Evening star., 1935-04-23
"Clarifying" the A. A. A.

senator harry fIOOQ byrQ, virginia
Democrat and farmer, in an address
last night in the National Radio
Forum, turned the spotlight on the
Clarifying amendments to the agri-
cultural adjustment act sought of
Congress by the administration. The
advocates of this legislation, he said,
have not been frank in their charac-
terization of the proposed amendments.
The legislation, he pointed out, gives
to the Secretary of Agriculture dicta-
torial powers to license, upon such
terms as he may determine, not only
virtually every farmer but every
handler and distributor OF foods as
we'll.
Senator Byrd's analysis of the law
and the proposed amendments should
be read and considered by every
farmer in America. Each individual
among them is deeply concerned. The
power to license the individual farmer
will follow the passage of the pro-
posed amendments, for they give to
the Secretary of Agriculture author
ity to license any farmer who prepares
for market or handles for sale any
product of his farm, or any associa-
ton of producers. Moreover, the
license will be issued upon such terms
as the Secretary desires to impose.
On the other hand, a license may be
denied. 1t seems incredible that an
American Congress would consider
such legislation, but there it is.
The address of the Virginia Sena-
tor was no intemperate diatribe. He
used no epithets, such as have become
the common weapon Of offense and
defense in recent public discussions.
His was, however, an emphatic and
detailed statement of what the Amer
ican farmers may expect once such
laws as those proposed by the ad-
have been saddled upon
them. The failure to observe the terms
of the license issued by the Secre-
tary of Agriculture would be punished
by fines as high as $500 a day, If the
farmer should be convicted of viola
ton. In the mass of regulatory leg
islation recommended by bureau chiefs
at Washington, continued Senator
Byrd, "and the rapid strides our ma
tional Congress is making to regiment
the people of our country, nothing be-
fore suggested even approaches the
Of the task Of controlling
by license all food products from the
farmer to the ultimate consumer"
A veritable army of Government |
agents, a bureaucracy, would arise un-
der this legislation. The Secretary Of
is to be given the power to |
tax" the farmers in order to meet |
the operating funds needed to police
the farmers. He may tell the farmers
just what to pay for this purpose and
to whom to pay it. Yet, theoretically, |
only Congress has the power to tax
in this country. That such power has
passed already to others Is clear
enough when the processing tax now |
imposed under existing law on the
cotton industry is considered. It was
only the other day that the Secretary |
Of Agriculture was quoted as saying |
that, instead of removing the pro-
cessing tax on cotton goods, 1t might !
be increased.
"The very heart of our American
system is the right of the individual
to make a living unhindered by the |
to an extent greater than |
is necessary to protect every other in
in the exercise of the same |
right, and to preserve safe, secure
and peaceful society,""
In these words Senator Byrd placed
D finger on the great issue which is
arising between the New Deal and
who believe in constitu-
tional freedom. Yet the New Dealers |
themselves "progressives"
even when they fasten Government |
regulation and policing on the people.