
1t will be recalled that Senator Hast
ings of Delaware charged at the time
that the A. A. A. was indirectly re-
sponsible for the so-called sponta-
neous march on Washington by the
farmers, but the Democrats pooh
poohed the idea and refused to take
his resolution of injury seriously.
The A. A. A. is to be commended
for acting finally to put stop to mis-
use of its own farm associations for
propaganda purposes But it is evi-
dent that the A. A. A will not be able
to prevent the regular farm organi-
cations from doing the very same
thing that the Wheat Production
Control Committees have been for
hidden to do. namely to collect con-
tributions from the farmers for the
preservation of the scheme Of flnan-
cial subsidies. Thus are vested inter-
ests created which, when tied up with
bureaucracy in Washington, are diff
cult to eradicate even after their pc
riod of usefulness has passed.
tCopyright. 1880