Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-28
One Of the People
By George Kennedy

ouPPO1 VI Ii tllC 31OuSC dR'
preached the voting stage las
week. a man in a seersucker suit
with strikingly black eyebrow:
under a thatch OF white hair
took seat in the gallery.
He was M. L. (for Milburn
Lincoln) Wilson, former Under
secretary of Agriculture. 1t might
be said that he is the man who
started it all.
Pleased at being remembered
he readily told this reporter the
story of his historic meeting with
Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt in
Albany In 1892. That was when
he sold" the Democratic candi-
date on the voluntary domestic
allotment plan, the basis of the
three AS" and the first success
sive measure to keep prices up by
Government support and volun-
tary limitation of production.
As for the present situation
q billion-bushel wheat crop In
sight and a carry-over surplus
approaching a billion bushels:
SIS billion of Government funds
invested in supporting prices and
storage charges of $30,000 an
hour-he made the surprising
statement that he did not think
that price support had so much
to do with the size of the sur
pluSes.
Weather Factor.
I'VE have had succession of
good weather years." he said.
I'VE have had good wheat crops
since the drought years of 1884,
IS and '36-a very unusual Sc
quence. Better tractors and
other machinery have increased
the wheat crop. The hybrid
corn has greatly increased the
corn crops. Cotton has benefited
by soil conservation and all these
crops have been increased by use
Of improved fertilizers"
AS to how he sold Roosevelt
on the plan. he laughed a mo-
ment.
II got to know him later when
he was President" he said.
you've heard, I'm sure, that he
used to do all the talking. That
was the first time I met him.
When I think back on it, I'm
surprised at how much of the
talk was mine"
Every one was in agreement
that summer that something
would have to be done for the
farmer. Good farms in the black |
soil belt were being foreclosed
by the hundreds. The farmers
had been in distress since 1922
but the depression made their |
distress far worse.
The hope of the farmers had
been the McNary-Haugen bill.
which passed Congress in vari-
ous forms several times but was
vetoed in the White House. It
would have increased prices, but
one argument against it was
that increased prices would in
crease production and SURPRISES.
Prof. John D. Black, a Har-
yard economist, had suggested
In q book, that any program to
Increase prices should call for
limitation Of acreage for crops
IN surplus.
Big Difficulty Cited.
zone Of the arguments against
hat" said Mr.. Wilson. was that
It would be impossible to get
The word to a million farmers,
20 check their planting and to
ret q record Of their production
'or the past three years"
Mr.. Wilson, then a professor
# agricultural economics at
Montana State College at Boze-
nan, Mont, was one of several
men who were trying to evolve
! plan that would help the
armer. Henry I. Hartman, a
lew England textile man, then
ice president of the United
states Chamber of Commerce,
vas another. There was a vice
resident of Prudential Life In
Co.. who was very inter-
sted because they had millions
n farm mortgages. Henry A.
Wallace, Beardsley Ruml and a
fidwest newspaper publisher
'ere in the group.
All this came out as Mr.. Will
on talked. He has a way of
hutting his eyes tight when
collecting something and a
smile that goes with
cling it. Strangely enough, al
hough asked to tell about some-
hing that happened in Albany,
e kept talking about something
nat happened in Montana.
i gave the matter a lot of
bought" he said. st was in
ne wheat country. so naturally
nat was the crop I was most
lterested in. Wheat production
as increasing in Europe and
sussia and North Africa. Our
xport market was becoming