The daily independent., 1937-08-11

Then Price VI COttOn 1uihDleu'
Roosevelt Won't Allow Cotton
Loans Unless Its Production Is
Limited; "COtton Ed" Smith
Wants Price Pegged At IL
Cents, Junket For Study"
! Washington-Behind all the
hullabaloo and alibis as to why
there will not be farm legislation
this session, there is a very SIM
pie story. 1t can be told in three
wurds-too much buck-passing.
First, the President passed the
buck to Secretary Henry Valance.
That clear-thinking but timld
idealist then passed it 20 the
House and Senate Agriculture
Committees. They passed it to the
old-line farm leaders, and they,
in turn, passed it right back, and
the around started all over
again.
That in a nutshell is the whole
story. Actually, the President has
wanted new crop control legiSla-
ton ever since the Supreme Court
aXed the AAA. From time 20 time
last winter and spring he drop
ped remarks to that effect. But
where as he did not hesitate to
send specific bills to Congress on
court reorganizations, wages and
hours, and government reorganl-
zation, he was strangely heStitant
on the farm question.
Meanwhile Wallace has wob-
bled all over the lot. On one oc-
caSion several months ago, he
even opined that perhaps it
might not be so bad to have a
bumper crop and a big surplus
after the four years of drought
and restricted production.
If Wallace had beStirred him
self and made a real fight there
would be a farm bill before Con-
gress today. That much is certain.
His failure to be aggressive
played squarely into Cd the
hands of the old-line farm lead
erS, and (2) anti-NeW Deal De-
mocrats who control The House
and Senate Agriculture Commit
tees. Particularly it played into
the hands of Cotton Ed" Smith.
chairman Of the Senate commit
tee
Secret Foes
Both groups privately have a
strong dislike for crop control
and, unless forced, will do every
thing they can to sidestep it. AL
so, the general economic situation
seemed to play into their hands.
Business was booming, employ
ment was on the upgrade and
there was steady increase in the
demand for farm products. With
prices high and bumper crops in
prospect. they saw visions of a big
killing. So for seven months they
sat like bumps on a log doing
nothing-eXcept to avow their
passionate devotion to the farm
er and pass the buck.
Then, last week. The price of
cotton suddenly tumbled. Over
night the boys were barring their
breasts on the barricadeS roaring
for the President to rescue the
little cotton grove" and. of
course, 'Sheir own political hides
by directing the Commodity Cred
it Corporation to make 12-cent-
a-pound loans on cotton; in other
words, to peg the price at that fig
ure.
In the forefronS of the clam
orerS was Cotton Ed. In the
first four months of the session,
the South Carolinian was absent
from Washington practically the
entire time. But several weeks
ago, hearing the frs murmurS
over failure to enact farm legiS-
lation, he hurriedly cooked up
scheme for an Agriculture Com
mittee junket about the country
during the fall to study the
problem"
The Government, of course, was
to pay The expense Of Cotton Eds
sightseeing.
Plain Talk
In addition to planning this
junket, Smith also accompanied a
cotton bloc delegation to the
White House to urge the 12-cent
loan plan on Roosevelt. The la'S-
ter talked cold turkey.
You gentlemen" he said,
looking Squarely at Cotton Ed,
have been here more than seven
months. You haven't done thing
to help the farmer. Now with the
price of cotton teetering you come
to me and cry for help.
Il will not permit the lending
of public money unless I am per-
fectly satisfied that the money
will be repaid. There can be no
assurance of thai unless next
years cotton production is limit
ed. Thai means that the neceS-
sary legislation must be passed be-
fore next spring. You can pass a
farm bill, now, you can pass it
this fall at a special session, or
you can pledge that it will be done
mex January. But it has got to
be done"
Smith cheWed his cud and said