Evening star., 1950-04-09

salvation. The Democratic polit
organizations opposing the Branl
as an issue in the coming cons
themselves have disliked the ides
of rigid controls which they ma.
expect if the program is enacted
into law.
In his message to Congress an
nouncing his rather reluctant ap
proval of the So-called cotton ant
peanut acreage allotments bill
President Truman recommended
two things:
/. That Congress without fur.
ther delay write into law tht
Brannan plan of production pay
ments for potato growers.
2. That Congress give consider.
alton to the development of
system of agricultural Legislation
"a long-range, permanent pro.
gram - which will contain the
main feature of the Brannan plar
production payments - for al
kinds of crops and production.
Mr.. Truman's plea for quick ac.
tion-a la Brannan plan-for po.
tatoes has fallen on deaf ears
Senator Lucas of Illinois. Demo
cratic leader of the upper house
makes no bones about saying thai
whatever potato legislation is en-
acted at this session will not con.
tain the Brannan plan. Mr.
Lucas halls from one of the great
Midwest farm States-where the
Brannan plan has so far not beer
we'll received. He is up for re-
election in November. Senator FL
lender of Louisiana, Democrat
and chairman of the Senate SUBJ
committee considering potato
bill, is emphasize when he says
there will be no Brannan flavor
to the measure he hopes to report
to the Senate at an early date
Must Sell More Democrats
Nor does there appear any
prospect that Congress, at this
session, will deal with a perma-
nent. long-range agricultural pro-
gram. It believed it had done
that at its session last year, when
it substituted the Anderson Act
for the Hope-Aiken Act-the lat
ter being the Republican sliding
scale farm price-support measure
enacted during the 80th Congress
which the Democrats refused te
permit to 60 into operation. Sen
ator Anderson of New Mexico
Mr.. Truman's former Secretary OF
Agriculture, whose name is at
tached to the present Federal
farm law, and chairman of the
Democratic Senate Campaign
Committee, is quite firm about
this, and so is Senator Lucas.
Mr.. Truman's problem, there
fore, is to sell the Brannan plan
(Which carries the name of the
present Secretary of Agriculture)
to the Democrats of the West and
the South. He already has the
labor leaders-indeed, the records
indicate that the Brannan plan
originated with the CIO anyway
With the labor leaders 60 also
most of the Democrats of the big
industrial centers of the East and
North.
The Presidents swing to the
West Coast, scheduled for May,
will provide an opportunity for
Mr.. Truman and his aides to
proselyte for the Brannan plan.
The President will attend also
the big Democratic rally to be
arranged in Chicago by Demo-
cratic National Chairman William
M. Boyle, jr.
Two paragraphs from the Presi-
dents recent message to Congress
contain the essence of the areu-
ments advanced for the Brannan
plan. He said:
Consumer Must Pay
I'VE face no small task in pro-
viding a system of agricultural
legislation which will serve the
needs of the farmers for a fail
income and will, at the same time
(and here is what tickles the in
dustrial workers. serve the needs
of consumers for ample supplies
of food. fibers and other crops at
reasonable prices, and the needs
of the whole Nation for a grow
ing, expanding economy and q
healthy world trade. During the
present postwar transition period
our agricultural legislation is nec-
essarily costly (the President was
referring to the present price sup
ports accorded many basic crops
and production for which the
Government has already extended
credits running into four or five
billions of dollars. but we OBJ
viously cannot afford to add to
those costs for purposes which
will not contribute to the real
long run interests of farmers OF
the Nation.
II urge the Congress to proceed
TO consider fundamental improve
ments in our agricultural legisla-
ton to make it more efficient, less
costly, and more conducive to
abundant production of farm
crops. yielding a fair return to
farmers. and selling at prices con-
sumers can afford"
Based on Parity Scale
This is large order. The Pres
ident and Secretary Brannan in
sis'C they have the priceless in
gredient which will bring about
this Utopian state. It is the pro-
duction payment plan of the
Brannan farm program. In SIM
plified terms, here it is.
The farmers will sell their pro-
duce for whatever price they can