Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-04
Helping Farmers

February rs editorial, Help
ing Those Farmers" based on
Delaware Senator williams
statement in the Congress
sional Record listing the
large farms which partici-
pate in the price support
program. / am surprised that
The Star would editorially
support q statement so err
roneous in its implications.
and I hope you viii take the
facts into consideration be-
fore you support any similar
attacks. Six Of the farming
operations listed by Senator
Williams happen to be in my
Congressional District. and I
am personally familiar with
the operation Of the price
support program.
First Of all. q price-support
program should not be de-
MED any farmer merely be-
cause his operation happens
to be relatively large. If we
are to accept this argument
against size, we should elimi-
nate all tariffs which work
TO the advantage of large
enterprises. For instance.
there should be no tariff on
chemical products since the
Du Pont Co. happens to be
one Of the largest business
firms In the world. 1t is my
understanding that the tariff
{, on products manufactured by
Du Pont is the second high
est in the category Of major
commodities imported into
the United States. If the size
of the company concerned Is
to be the measure Of govern
ment assistance, surely the
Du Pont Co. is not entitled
to any assistance whatsoever.
In his statement, by listing
the total participation in the
loan of the farms involved.
Senator Williams implied
that the figure listed is an
outright subsidy. and you
carried that implication over
into your editorial. From his
long service on the Senate
Agricultural Committee, Sem
ator Williams knows very
well that this is not the case.
and I am confident that you
are also very well aware that
it is not. Actually. as you
know, the cost to the Gov
eminent will be the differ
ence between the price sup
port listed and whatever the
Government receives from
the eventual sale of these
commodities. While there
may be losses for the partic-
ular year 1857. the entire his
tory Of the price support pro-
gram shows that in many
years the Government actu-
ally made money through the
price support loans.
Barring large producers
from participation in the
price support program would
have two disastrous effects.
First of all. 1t would bar
from participation in the
benefits of the program all
the workers employed on the
large farms, who are Ger
tainly entitled to as much
assistance as any other
farmer. Secondly, it would
wreck the orderly marketing
procedure by which the small
farmer has a hedge against
having to sell his crop In a
buyers market. This is a far
greater advantage to the
farm economy than any other
aspect Of the price support
program.
AS far as my area Is con-
cerned. certainly, the present
Federal farm program is not
responsible for the large size
Of farms. Some of these farms
became large generations ago
through the success of the
original owners. Most of
them, however, increased in
size primarily during the
early l930s when there was no
Government price support
program at all and many
farmers went bankrupt, al
lowing their lands to be
bought up by larger opera
tors at relatively small prices.
Frank E. Smith. NC,
Representative from