The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1935-03-21
Congressional
Neu,s Letter
By Harold Knutson,

III Aiy icIlcr IllS week Sndll
confine myself more or less to mat
ters of local interest to the North
west. The time for spring seeding
is rapidly approaching and 1 am
happy to inform my farmer
friends that the $6O,OOOOOO appro-
prlation tor seed, which is to be
furnished to the drouth area, is he
ing provided for in the deficiency
bill that passed the House Wed
neSday. 1t is expected that TINS
measure will receive the RICH. of
way in the Senate so that final &C
ton may be had sometime this
week.
In talking with the relief admin
istlator several days ago he assur-
ed me that they were all set to act
the moment the appropriation be-
came available. Many Will no
doubt wonder why the appropria-
ton has not been made earlier. As
a matter of fact, the first emergen-
cy relief appropriation bill passed
the House on January oath and it
has been in the Senate since that
time. 1t struck a snag in that body
over the so-called McCarran
amendment, which provided for
the payment of going wages on re-
lief work as against the Presidents
plan to pay $50 per month. The
President is strongly opposed to
the McCarren position and I be-
lieve rightfully so. In the final an
alysis it is purely relief measure
designed to enable the people to
weather the storm until such a
time as the need for federal relief
shall have passed. That being the
case it is necessary that the money
appropriated be made to go as far
as possible. All members of Con-
gress received numerous COM
plants when the first federal re-
lief program fixed the scale of wa
ges at So cents per hour. The oper-
alton of that wage scale amply
demonstrated that it was excessive.
all things taken into considera-
ton.
On Wednesday the Agricultural
Committee of the House began
holding hearings on the Frazier
Lemke farm refinancing bill and in
judging by the tone of the cues
tons propounded to witnesses by
the members of the Committee,
got the impression that possibly d
majority Of the members are favor
ably disposed. The total farm m
debtedness of the nation is estim-
ated at between eight and nine
thousand million dollars. Most Of
this Indebtedness was incurred dur
ing the boom period following the
war when the purchasing power of
the dollar was exceedingly low.
Naturally the farmer feels that he
should be permitted to pay his
debts in kind. There can be no
prosperity until the American far
mer gets back on his feet as upon
him largely depends the prosper
ity of the whole people. When I
stop and think that the total in
debtedness OF the country, public
and private, amounts to almost as
uluS1A dS Jul IOCdl udtlOAoA wCdiIiAS
I sometimes wonder whether the
best solution would not lie in wip-
ing the slate clean and beginning
all over again because we will be
obliged to carry this staggering
load for a number of generations
there may be danger that we will
crack under the burden.
The Townsend old age pension
representatives have been in
Washington for some weeks APP
pearing before various committees
Of Congress. A short time ago it
became plain to them that their
original plan could not be enacted
into law so they invited five MEM
bers OF the House, myself among
the number, to re-draft their pro-
posal with a view to securing Con-