The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-11-13


 lobby -- the most powerful in Wash ington-seeks to achieve it's ends. In their effort to sabotage Wickard the big farm organizations are try. ing to make out that he is the man who should be blamed for the Dem- ocrats' setback from the farm states in the recent election. Wasn't it a farm protest vote2 Weren't the farm policies approved by wickard2 These two rhetorical questions ask cd by the farm organization people are supposed to clinch the argument that Wickard should be the goat.
 As a matter of fact Secretary Wickard had foreseen that the ad- ministration's wartime farm policies might have a few political repercus- sions, and the inside story is that as far back as last summer the De- partment of Agriculture sent a memorandum to the White House suggesting that in dealing with ceil- ings on farm products every effort should be made to step up food production for Army and Navy, Lend Lease and United Nations re. quirements. By paying tribute to the farmers demands 1t was felt that the arti-administration atti- tude of the farm lobby could be overcome.
 DIRECT COURSE SET
 Instead of following this tack. the administration set sail in a d. rect course heading right into the wind against Congress for failing to put ceilings on farm products, with a general blast against the 75 per cent increase in farm income and the 85 per cent increase in farm prices.
 After the Presidents Labor Day speech, some Of the top men around the Department of Agri- culture arc supposed to have been pretty fearful of the results. Not word of praise for the good pro- duction job the farmers had done in the face of labor and transpor- tation shortages. Not word against the farm lobby which had really been responsible for forcing Congress to vote against ceilings on farm products.
 Tn spite of this. the farm lobby finally took a licking on the price bill which Congress passed october 1 applying September IS ceilings On farm products. The farm lobby, it's regular course Of Washington fix CTS augmented to 250 by hurry calls to their field organizations, saw their dreams Of 10 per cent parity voted down. How much in- fiuence the organized farmers had on the result of the election is something tre statisticians could not prove. But the farm lobby throws it's weight around Wash- ington with more force than even the labor lobby and if it is ou. after the Wickard scalp the lob bying braves can cause plenty cf trouble on the agricultural war front.
 There is, however. no real req son why the secretary should be scared. He has fought the farm lobby before in all its grabs for more power in Department of Ag- riculture policies, and in opposing aid to small farmers and tenant farmers. Wickard is a real dirt farmer himself. He is today the youngest member of the cabinet. STEPPED UP FOOD
 He has been given all the credit for organizing and ably administer ing vastly increased food produc- ton program. The Department of Agriculture began this organization three years ago and 1t has kept in- creasing the goal every year to meet war demands.
 There may have been squawks from the United Nations fcr short ages of food supplies from the United States but the cause of any such complaints have been lack of shipping and not lack of food to ship.
 Wickard's greatest attribute is his courage. At one time he sug- gested the ll0 per cent parity ceiling. He did it because he thought that was necessary to get 100 for full parity. When the pro- gram for the war showed that 100 per cent parity would be enough Wickard had the guts to say pup- licly that he had been mistaken. It was the first time that any po- utical figure had ever admitted