Evening star., 1936-01-24
A. A. A. STYLES for 1896.

fAulllllllStldtlOkl CAOl 10 w NOAAoeASAcAOAA-
alize the now defunct A. A. A. continue
The plans proposed are various. Be
lieving in the first instance that the
A. A. A. and its processing taxes are
constitutional, it is not surprising that
Secretary Wallace of the Department OF
Agriculture and other New Dealers
should try to have enacted into law
measure as nearly like the A. A. A. as
possible. But members of the Senate
are taking the decision OF the Supreme
Court more seriously. They are appar-
emily unwilling to go forward with
new farm law that may be in the mo
mans land" of legality, in that strip OF
uncertain territory where attack may
come from any angle. The Senate and
the House, having burned their fingers
in the matter of the A. A. A., are dis
inclined to thrust them into the fire
again. However. the legislative branch
of the Government is intent upon pro-
viding benefits for the farmers in some
form.
Involved in the A. A. A. are two
separate and important questions. The
first is that of constitutionality. The
second is that of economic wisdom. The
Supreme Court has taken care of the
first The American people, it may be,
will take care Of the second. The under
lying principle of the A. A. A.. as admin
istered by the present powers that be,
has been to restrict production by the
American farmers, to make them richer
through producing less and obtaining
higher prices for what they produce. 1t
is the policy of scarcity. Such policy
can in the end lead only to more trouble
for the farmers and for the American
people generally.
It is this principle of production re-
striction that the administration is,
apparently. seeking in the revamped farm
legislation. It is looking for some method
to keep on paying the farmers for not
growing part of their usual crops. To
pay man cash for not doing something
productive seems like happening in
~Alice in Wonderland" But that is the
sugar" the bait, which is offered the
American farmers to bring them into
line for this policy of scarcity.
What does this policy mean when car
ried to its ultimate conclusion? It1means
less food to distribute to the American
people. It means more imports of for
eign food products, and it means loss
of foreign markets to American farmers.
Look at the record already made. The
imports into this country of grains and
Of animal products have mounted since
the A. A. A. became effective. Under
the spur of the planned American re-
striction of crops, what have other ma
tions done? They have done exactly
what it was predicted they would do.
They have planted more cotton, and more
grain and produced more of other farm
products. Their produce supplants Amer
ican produce in foreign markets.
It may be that the administration and
the administrations controlled Congress
can work out new A. A. A. formula that
will stand the test of the courts and be
held to be constitutional. But that will
leave in operation the whole scheme
of restriction of production and Govern
ment-controlled agriculture. Under the
bills so far presented as substitutes for
the A. A. A., Secretary Wallace, the high
priest Of crop restriction and the pay
ment Of cash to the farmers, therefore,
is given vast powers to pay Government
money to the farmers. He has given no
evidence that he has recanted these
policies.
It is now suggested that in place of a
Federal A. A. A., forty-eight little A.
A. AS be created, one in each State,
with the Federal Government feeding
them pap-out Of the United States
Treasury. OF course, these State A. A.
AS would be expected to go right ahead
with the restriction plans advocated by
the Federal administration.