Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26
FARM SUBSIDIES
STRIKE BIPARTISAN
WAVE OF REVOLT
A. A. A. Substitute Redraft
Held to Expand Powers
Already Banned.
WALLACE TO APPEAR;
ACTION IS DEFERRED
Bankhcad Alone of Senate Com.
mittee Contends Measure Will
Be Found Constitutional.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Crop control, cash benefits to
farmers and tar on professors
were essential features Of New Deal
program Jor aid to agriculture.
After some t,Do years OF operation
plan fell before legal attacks as
United States Supreme Court ruled
it unconstitutional
Administration and farm leaders
then agreed on program of sub
sides operating through existing
soil conservation ldUs. Doubts of
constitutiondlity here also tempered
enthusiasm for plan. Senate Com
mittee on Agriculture is considering
proposal; House group will take
it up soon.
Meanwhile, House approved 1926
$4,000 appropriation to settle er-
ising farm Government contracts.
BY the Associated Press.
Fresh attempts to construct a tenn
porary A. A. A. replacement program
with subsidies for economic" use Of
land yesterday struck another wall OF
bipartisan opposition that forecast
further drastic revisions.
The Jones-Bankhead bill. as modi.
fed b. the Agriculture Department
expanded rather than curtailed ques.
toned powers sought for the Secre.
tary of Agriculture under the original
draft
1t was debated at stormy closed
session of the Senate Agriculture
Committee and so loud was the cry OF
unconstitutional from the lips Of
both Democrats and Republicans that
Chairman Smith. Democrat, of South
Carroll a deferred action until Secre.
tary Wallace could appear tomorrow.
He will be asked for legal advice as
70 whether the redraft would stand
up under the Supreme Courts A. A. A.
decision.
Bankhead Makes Lone Stand.
Senator Bankhead. Democrat. OF
Alabama. cosponsor of the legislation
appeared to be virtually alone among
committeeman in contending 1t was
COIlS 4lIullOildl dUu lCdolDlC
AS made public by Smith. the new
bill WAS far from the completely re-
vampe' measure that had been pre-
dicted.
The policy declaration was broad
ened to include as one of the aims a
continuous and stable supply Of agri.
cultural commodities adequate to meet
domestic and foreign consumer re-
quirements lat prices fair to both pro-
ducers and consumers"
This change alone was described as
increasing the constitutional doubts by
Senator Murphy, Democrat. Of Iowa,
member of the all-Democratic sub
committee that reported the new
measure to the full committee today.
Pope, Doubling, to Vote Aye.
Senator Pope, Democrat. of Idaho,
another subcommittee member, said
I'm going to vote for the bill. realiz.
ing 1t is of doubtful constitutionality,
but believing it may be held valid If
soil conservation is held valid"
Another evidence of attempted crop
production control was seen by some
in a revised section giving the Secre-
tary Of Agriculture virtually unlimited
authority to subsidize farmers after
taking into consideration the produc-
tivity of the acreage affected by the
farming practices adopted during the
year with respect to which such pay
ment is made"
AS had been forecast. the new bill
provides that the individual farm-aid
plan would be operative only until
January l., 1888. After that grants
would be made by assistance to and
cooperation with the States in State
action calculated to effeCtuate" the OBJ
jectiyes in the statement CT policy.
Smith Expects Closr Shave.
Funds available after December 81.
1887. to carry out the purposes Of sec
ton (polcy aims>, new section
reads. shall be expended in any State
only through grants TO such State for
such purposes pursuant to Federal law
to be enacted, except tor payments in
connection with farming operations
carried out prior to JsEuary /, 1888,
and administrative expenses in con-
nection Herewith"
Senator Smith, who termed the
original bill unconstitutional, said there
were certain features IT the new edi-
ton which, in his opinion; sail pretty
(see FARM, Page A-12.)