The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-08-04

WASHINGTON. - There was a
press statement sent around to
newspaper offices
Significant the other day that
Decision failed to attract
any attention. It
failed to gain any publicity at all
and yet, it seems to me, it was one
of the most significant announce
ments to come from any govern
ment department in months. The
statement, issued by the Agricul-
tural Adjustment administration,
said simply that decision had been
reached "against making effective
potato marketing agreement and
order program covering interstate
shipment of potatoes grown in Is
early and intermediate states"
The AAA announcement explained
that the overall vote" was suffi-
GENTLY large to make the marketing
agreement operative under the law,
but it was the conviction of officials
that it was mot feasible" to place
the program in effect in the light Of
the character of the vote taken. In
some areas of the Is states and, in
deed, in some of the states as a
whole, there was actually a major
ity of the producers of potatoes who
voted against the agreement.
Thus, for the first time, market
ing agreement sponsored by the Ag-
ricultural Adjustment administra-
ton is rejected. Perhaps, to be
technically correct, I ought to, say
that, for the first time, there was
such lack of public support that a
marketing agreement has been
abandoned before it was started.
Certainly, if the folks charged with
official responsibility deem a plan
unlikely to succeed, there must be
quite evident lack of enthusiasm
for it. The tendency heretofore has
been to cram rules and regulations
and marketing agreements and con-
tracts and what have you right down
the farmers threats as a means of
educating" them to the benefits
eventually accruing. Recognition of
this lack OF support, therefore, con-
stitutes something of a change in
the attitude of the AAA, but the sig
nificant thing as far as I am con-
cerned continues to be the fact that
the farmers again are asserting
their independence. It amounts to a
sign that agriculture has begun to
desire less of Washington meddling
in management of farms.
There are obviously two schools
of thought about governments rela-
tons with agriculture in this coun-
try. There is the philosophy repre-
sented by Secretary Wallace and his
followers who favor crop control.
1t was they who argued for the pro-
gram Of scarcity of supplies as
means to the more abundant life for
the farmer, and it is the same Mr..
Wallace who now is promoting what
he is pleased to call the lever nor
NAL granary" idea. The other group
of friends of agriculture take the po-
sition fundamentally that the farm
er should have some form of gov
eminent assistance, but they object
strenuously to any program that
contemplates regimentation-Wa
ington control over how the farmer
operates his farm and what he pro-
duces.
I suppose that the marketing
agreement idea is proper one to be
carried out if the crop curtailment
idea is to be paramount as nation
al policy. 1t is an historical fact, of
course, that adoption of one type of
regulation begets other regulations.
No man ever lived who could con-
ceive at one time, all of the neces-
sary rules to control set of circum-
stances in which natural laws fig
ure. And natural laws figure in any
question of production of farm
crops. So when and if there is to be
national crop control, there must be
these subsidiary and district pro-
grams to carry out the broader as
poets of a plan.
Since never have been convinced
that national crop control program
was sound, it was
NeJecteo no surprise to me
By Formers to learn of what
amounts to a plain
rejection of the theory by the farm
ers, or one segment of them. The
wonder to me is that these same
farmers waited so long to reassert
themselves as bosses of their bust
ness. 1t may be an incident, how
ever, that proves the statement of
one farmer who wrote to me saw
ing, fWe may be slow in learning,
but when we learn we usually are
right"
One of the reasons given privately
for the rejection of the potato agree
ment was that the educational
work" in advance of the vote by eli
gible producers twas not of a very
high order" But why, I ask, is it
necessary for our government to use
propaganda at any time? There
might be an emergency, such as
came with the World war, when
propaganda can be justified. Other
wise, feel it is not a function of
government, and one of the results
is bound to be government by
men and not by law. The govern
ment is not anybody's salesroom.
Our congress and the legislatures
of states are elected by popular
vote of the citizens. They are the
fellows who create policy, not Of
ficials appointed to office.
S~an Trnpork Ra.&~:cxso