Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-07-28

Barrow LYONS One need re-
fleet on this only
little to realize how far the farmer
and the Republican party has moved
from traditional moorings at the
post of the good old law of supply
and demand as the principle price
determinant. Although the plank
does not mention parity prices,
viewed in the light Of this plank's
history, parity price and parity in
come are implied.
1t means that the organized farm
er realizes that to prosper, a way
must be found to control farm prices,
and that farm income must be held
in fair relation to the income of labor
and business. OF course, this means
that an equitable share should go
also to labor and to business. Obvi-
ously, this calls for national machin-
cry to determine what income actu-
ally is going to the various segments
of society.
Congress is the only body in a po-
sition to pass final judgment on
what is a fair share for each, al
though labor and business may raise
objections because about IA per cent
of the congressman come from rural
areas. Anyhow, if the implications
Of this plank are squarely faced, it
holds promise both for the farmer
and for the city worker.
This plank does not sound as
though it had been written by any
interests that desire to purchase
farm products at low prices, such
as the millers or meat packers.
Governor Bourke B. Hickenlooper Of
Iowa, who was the chairman of the
Republican agricultural subcommit-
tee which drafted the farm planks,
assured me in long interview in
Chicago that no pressure was
brought upon the committee by COM
mercial interests to influence the
farm plank
'The committee held regional
hearings in Chicago, Salt Lake City
and New York." he said, land no.
where was it approached by milling,
packing or railway interests-at
least to the best of my knowledge,
and I think I would know"
This idea of protecting the farm
er's share of national income prob
ably is typical of the rejuvenated Re-
publican party. Specifically it does
not fit into the picture of the Repub-
lican party as the party of the great
industrial interests. 1t implies that
the share of the farmer has been
too small in the past, which can
only mean that the share of someone
else has been too great.
Stand on Labor
At the hearing held by the agri-
cultural subcommittee it was clear
that the Grange and the Farmers
Union felt that the share of many
underpaid industrial workers had
not been too great. The American
Farm Bureau federation has not TAX
en- as generous stand toward labor
Certainly, the plank needs definition
and Qualification in respect to some
of its implications. Governor Hick-
enlooper said he believed industry
was beginning to accept the idea
that adequate income for the farmer
dllN llluuS u Id "Olh " DIS BOOu lOI
industry also.
Another extremely interesting
plank is that which declares for "ar-
rangements which will enable farm
ers to make necessary adjustments
in production of any given basic
crop, only if domestic SURPRISES
should become abnormal and exceed
manageable proportions.
Apparently there is limit even to
the political concept of an economy
of abundance. 1t may be presumed
that one of the evidences of surpluses
becoming unmanageable would be
the tendency for market prices to
fall below support price.
In other words, production is to
be controlled only when development
of new uses for a commodity, gov
eminent purchases of surpluses and
commodity loans fail to do the job.
We hope those remedies never prove
to be too late to sustain farm in
come in fair and equitable COM
parison with labor, business and in
dustry."
Sound irrigation projects admin
istered as far as possible at state
and regional levels" is included in
the last paragraph Of the farm plat
form. This is an extremely con-
troversial plank, and straddles a Sc
rious conflict. In the Central Valley
of California. where large corpora
ton farms have been highly devel-
oped, the big farmers are anxious
to modify the operation of the Rec
lamation act, which makes it nee
essary for farms of more than 100
acres to dispose of the balance of
land above that amount, if they re-
ceive water from the new project.