Evening star., 1942-02-27
Reckless LEGISLATION


1t is of utmost Importance that
the people of this country should
have a clear picture of the extent
to which the Nations war effort may
be damaged by the action of the
Senate in voting to restrict the Gov
ernment's power to dispose of the
surplus farm crops it has acquired in
the course of its efforts to boost
agricultural prices.
Overriding the Secretary of Agri-
culture and the President, and ignor-
ing the latter'S warning that they
were doing "irreparable damage to
the war effort" the Senate, by vote
of so to %, approved bill which,
with minor exceptions, forbidS the
Government to dispose of its surplus
farm crops at less than parity prices.
This was done, Of course, in the
name of aid to the farmer. Yet, the
truth of the matter is that the
farmers already are receiving at least
parity prices or are assured of parity
income; their income last year was
the greatest since 1920, and, far from
aiding the farmer, the shortsighted
and selfish action of the Senate farm
bloc may be expected in the long run
to prove extremely harmful to agri-
culture and the country as a whole.
It's probable immediate effect, If
finally enacted into law, would be
to increase the cost of living by about
a billion dollars, according to Secre-
tary Wickard. But this immediate
consequence is less important than
the potential injury which the Sen
ates action would cause.
This bid on the part of the Senate
to boost the cost of living comes at
time when the c. I. o. and the A
F. of L. have joined in appealing to
the President to prevent any ban
on general wage increases, and when
individual unions are pressing for
higher wages in the steel, auto and
other industries. These demands are
based primarily on the plea that
living costs Are mounting and that
the workers must be enabled to meet
them. Price Administrator Hender-
son has announced his opposition to
general wage advances because of
their inflationary effect But how can
he maintain this position II the
Senate tacks another billion dollars
onto the cost Of living under the
guise of aiding the farmer, and this
at time when farm prices are the
best in twenty-five years and when
the long-sought goal of parity in
come (once considered eminently
fair to the farmeD has been reached?
It may be said without fear of
contradiction that the Senate's action
is inf1ationary in its effect. That is,
it would drive prices up; then wages
must be boosted for those whose
bargaining power is strong enough to
secure increases, and this, in turn,
may be expected to lead to still
higher farm prices under the parity
formula. The rest of the people
those outside these two Unsuitable
pressure groups-would be ground
mercilessly between their competing
and conflicting demands.
Further than this, however, there
is the question of the direct effect
on the war effort. Great sums of
money have been appropriated to
buy weapons for American soldiers
and sailors. But If the cost of the
materials of which these weapons are
made goes up, as certainly would be
the case if the Senate bill should be-
come law, then the money which has
been appropriated will buy fewer
weapons for the men at the front.
No exact calculation of this damage
can be made, of course, but it is by
no means improbable that the blow
to our war effort would be heavier
than any which has been struck by
the Nations declared enemies.
It is no answer to say that the
members Of the Senate farm bloc do
not intend these consequences.
Whatever their intention, the certain
and the probable results of their
action are clear, snd 1t is of first
Importance that the people-includ-
ing the farmers, who will suffer with
the rest of the Nation-register their
emphatic protests against this reck-
less and irresponsible legislation.