The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 25, 1921, Page 7

U. S. Senate “Soviet” Wins a Victory ““Agrarian Bloc” Blocks Plans for Four Weeks’ Adjournment and Forces | Consideration of Farmer Bills—Rail Rates Attacked Washington Bureau, : Nonpartisan Leader. HE newly formed “agricultural bloc” in the senate won its first big victory early this month when it proved to be the ‘balance of power in defeating. a move by the Republican senate ma- jority, led by Senator Lodge, for a four weeks’ “vacation.” The combinatidn of south- ern and western senators, which Lodge and other reactionary senators has dubbed “the soviet,” op- . posed the adjournment, because of the important - farmer bills pending, whose passage would be jeopardized, or at least unduly delayed, unless the senate remained in session. Senator Lodge and , other majority leaders wanted a rest during the hot spell and figured that, since the tariff and tax bills would not come to the senate from the house for a few weekS, now was the time for a four weeks’ “layoff.” This victory of the “soviet” forecasts favorable action by the senate on the big agricultural bills, and it was a significant defeat of the Republican majority. Realizing the psychological effect of a victory for the group of progressive senators from the farming states of the South and West, “the gang” fought hard for the adjournment. It was debated several hours. Senators Nelson of Minne- sota and McCumber of North Dakota, from western farming states, supported the adjournment resolu- tion and will suffer at the hands of their constitu~ ents as a result. The farmer legislation which the defeat of the adjournment plan will give early consideration in- cludes the export commission, to develop foreign markets for farm products, the co-operative mar- keting bill, the bill to make the secre- tary of agriculture a member of the federal reserve board and give the 5 farmers a voice on that important rates of freight are paralyzing agriculture. Hay and grain charges are chiefly attacked. Farmers are unable to ship products because the freight charges eat up all of what might otherwise be a profit, and so the railroads are not getting the business they should. A thorough investigation of the farm product freight rate situation is asked, as is early action in ordering a flat percentage re- duction. The starting of this suit is interesting from sev- eral points of view. The present outrageous rates are a Republican party accomplishment. They are the result of the infamous Esch-Cummins railroad act, which President Harding during his campaign last year said was a “great constructive piece of legislation,” or words to that effect. And the president has let it be known that he does not favor a flat percentage cut in present railroad rates, as demanded in the complaint filed by the western states. He says he is for dealing with each rate and commodity separately. But most significant of all is the fact that the governments of the states which will get back of the suit are Republican in political complexion, mostly composed of politicians who helped elect Harding and who supported the Esch-Cummins act. Sooner or later the Republicans will have to ad- mit that the Esch-Cummins act was a mistake, or take the consequence of a stupid and stubborn de- fense of it. It is a situation similar to the ome which developed when the Republicans under Taft tried to defend the outrageous tariff that brought the Democratic opponents of the administration into popularity and subsequent power. It will be re- membered that Taft declared that that tariff act was “perfect,” just as Harding, both as senator and v I PUTTING HIM OUT IN THE OCEAN- I body, and bills to enlarge the powers g : of and aid federal land banks. There are also some other minor farm hills. .Shortly after the “soviet” victory the senate - committee on agriculture unanimously recommended for passage the grain exchange bill, While the senate Republican major- ity was being successfully bearded by the progressives, a split occurred in the house Republican ranks over the tariffi. There will be a minority re- port of the house ways and means committee on.the tariff bill. Repre- sentative Frear, Republican of Wis- consin, jumped the traces. and issued a statement denouncing the majority Republican tariff plans. He com- plained that the rates of duty in many instances were excessive and would cause undue profits and exactions by monopolies and trusts. He objected’ to the bills as giving too much power to the tariff commission, which, he said, could enforce prohibitive sched- ules without consulting congress and thus allow manufacturers to bleed the buying public. MANY STATES TO JOIN THE SUIT The work of the “agrarian bloc” in the senate and the disposition of some house Republicans to refuse to stand for the reactionary, big business poli- . cies of the administration are the most - hopeful signs of the session. \ Most of the western farming states will probably join in a suit, already ! filed by some of the states, before the interstate commerce commission, to obtain a wholesale reduction of the practically prohibitive railroad rates on farm products. The Kansas state administration started the ball rolling by filing a complaint, and other states that will probably join in the move are North Dakota, Minnesota, South Da- * kota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Iowa. " The complaint charges that the high The high freight rates on farmers out in the middle of the Pacific ocean. 1 : further away from the markets the farmer is, in effect. The article on this page tells of a suit by a number of western states -to secure a rate reduction on farm produce. PAGE SEVEN —Drawn expressly for the Leader by W. C. Morris. farm produce have had the effect of putting western The higher the rates, the A R A A8 30 N 8 s i<t s president, has backed the Esch-Cumming railroad act. In each case the people refused to stand for it. Taft and the Republican party went out of power. Continued support of the Esch-Cummins act and official excuses for the conditipns it has brought about will be a factor in bringing about a popular movement to run the present political lead- ers out of office. The administration has gotten in bad with the American Legion by its announced intention of op- posing the ex-soldiers’ adjusted compensation, or “soldiers’ bonus” bill. The Legion has been con- sidered as largely friendly to the Harding adminis- tration. Other soldier organizations working for the bonus, like the World War Veterans, never have been friendly to the present politicians in power. Secretary of the Treasury Mellon led off by show- ing that the pending bill to aid the ex-service men would add from one and a half to two billion dol- lars to federal taxes, and that now was no time to assume this added liability. The president followed with a request to congress to defer passage of the bill till after the tariff and tax bills have been pass- ed and the government “knows where it is at.” HARDING ADMINISTRATION HAS STRANGE IDEAS OF ECONOMY The administration relies on the popular desire for reduced taxation and economy in government to support it in thus defying the ex-service men and their organizations. It is an interesting situation. The ex-service men are a strong political factor, but at the same time a bid for government economy, even though it steps on the toes of our war “heroes” who could have had anything they wanted two years ago, is liable to meet general approval. But the administration has strange ideas about economy. It intends to save a few dollars by cutting off a lot of jobs at Washington and making the “boys” work harder, which is laudable, of course. «But the saving that even a vigorous and thorough policy of this kind would make would be compara- tively small. The administration has refused to approve-any economy in war preparations. We are going ahead, for instance, with the biggest naval program that this or any other nation ever attempted in a similar period, despite the fact that we have just finished a war to “make the world safe for democracy” and “end all war.” The big saving could have been made in the army and navy. Some of those here looking after farmer legislation have made a study of the personnel of the joint congres- sional commission which will investi- gate agricultural conditions in a sup- posed attempt to get information that will help in framing relief legislation. They claim there is not a genuine “dirt” farmer on the commission, and few if any that can even be called “swivel-chair” farmers, The senate members of the commis- sion are: Capper of Kansas, the best ’ choice of the lot and the only one that the farmers will have any confidence in at all; Lenroot of Wisconsin and MecNary of Oregon, both lawyers and reactionaries, and Robinson of Arkan- sas and Harrison of Mississippi, law- yers, and not noted for any progres- siveness. The house members of the commis- sion are: Anderson of Minnesota, chairman, lawyer; Mills of New York, lawyer; Funk of Illinois, who has a college degree, belongs to all the im- portant Chicago social clubs, but claims to be a stock raiser; Teneyck of New York, civil engineer, and Sum- mers of Texas, lawyer. Why was Senator Ladd of North Dakota, a real farmers’ man from a real farming state, left off? What can be expected of this commission ? We leave the questions to the reader.