Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-08-05
BEHIND
THE NEWS
BY Paul
MaIlon

WASHIN G TON Aug A.
" Treasury Secretary Nor
genthau has sent flocks of reve-
nue. agents INTO the farm
regions 10 check taxes, without
making any pubftc mcutrur- ut
the fact - An unSecmly thing
around election time.
| have never hccn able 10 un-
derStand Mr.. MorGcnthau' phi
loSophy on taN collections or The
timing of tho calls OF his agents.
Several excellent objective
political reporiCrS. off duly
made a farm to farm tour of
several farming sections lately
for personal reasons, and came
back with the report that they
are more Republican today than
four years ago.
LNEN the dropping OF VICE
Il President Wallace IS sup
posed 10 have cut two ways out
there. While Wallace had iden-
tilted himself almost entirely
during his vice presidential
term with coddling the left
wing element and cunning inter-
national crrandS for Mr.. RooSe-
welt and his old AAA policies
were distinctly unpopular, he
had many friends remaining APP
-parentlN- et4t-ttTrougi- mat re-
glon. personal friends preSum-
ably Of his farm iournalInG days.
The rest Of the farmers OBJ
lection 10 the administration IS
red tape. They also think their
prices have been held down
while labor was permitted 10
gain.
A s AN example, the Cut of
hogs became such that the
stockyards made the farmers
get permits before sales. But
the day the permit restriction
was lifted. prices went up 35
cents a hundred. This made
them think the claim OF an
overloaded supply, AS an excuse
for The permit imposition, was
wholly fictitious.
Some Weights Of hogs have
been sold Eifiee-pt.irpST
and, in many cases. farmers TO-
day are cutting down on their
hoe production. solely because
Of their experiences with tho
government manaCement.lf
meat demand keeps up, the
supply may be scarce next
spring.
4 Nd anot her thing; The
farmer Sees-the- New Bcaf
still maintaining its AAA per-
sonnet throughout the country.
In many county seats. these
government employees, who for
merY wrote checks for the
farmer, have little or nothing
10 do. However, the man on
the tractor has not. noNced
that anything has been done
about transferring these gov
eminent employees 10 p C S
where they might he useful
One wise old farm senator
has looked back INTO the records
and says no president has ever
been elected in this country
without the farm vote.
Yet here Is Mr. MorCenihau
chasing the farmers on their
income taxes. The taxpayer IN
the city finds has simple Salaried
return so involved As 10 he
practically beyond average COM
prehenSion. The farmers re-
turns arc more complex 10 pre-
pare without complete book
keeping and considerable eSti-
mating.
/ SUPPOSE. 4 rctrnncr- who
L knows how II should have
been done properly could coll
lect something more from praC-
tiCally all farmers.
But what ! can not under
stand is why Mr.. Morgenthau
chose this time 10 stir up more
hornets IN 2 political area where
he well knows they arc buzzinC
around Just waiting for some
place 10 ahCht.
Watch for the administration
10 hft from deep within 4
plEeon-hole IN the file room the
old guaranteed annual wage
theory As a new boon 10 labor
n probably VIII be sprung in
speech 10 New York Senator
Wagner or some ono Of his loft
labor views Unless II contains
some fresh trimmings 10 make
II more desirable and practical
To all labor, II IS not apt to be
OF much value.
These two items bf ncwS
which have come 10 me today
show precisely what IS wrong
with this administration and
apt 10 be wrong with lis cam
palgn Mr. MorCcnthau is bear
ing stick into the hornets nest
and ms cohorts are carrying
honey 10 lcftwinE labor.
If | were running the Demo-
cratic campaign | would turn
il around and send the TAX
agents into the labor unions and
some honey 10 the farmers.
nal.ls.a nX -.