The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1958-03-14
Repr. Leroy Anderson
Reports To You From
The Nations Capitol

| and policy discussions on the floor
of the House and in the cloakrooms
are generally based strongly on facts
and logic with a minimum of emotion
: and personal feeling. The agricultural
situation is a notable exception. Facts
are banded about wholesale. Statist-
les on production, SURPRISES. subsi-
dies, exports, costs, and losses are
pretty complete and we all start with
the same set of figures. That's the
last time the predecessor and the anti
Benson forces are together.
Emotions seem to play a bigger
part than logic in the discussion. Our
most impassioned floor speeches for
the Administrator farm plan have
developed on the theme that the Sec
rotary of Agriculture is a dedicated
religious man and that he is doing
what he thinks is right. The most out
spoken speeches against the Eisen-
hover Benson farm policy come from
the 80 or so Republicans from farm
areas who have asked the President
to fire Benson. These congressman
are involved in deeply personal way
and l sympathize with them. Many
don't expect to be back after the rural
areas finish expressing their opinion
of Administration farm policies at
the polls next November.
The policies which Benson asked
the Agriculture Committees of the
House and Senate to accept, such as
still lower price support levels, have
been flatly denied after a rough grill
ing of the Secretary. The President
won't get those lower levels he asked
for. On the other hand, the bills
which | and others have introduced
to roll back the cuts Benson has al
ready made in 1853 dairy and wheat
supports may we'll be vetoed and the
farmer thus kicked down another
flight of stairs.
Secretary Benson isn't likely to
leave his post soon. He won't quit
and Eisenhower has said again that
he won't fire him. AS election time
rolls closer, he may leave to improve
the election chances of Republican
congressional delegates, but there is
one caution would like to suggest.
Don't make the error of thinking that
the Administration farm program is
a Benson program and that if Benson |
goes, everything will change for the
better. The policies Benson is carry
ing out are those of the Presidents
brother, Milton, and they will not be
changed during the ten
ure of the present occupant of the
White House.
Hoover Report Bill-The House de-
oated for two days on the Hoover
Report Bill to change the appropria-
ions procedures of the government.
early publicity claimed savings of
of millionss of dollars. but /
before the debate was over propon-
,nts admitted they could not demon
trate any definite savings. Appropri- S
tions Chairman Cannon of Missouri c
aid, "It will not work, it will not c
ave dime. On the contrary it will l
Tile up added costs. 1t will not reduce
he unexpended carryover by one
A similar plan was tried for
everal years and abandoned in 1850.
although the bill was finally passed,
many who voted for it were frank "
o admit privately that they didn't C
xpect it to live up to it's advance s
ublicity. l was one of the minority +
f 81 who voted their conviction that O
he change was step backward. The d
ill as passed is merely hodge-podge, v
as the much-publicized Il
[R 1902, but actually only the num- r
er and the title remain. II
Army Payroll Large In Montana :
rmy Reservists and National Guards
len in Montana bring in a substan-
al sum for part-time training and
ctivity-better than $2A million
er year. AS leader of Montana's
lrgest Army Reserve group, the 96th
lfantry Division, and as a former
ember of the Montana National
uard, | was especially concerned
18th Department of Defense propos-
S to cut both strengths and appro-
riations for those two great organi-
ltions. So arranged a special hear
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