The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1938-05-12
Observations
from Washington
by Congressman Harold Knutson
THE WAGE AND HOUR BILL


When the Rules Committee re-
fused to give privileged status
to the Wage and Hour bill its pro-
ponents decided to- bring the mea-
sure before the House through
discharge petition and on Friday
last they succeeded in securing the
necessary 218 signatures to dis
charge the Committee which means
that the measure will be brought
before us on Monday, the 23rd.
The Wage and Hour bill is aim
ed altogether at the rural sections.
1t would provide for maximum OF
40 hours per week at minimum
of 4Oc an hour. I say 1t is aimed
at the rural sections because in
the larger centers labor bargains
collectively through its unions so
the proposed law will not affect
them. It will only hit US.
take the position that the
proposal is not feasible in rural
America, and more especially in
the dairy sections, where the small
town merchant must regulate his
hours to suit the convenience OF
his rural patrons. The same also
holds true of creameries, where
they must open for business early
in the morning.
Shortly after leaving on his
fishing trip the President wrote a
Member Of Congress and express
ed the hope that this legislation
would be considered before ad
journment. Ere this letter appears
in print the President will probably
have returned to Washington and he
may have something further to say
on the subject then. The Mime
sofa delegation is divided, with
a majority in favor Of the bill. I
shall vote against it for the rea-
sons given and others equally valid.
FARMER REVOLT GROWS
The trouble shooters of the
Agricultural Adjustment Admin
istration are busy men these days
due to an epidemic Of insurrec-
tons among the farmers who refuse
to be dictated to- by the Agricul-
tural Department in the matter Of
acreage and production. Their
troubles started out in Illinois
two weeks ago when 5000 farm
ers met at McCcmb and organized
the Corn Belt Liberty League. The
movement spread into Iowa and
Indiana and then on to Virginia,
the Carolinas and Georgia where
the tobacco growers Joined the
I voted against the farm bill be-
cause I do not believe in regimen
tation for any part of the American
people. The farm law is Fascism
pure and simple and I prcphesy
that it's operation will never be
with our farmers because
they are too individualistic to take
kindly to regulation and dictation
from Washington. That a future
Congress will greatly change it
appears almost certain.
SPENDING PROGRAM UP
BY the time this letter appears
in print debate on the Presidents
four billion 512 million dollar
spending-lending program will be
on in full blast in the House and
the indications are that it will
carry with comfortable majority.
The plan as announced contem-
plates tying the whole thing up in
one omnibus bill which Is smart
politics but poor business. No
one Is opposed to the appropriation
CT such money as may be necessary
for relief but at the same time
they would vote against some of
the other proposals. BY tying them
all together it puts the unneces-
sary parts Of the program on the
same footing as relief.
The opposition is going to make
every effort to separate the bill
into four parts so that each pro-
posal may stand alone and on its
own merits. Then, too, an effort
will probably be made to ear-mark
as much Of the money as possible.
MORE ROAD MONEY
Last Friday the House passed
the Cartwright bill which author
ICES $23S, 100000 for federal-aid
fer the fiscal year 1910,
which begins on July 1, 1889, and
an equal amount for the fiscal year
Of 1941. OF this amount Mime
sofa will receive for each year S.
1885,, 900, Of which amount $677, 900
will be allocated for secondary or
feeder roads and $1,314, 900 for
grade crossings.
I suggested an amendment to
increase the authorization for sec
ondary roads from $25 900 to
500, 000,000 with the provision that
farmers owing for feed and seed
loans be given preference in work
ing on these pojects in order to en-
able them to work out their indebt-
edness. / am sorry to say that the
amendment was rejected, but It
should have been adopted because
many Of those who owe for feed and
seed loans are lily prepared to
hquidate their obligations, largely
because OF a series Of dry years
and poor crops.
To me 1t looks like a simple bus
mess proposition to give these who
owe the government money, many
OF when may not be able to repay
what they owe, the first chance to
square up their accounts but 1t