Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-01-24
Browbeotinu Benson

the press witnessed a most
un-American performance by
the chairman OF the Senate
Agriculture Committee and a
group Of fellow Senators. who
oppose the Administrators
farm program. The occaEion
was the appearance Of the
Secretary OF Agriculture. who
had been asked to testify re-
Rarding the Presidents spe-
cial message on agriculture.
II Is unimportant perhaps
that Mr.. Ellender. Mr.. Hum
phrey. Mr.. Symington and
some Republican Senator's
disagree with and oppose
that program. Honestly ex-
pressed differences Of opin-
ion are the life-blood Of q
representative form Of gov
eminent.
This Republic. however. has
prided itself. in theory at
least, in the belief that the
end does not justify the
means. Thus Il Is important
that the procedure and tao
tics used by these Senators
and others in conducting that
hearing constituted IN utter
disregard for the rules Of fair
play and the standards Of
common decency which ought
to govern the procedure fol-
lowed by q committee Of the
Congress.
The personal hostility and
venom Of Mr.. BLENDERS
opening remarks TO the Sec
Rotary Of Agriculture clearly
indicated that the hearing
was never intended TO serve
q constructive purpose.
BY comparison. Mr.. Ellen
der's technique Of browbeat-
ing q witness. in my opinion.
makes a piker out OF the late
Joseph Mccarthy. who had q
fairly good reputation as q
master Of the verbal third1
degree.
Clearly the purpose Of that
hearing was TO defend and TO
propose again. in an election
year, a sterile and decadent
90 per cent price support pro-
gram for six crops. which pro-
vide less than one-fourth
OF farm income. as a solution
TO the farm problem. Yet
this program in a few short
years led to tremendous sur
pluses which have cost the
American taxpayer billions Of
dollars, and which have left
one-half OF our farmers IN
dire poverty.
So testified some SO agri-
cultural economists before
the Agricultural Policy Sub
committee Of the Joint Eco
nomic Committee a few weeks
ago. The problem as they
saw It: Too many people in
agriculture. The solution: Re-
'moval of some two million
low-income farmers from
agriculture.
Why do the BLENDERS.
Humphreys and Symingtons
refuse to help remove the
cause OF the farm problem
by enacting effective legisla-
ton? Simply because they
believe more votes are TO be
gained by treating symptoms
than providing cures. Issues
not solutions to problems are
their political" STATS Of
life.
But because the Secretary
OF Agriculture comes forth
with what he believes TO be
a problem solving type pro-
gram, he is not even shown
the courtesy OF open-minded
consideration--no. not even
an opportunity to read a short
statement uninterrupted by
vicious personal attacks
(which onsum e d several
hours) by those who oppose
his beliefs and programs. In
stead he must submit 10 the
verbal abuse Of rank politi-
clans.
BY contrast with the nau-
seating performance Of his
critics. the Secretary OF Agri-
culture and his associates
exhibited a calmncss OF be-
havior and co-operativeness
not matched by their less
mature and able critics. Ezra
Taft Benson's family. friends
and associates, no less than
the American people. can
take great pride In the lesson
he gave his senatorial in
quisitors in the kind Of de-
pertinent basic TO survival Of
the democratic processes.
Reed L. Frischknecht.