Evening star., 1935-05-17

WALLACE.
Egyptian farmers, for 1t Is written
in the 47th chapter Of Genesis, verses
II, l6, 20, and 81, that in the time
of need, Joseph took away on behalf
Of Pharaoh, first, all the farmers
money; second, all their cattle; third,
all their land, and then put the
farmers on the relief rolls In the
cities. If the journalistic critic who
last Sunday urged the Joseph program
wants the Secretary Of Agriculture to
treat American farmers the way
Joseph treated Egyptian farmers in
their time Of greatest need, must
decline and suggest that in applying
the Joseph idea we keep In mind GER
tain differences between ancient
Egypt and modern America.
Joseph was not handicapped by
either speculative short-sellers or by
those who feared budgetry deficit.
If he were working in this country
today, he would find after the third
successive good crop year that the
price Of farm products had fallen to
zero, and that the most respectable
citizens would be bowling about the
budgetry deficit caused by the pro-
gram Of this wild-eyed, long haired
visionary. Respectable citizens, ruined
farmers and journalistic critics would
condemn Joseph today If he attempted
to act as he did under the despotism
Of Pharaoh.
10 <,f
Government, but we also have in our
midst speculative short-sellers who
feel that 1t Is possible by political
agitation to jar loose any accumula-
ton Of farm products which happens
to be under Government protection. |
should welcome the advice of our |
journalistic critic on how to safeguard
the Nation against such men. The |
only sure safeguard, I suspect, Is such |
complete understanding between the |
consumer and the farmer that the
Government will consult at all times |
the consumers and the farmers in
terests rather than the interest Of the |
group which happens to make the |
most noise.
Must Protect Consumer.
Certainly the farmers of the United
States should learn something both |
from the Farm Board and from the |
experience Of Joseph. But In so learn
ing they must protect the consumer.
The American farmer owes a sacred
duty to the American Government |
and the American consumer to see
that the consumer Is adequately fed
no matter how severe the drought. !
And there is the reciprocal duty Of |
the consumer and the Government to
the farmer, which is that, no matter
how favorable the weather may be,
the Government must see that the
surplus Is SO handled that the farmer
Is not ruined by overwhelming prices
wonder If those who claim to
favor the Joseph plan are familiar
with the fact that, beginning In the
Fan of, 1888, we loaned Government
money on 270,00o, 900 bushels Of corn,
most Of which was thereby held over
on the farm where it was grown until
after the severest corn drought in
history had taken effect in July Of
1884. The Farm Board purchase
methods had caused the Government
to lose hundreds of millions Of dollars.
We were aware that our loan method
might also cause serious loss If the
corn surplus, as result Of q success
sion Of favorable crop years, grew
heavy beyond q certain point. We
therefore required that those who got
loans should also be signers In o Gov
ernment adjustment program.
When the droughts of 1884 ma
terialiZed, we realized the desirability
Of the greatest possible fiexibility, on
the one hand to make sure the
American consumer would be taken
care Of no matter how severe the
drought, on the other hand to make
sure that farmers were not ruined by
unduly low prices from mounting sur
pluses, or that the Federal Treasury
was not seriously depleted.
When Joseph operated Egypt's
ever-normal granary he had the
power Of ar absolute Oriental
monarch behind him, for it is stated
in the 41st chapter Of Genesis, the
44th verse, "And Pharaoh said unto
Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without
thee shall no man lift up his hand or
foot in all the land of Egypt" In
the United States we are proceed
ing under democratic, constitutional
methods which make the job enor-
mously more complicated than that
Of Joseph. Nevertheless, the job can
be done In q manner to serve the
interests Of both the consumers and
the farmers Of the United States more
effectively than Joseph served the
farmers and consumers of Egypt
provided the consumers and farmers
Of America really want it done.
This move toward the establishment
Of the ever-normal granary seems to
me the logical next step towards o
brighter future and away from the
possibility Of repetition Of 1892. It
can only gain popular support, how
ever, as some Of the current mis-
representation about food prices and
floods" of imports dies down.
As said at the outset, 1t is quite
higher now than in 1892 and early
1888. Back In March Of 1888 every
body not only expected that farm
prices would rise, but agreed that they
ought to. 1t Is true that the drought
caused q more rapid increase than was
expected, but it Is also true that even
with the drought prices Of most farm
products are still short Of fair exchange
value. They are higher than 1892 or
1888, to be sure; they are lower, how
ever, than 1929 and lower than the
general level Of industrial prices. The
real difficulty here is that industrial
production is still relatively lower than
farm production, whereas industrial
prices remain above farm prices. Farm
production last year, despite the
drought, was within Is per cent Of
1929; industrial production was still
40 per cent short Of 1929. Farm
production with ordinary weather this
xxrill nns,na nua,a elocar tn 1Q2Q. viii