Evening star., 1935-05-16
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.


the N. r. A. This army will not be
composed of farmers, however, but Of
industrialists who wish to save the
N. r. A. That Government agency
and its codes have become endanged,
1t is believed, because Of the refusal
Of the Senate to accept the admins
tration's plan to extend the N. r. A.
for another two years. The extension
until April !, granted by the Senate
grudgingly, Is not enough. Further
more, the anti-price- fixing amendment
to the existing law and the amend
ment to exclude from its operation
wholly" intrastate business make no
hit with some of the supporters Of
the N. r. A. The industrialists have
been called into action by Ward
Cheney, silk manufacturer Of Con-
necticut, who reports that the re-
sponse has been very good. Mr.
Cheney says they are going to fight
for strong two-year law" and that
the Senate resolution is not at all ac-
ceptable to business and industry.
The charge has been made both on
the floor Of the Senate and in the
newspapers that the farmers who have
just been here clamoring for the
A. A. A, not for only its continuance
but also for the amendments which
have been proposed by Secretary Wal
lace to strengthen its operation, have
been persuaded to come here by the
agents Of the Federal Government.
The opponents Of the N. r. A. have
even gone so far as to suggest that
Government money has been used to
finance the organization of this vol
untary" army, whether the actual ex-
penSes Of any Of the farmers were
paid out Of Government funds or not
The march of the farmers on Wash
ington, which was no march. since
they came by train or automobile, was
timed to an instant. On May IS there
is to be referendum vote on the
Governments wheat program, under
which the farmers are paid for not
growing wheat. The farmers in nearly
all the States Of the Union are to
take part in this referendum. The
A. A. A. is making desperate efforts
to roll up as big and impressive vote
on this proposition as 1t can. 1t has
speakers and lecturers out in the wheat
districts telling the farmers what is
in their best interest and how cur
tailment Of crops. plus the Govern
ment checks. is putting them on their
feet and will keep them there.
The wheat farmers are not so diff
ferent from other human beings. They
are willing to be paid for their wheat
and for not growing wheat. II the
administration went to them with
plan for crop curtailment. on the
theory that it would make them rich
er. without offering to pay them cash
for curtailing their crops. how many
of them would vote for the A. A. A.
wheat program? The march" OF the
farmers to Washington may have been
a demonstration OF sentiment in favor
of the A. A. A., but it was not abso-
lutely altruistic. Nor will the march
Of the business men and industrialists
on Washington in favor of the N. r. A.
be entirely altruistic either.
The march of the farmers on Wash
ington was timed also to influence, if
possible, the action of the Senate and
House on the proposed amendments to
the A. A. A. law. This bill is to
follow in the Senate the Wagner in
dustrial disputes bill, now the un-
finished business of the Upper House
and perhaps to be passed today or
tomorrow. 1t gave President Roosevelt
an opportunity to address the farmers
and to put lot of Democrats as well
as Republicans In an Ananias Club
OF his own. They were critics of
the A. A. A. and the President called
them liars" 1t looks as though the
campaign was beginning to take on
some heat.
With the House ready to back up the
President In his demand for a two
year extension and other changes in
the present N. r. A. law, the pressure
OF business and labor for such a law
will naturally be placed on the Senate
Indeed, labor is counted upon by the
administration to come to the front
in this fight even more strongly than
industry. and more potently Donald
r. Richberg. head of the N. R. A.. has
put the backs of the Senators up, how
ever. with pep" speech to some
1.5o0 of the men and women con-
nected with the N R. A., declaring
that the Senate resolution is complete
folly" and that only muddle heads
would criticize the system. Senator
Clark of Missouri. Democrat, author
Of the resolution to extend the N. r.
A. until April l next year., character
lied in the Senate yesterday Mr.. Rich
berg's speech "the most brazen exhi-
bition of impudence on the part of
a bureaucratic official which has fallen
under my observation during my life
time" Senator Clark said that Rich
berg, thank God" was a temporary
bureaucrat. This may have been
merely burst of optimism on the
part of the Missouri Senator. There
have been other suggestions that Mr..
Richberg was on his way out, par
ticularly when. he was. denounced by
leaders of the American Federation of
Labor. But Mr.. Richberg was able
to make it up with the labor leaders.
and he is still on deck. This fight
between the Senate, on one hand. and
the President and the House on the
other. promises to be hot. In the
meantime the Supreme Court may by
a decision in the Schechter case upset
the apple cart in another direction.
xx
The supporters of the Patman
"greenback" soldiers bonus bill in the
Senate continue to back and fill. One
minute they are ready to let the bill
go to the President for his veto. The
next day they relent and prefer to
hold 1t before the Senate. Well, as
long as 1t stays where it is the bill
certainly will not become law, the
bonus will not be paid and the green
backs will not be printed by the Gov
ernment. The word is that Senator
Thomas Of Oklahoma, leader Of the
Patman bill forces in the Senate, will
withdraw his motion to reconsider the
votes by which the bill was passed
and amended tomorrow"
The only hope of the Patmanites to
pass the bill over the Presidents veto
Is to persuade some Of the Senators