The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-03-15

49,. and the prediction
NeU Problem, by Secretary Wal
for AAA lace of the Depart.
ment of Agriculture
that food prices will ascend something
like ii per cent more before July 1,
has given rise TO new problem for
the Agricultural Adjustment admins
tration. 1t threatens to be serious. as
food questions always are serious. and
as this aspect of the situation becomes
better understood its political impor-
lance is becoming greater.
There can be no doubt that the New
Deal program for raising prices has
had its fullest effect on the food
prices and therein lies the basis for
the trouble now brewing. To make
the problem more serious from the
political standpoint, increased food
prices are felt first and most extern
sively in the metropolitan areas. It is
In these same areas that the greatest
number of unemployed live and must
be cared for. 1t becomes plain then
that increased food prices are directly
interviewer with the problem of relief
and it is difficult to predict what mass
psychology may he developed from
such a circumstance.
There are two sides of the problem
from the political standpoint. One of
them relates directly to the plans for
providing food and affects directly
those persons whose employment has
been small and who have only limited
amounts of money with which to main
tain life. The second phase involves
the future of the Agricultural Adjust
ment administration and affects direct
ly the political situation that has for
some time revolved about the focal
point of the principle of attempting to
manage prices as is being done under
the AAA.
Connected with the latter phase, and
likely to suffer from hard-riding poll
ticians, is the movement within the
AAA to broaden its power.
1t will be recalled that last year
Prof. Rexford Guy Tugwell, under
secretary of agriculture and leading
brain truster. sought to force through
congress series of amendments to
the adjustment act which, in the view
of many observers, would make the
RECOMMENDATION of farmers a compulsory
instead of a voluntary proposition as
is now the case. In other words, ac-
cording to critics of the Tugwell plan.
the amendments that were offered and
defeated in congress last year would
make the Department af Agriculture
a veritable dictator over the agri-
cultural industries in this country. AL
though Mr.. Tugwell does not figure In
the picture so much this year, the
same amendments have been put for
ward and a considerable amount of
pressure is being exerted to obtain an
enactment as law. Having defeated
them last year, critics of the program,
headed by Senator Byrd (Dem., Va.),
are mastering in full strength to
squelch the amendments again.
While it is yet too early to hazard
guess concerning the results of this
battle. attention may be called at this
time to some of the potentialities of
such legislative fight. In these de-
bates lies real danger to whatever good
there Is in the Adjustment act, accord
ing to the best information l can get.
The danger is to. be observed In this
direction: Those who criticize the Tug
well amendments, though they do not
now bear his name, are not going to
confine their verbal fire to those pro-
posals. They win go, as they did last
year. considerably beyond the scope of
the proposed legislation. They will at
tack any and all features of the whole
adjustment program and 1t Is not I'M
likely that their criticism will result In
tearing down some of the admittedly
good features of this phase Of the New
Deal.
have heard considerable comment
to the effect that If the brain trusters
who are now promot-
Question ing the new or re-
of Politics vised AAA amend
ments would use good
political judgment, they would not
press for action on their proposals at
this time. In other words, political
commentaries are to the effect that the
brain trusters are diving headlong into
a whirlpool in which they may find
themselves unable to swim. 1t is plain
ly combination of circumstances with
which they are confronted. Those were
enumerated above. To many observers,
therefore. 1t appears most foolhardy
for the supporters of this extreme leg
islation to go further In their attempt
to strengthen the Adjustment Act" at
time when plainly Mr.. Roosevelt does
not have complete control of congress
and at time when the strongest tide
of opposition. to RECOMMENDATION is run
ming.
1t is to be remembered with respect
to the legislative situation that there
will be opposition, as indeed there al
ready has been opposition developed
from among the professors 1t should
be explained that the revived amend
ments would place all of the professors
under licenses from the Department of
Agriculture. Without such licenses they
become the equivalent of bootleggers in
the prohibition days and no one can
foretell what the reaction would be to
this. My understanding is that there
are something like one hundred thou
sand of these professors in the various
lines of agricultural commodities COM
ing under the Jurisdiction of the Ad-
justment act In addition to the proc
essors. about nine hundred thousand
retailers handling these products are
subjected to control. directly or indi-
rectly, by AAA licenses. Consequently.