The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1937-11-25

cessary if prosperity is to be reasonably
permanent is widely accepted fact. Con-
gress is meeting now with one of its prin-
cpal aims, the establishment of such pro-
gram.
AS to how compulsory the cooperation
of the farmer in the program can logically
be made, there is sound basis for argument.
Circumstances under which various farmers
operate; the very fact that there are many
types of farming and farmers of various
abilities, varying amounts of capital and
with widely different grades of land, makes
the problem so complex as to prompt the
guess that any scheme devised at Washing
ton or even in community farm conferences
is doomed to certain failure if accompanied
by ironclad regulation.
Farmers have varying attitudes toward
what has been done so far in farm legisla-
ton. Some see only faults in the past pro-
gram, other are reasonably satisfied with
accomplishments.
Assuming that what has been done may
be termed experimentary and therefore not
a sound basis for judgment, farmers may
draw clearer picture of possible miscues
in government regulation by studying the
experience of the railroads under govern
ment supervision. Right now the railroads,
admittedly the hardest pressed industrial
group in the nation, are asking an increase
in certain freight rates, basing their plea on
the contention that taxes are up rs per
cent, labor costs have risen 18 per cent and
what the railroads purchase costs them on
the average 40 per cent more.
They may get their rate increases after
costly litigation but the fact remains that
they are at the mercy of government body
influenced as all such bodies must be by
politics. While the farm population repre-
sents a great political influence, it will be
lodi bot hat i,,A, fo;1
McNary-Haugen bill was before the presi-
dent and that farm board experiment was
the best help obtained from later admin
istration.
Perhaps it is far-fetched to mention
government control of farms and railroads
in the same breath, but it is apparent that
the task of regulating few hundred rail-
roads, all engaged in hauling passengers and
freight is simple compared with that of con-
trolling millions of farmers, yet has not been
Slngularly successful.
Farm legislation is wanted definitely,
but compulsory farm legislation is horse
of another color.
ONE OF THE FAULTS TO BE
found with liberal thinking, we might even
say Farmer-Labor thinking since blast by
Abe Harris, party mouthpiece, inspires these
paragraphs, is the idea that anything which
benefits labor is boon to the farmer but
anything which helps business is certain to
be detriment to both farmers and laborers.
To pacify farmers who complain of ad-
vanced prices due to increased labor costs
in manufacturing, the stock argument is
that increased wages mean bigger outlet
for farm produce. The corollary to this
contention is that increased prices for farm
goods stimulates purchasing and therefore
manufacturing, serving in turn to insure
jobs for the laboring man.
This is all very well so far as it goes
but the third party in the transaction is
business. The Democrats are discovering
that it has to be considered but Mr.. Harris
hasn't tumbled to that obvious conclusion
as yet.
Business has been alarmed by liberal
federal spending, repeated failure of the ad-
mlnistration to keep budget-balancing prom
lses, attempts to regulate business, exces-
sive taxation, government competition and a
general feeling that the administration is
unfriendly to business
This feeling has deprived the govern
ment of much of the help it might have had
in its drive for general recovery. Uncer-
tainty has delayed expansion of industrial
plants and replacement of equipment with
resulting employment. Where labor trou-
bles have not curtailed production, the an
tagonistic attitude toward employers where
labor troubles did exist was factor against
expansion.
The federal government appears to be
altering it's attitude in dealing with capital
with every prospect of accomplishing a
sounder basis for maintaining prosperity
The state administration might well show 9
more cooperative attitude in the hope OF
swelling payrolls of private concerns in this
state.
PERIODIC MURDERS IN MINNEA-
polls, while startling at the outset, follow
a monotonous pattern until eventually for
gotten.
Sensational stories accompanied by dia-
grams and pictures make the details of the
crime perfectly clear. The police are off on
round of Investigations. Suspects are
picked up, questioned and freed after FUR
nishing alibis. Stories concerning the crime
dwindle from scare headlines to event a
tiny inside stories. Occasionally someone
is tried for the crime, then freed.
When the excitement has d. q doWl
peace reigns until the next outbreak.