The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1936-04-02
1 FARMER GIVEN 100000;
'AAAPAYSANOTHER S16S,OOO
UncOvering Huge Benefit" Pay
ments to Favored Farmers

AAA, in one year, paid a single
Southern planter 100000 for moi
growing cotton; it paid to one indi'
vidual farmer 100000 over a two,
year period for not raising hogs, and
upon lone wheat farmer it bestowed
S78,638 for not raising wheat.
These facts, laid before the Senate
by Senator Arthur Vandenberg, Of
Michigan, were offered as justifica-
ton far a resolution by the Senate
calling upon Secretary of Agriculture
Wallace to disclose all benefit pay
ments made by AAA in amounts OF
$4,000 or more.
Three weeks earlier the House Com
mittee on Agriculture tabled a reso-
luton by Representative Taber of New
York, calling on Secretary Wallace
for the names of all farmers who had
received upwards of $4,000 from AAA
in the form of benefit payments.
The money paid to farmers by AAA
is money exacted from the taxpayers.
It is public money. 1t was disbursed
by officials of the United States Gov
eminent. All payments are OF record
But Secretary Wallace and Chester Z.
Davis, late AAA administrator, have
steadfastly refused to make public
information about large benefit pay
ments, and the information will be
kept under cover unless and until
Congress prizes off the lid.
Senator Vandenberg industriously
dug up the facts as to the three start
ling payments which he cited, and
contended that if such payments have
been made in the past, there must be
many other instances proving that
AAA billions were not used eXclu-
sively for the benefit of poor or de-
serving farmers. He likewise contended
that if average payments appear to
be small, some must have been small
indeed to bring the average down, in
face of such fabulous payments in
cases which he cited.
81 understand" said Senator Van
denberg, in laying his resolution be-
fore the Senate, chat the average
corn-hog benefit payment in Iowa is
under $500. But I know about one
corn-hog contract in another State
where the beneficiary was paid S219,-
1926 in two years for not raising l4,5o7
hogs on 445 acres.
81 understand" the Senator added,
E'that the average cotton contract
throughout the South is under $1,000.
But I know about one cotton contract
which paid $16s,OOO for not planting
1000 acres.
"Again, I understand the average
wheat contract in Kansas runs in the
neighborhood of $500. But know Of
one such contract which produced 65
checks for a total of $78,638 in two
years."
Senator Vandenberg told the Sem
ate the benefit payment records OF the
AAA are mot open to inspection"
He styled this "the only existing Sc
cret disbursement of premiums, bo-
muses. or subsidies" He said the coun-
try and the farmers have known about
"average benefit payments" but aver
ages mean nothing in view of the dis
covery that some very large individ-
ual payments are hidden. in the ar
chives of the Department of Agricul-
ture. Senator Vandenberg insisted it
was only right that the country should
have full information regarding all
large payments that have been made
by AAA. Naturally Secretary Wallace
does not want this information made
public; there are particular reasons
why he does not care to have it reach
the farmers whose benefit payments
have been nominal. But the truth is
beginning to come out.
-O-