The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-07-18
THURSDAY. JULY "a. 1895.
HOW 1T WORKS

DY vote Of two 10 one-two Republicans to
- one Democrat-the United States Circuit
Court OF Appeals at Boston has held the
AAAs processing and floor taxes unconstitu-
tionsl.
Constitutional lawyers may applaud this
decision as legally letter perfect But the 30
million Americans who make up the nations
farm population will feel more like Mr.. Bundle,
who said: If the law supposes that sir, the
law is a ass For of all the attempts made
by the government since the war to help
farmers back to prosperity. the Triple-A alone
has succeeded in putting jingling dollars into
their jeans.
In 1920 the Republican platform announced
that the farmer is the backbone of the ma
ton" and promised him aid. The result was
the Capper- Volstead act. strengthening farm
co-operatives. It's effect on farmers buying
power was negligible
In 1924 the Republicans pledged legislation
&c place agricultural interests on basis of
economic equality with other industry to assure
It's prosperity and success" Their Congress
talked export bounty and debenture nostrums
and passed the McNary- Haugen bill. President
Coolidge. Secretaries Hoover and Mellon will
ing vetoed that bill twice
In 1923 they promised measures which will
place agricultural interests on basis of eco
nomc equality" Followed the Hoover agri-
cultural act Under this the Federal Farm
Board bought up surplus wheat and cotton. 1t
earned paper loss of 300 million dollars which
taxpayers will have to liqudate. We still have
one million bales of farm board cotton on
hand
The Roosevelt Administration set out in
1888 to give farmers pre-war parity in buying
power by means of the AAA, a sort of domestic
Tariff plan. Taxes we're levied on professors of
eight basic commodities. and these were paid
back to the farmers in benefits, provided they
reduced surplus acreages.- 1t worked.
In its two years of operation Triple-A has
paid nearly 500 million dollars in benefits to
some three million farmers. In 1882 farm in
come was less than AZ billion dollars; in 1888
it was five billions: in 1884. six billions: this
year it is running 10 per cent above last years
Pre-war farm price parity has not been
reached but it is up to 81 per cent compared
with SIS per cent in March. 1888 This new
farmer wealth has been achieved without
tapping the United States Treasury or ma
terlally raising prices to the consumers. Pro-
ceSsng taxes have added 2 or 3 cents to the
price of work shirts a cent or less to the cost
OF a loaf of bread, about 2ls cents to pound
of bacon.
The Boston decision, if upheld, would be
much more drastic blow to the hopes of mil
lions than the Supreme Courts Schechter de-
cison. NRA was failing. TTiple-A is a going
concern After a decade and half of prom
Uses the farmers now have something real and
tangible Take that away and the hinterlands
will be heard from.
We 90 not subscribe to the AAA formula as
an ideal any more than we do to the tariff,
from which it derives its theory. Nor do we
essay to defend its "constitutionalty." We do
know it succeeds where all other efforts have
failed.
We should like to know what its partisan
critics propose to set up in its place should the
Supreme Court uphold the Boston judges. The
grass rooters have shed no light so far.