The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-02-21
BY CLARENCE M. FACKLER

BY CLARENCE w. FACKLER
NEW YORK, Feb. 21.-What the
agricultural industry needs is not
an economic physician but a good
salesman. Artif1cially supported
prices, loans, sabotage and rest cures
will not reinvest the farmer with
that independence for which he
yearns. Such devices are only the
working tools of the leech doctor.
Their validity always rests upon
the belief that the way to revive a
patient is to bleed him to death.
How soon, therefore, the farmer can
regain his old freedom to run his
business unmoleSted depends upon
how quickly he disCardS these half
empty medicine bottles and takes to
the highways looking for business.
AS a drummer in the world mar
ketS, he must reinduce foreigners
to buy farm products on large
scale without American loans. Be-
sides putting his Sunday suit in his
travelling bag, therefore, he needs to
tuck away some new American or
derS for foreign goods.
Curbs, Taxes Enter
Bright vote-getters in 1888 hit
upon the brilliant plan of restrict
ing production and taxing the do
nestle consumers of farm products
in the cities. The idea was to Sc
cure funds to pay the farmers to
quit work, slaughter their livestock,
and plough under their crops. Prob
ably it never occurred to them that
farmers might not want to kill their
animals, destroy what they had
planted, and migrate to the cities.
Even if they had, their entrance
to the urban centers might have de-
prived factory and Office workers of
full employment. But supposedly
unemployment results from reduc-
ing tariffs and not from reducing
acreage, and SO the whole plan be-
came muddled, and was supported
only half-heartedly.
Here and there were politicians
who knew the truth. Higher do
nestle prices for some finished
goods would encourage the use of
substitutes, benefit foreign buyers to
the extent that goods were dumped
abroad at loss, and encourage the
foreign production of raw materials
to the degree that high prices were
maintained. Indeed, the farmer
might not be benefited at all. But
few listened.
Farmers as we'll as other pro:
ducerS, must stop shuddering at the
thought of being compelled to live
on the diet of Chinese coolies, mere
ly because there is some real neces-
Sity of purchasing products outside
of the United States. They must
realize that in this country only a
limited amount Of staple in-season
farm products can be consumed.
After all, the Stomachs of men are
just so large.
Can't Eat Gold
Manufactured products and out
of-season produce have, seemingly,
an Unsuitable demand. Obviously,
the importation of these goods
should be encouraged. How else can
foreigners get the money to buy
farm products? And, furthermore,
as nations begin to pay for their
orders more with goods and less
with gold, the monetary problems
of the world will largely disappear.
But, AS it now stands, 40 cents out
of every 81 of imports into the
United States is gold, which nobody
eats and few wear.
When citizens are told what can
and what can not be imported, it is
only short step to telling the farm
erS what they must and must not
produce. With 100000 unemployed
still on a relief diet, if one must
worry, he had better concern him
self with how rapidly such a stand
ard of living is approaching the
oriental level But, fat orders with
cash inclosed are better than fret
ting about calamities, which The use
of some good horse ceOep will avoid