The Washington times., 1937-10-27
Paul MallOn--.
NetUS Behind
The Ne1US

| 1 ne NoLOS
THE dove of peace hangs over
- the assembling House Of
Agriculture C m m ittee this
morning, but you will soon see
feathers coming out over the
transom.
Everyone has a farm plan, in
cluding Committee Chairman
Marvin Jones. His will furnish
the basis of negotiation. but
much negotiating is in the Off
ing.
He and Secretary Wallace
have been unexpectedly agree
able in conversation, and there
are other indications that Wal
lace is coming around to the
Jones views against rigid COM
pulsion on the farmers for COM
pliance), but it is apparent the
final form of the farm bill is
far in the future.
This much seems to be pre-
dictable at the outset.
A farm bill will be passed in
time to apply to next years
crops. 1t will revive the pro-
ceSSing tax under the bright
name of tariff equalizing tax"
to finance disposition of sur
pluses through loans. Soil con-
servation benefit payments will
be continued. Mild compulsion
will be employed.
The soil conservation pay.
ment formula will. be changed
so payments will be clearly based
on total tillable acreage Of COM
plying farmers rather than total
production, which means nom
complying farmers are to be
denied their existing advant-
ages.
Each crop will be handled in
a different section Of the bill
and with different PRINCIPLES
applied to meet the particular
needs of each commodity.
MIR. RS message to MeSsrs.
AVA Jones and Smith, the we'll
named chairmen Of the Congress
sional Agriculture Committees,
seems to have had a hidden
meaning. At least certain well
informed Congressman got some
thing out of it that the public
missed.
The presidential instructions
included this one: "It IS, Of
course, especially important
that any new legislation should
not unbalance the expected Eal-
ancing Of the budget. In other
words no additional Federal ex-
pend1tureS from the general
fund Of the Treasury should be
made over and above existing
planned expenditures"
Now that would not mean
anything more than it says
facially until you consider that
present expenditures for farm
relief include the soil conserva-
ton subsidy. These benefit pay
ments are existing; they are
planned" So the President ap-
parently meant he wanted no
new taxes to continue these pay
mentS to farmers but only new
taxes to cover additional pay.
ments for financing Surpluses.
Congress will procede to act
accordingly.
THE invisible hand Of the
= White House lay over the
c. I. GA. F. L. peace conferees
but not near enough to get
burned by the sparks.
It SEEMS to be- fairly certain
Mr.. Roosevelt had no one di-
rectly commissioned to handle
the peace negotiations. Appar.
emily all he did was to tell Off
cials Of the Government (such
as Perkins, Madden, ct all to be
as conciliatory as possible in
their words and deeds.
The idea, of course, was to
help things along without be-
coming involved in what seem
ed to be a losing venture.
X y X
TODAY'S 1910 Prospect-Sen.
= ate Leader Alben C'Dear
Alben") Barkley, 60, a Paducah
Kentucky prosecuting attorney,
county judge, Congressman for
IA years and then Senator for
the last nine years; a labor and
farm liberal with a good record
in Congress; no business expert.
ence but probably acceptable to
liberal business; since New Deal