The Hondo Anvil Herald. (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 43, No. 10, Ed. 1 Friday, September 28, 1928 Page: 8 of 9
nine pages : ill. ; page 20 x 13 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
GOVERNOR SMITH ON FARM
RELIEF-.
(Continued from first page)
cultural districts. In 1927 there were
S30 bank failures, with total liabili-
ties of over $270,000,000,000, almost
entirely in the agricultural sections,
as against 41# such failures during the
last year of President Wilson s ad-
ministration.
The report of November 17, 1927,
of a special committee of the Asso-
ciation of Land Grant Colleges and
Universities states: “Incomes from
farming since 1920 have not been
sufficient tn pay a fair return on the
current value of capital used and a
fa>r wage for the farmer'- labor,
or to permit farm people to maintain
a standard of living comparable with
other groups of l-'ke ability.” The
Business Men’s Commission on Agri-
culture said in November 1927,
‘‘Since the war, the prices of farm
products have persisted in an un-
economic and unfavorable adjustment
to the general scale of prices of other
goods and services.” and “the dis-
parity between urban and farm in-
comes has emphasized the disparity
in standards of living in the rural
and urban populations.” “The value
of farm land and farm property de-
creased heavily in the post-war de-
flation” ard “large numbers of
farmers have lost all their property
in this pro. ess.”
Agriculture and Business
We have not merely a problem of
helping the farmer. While agricul-
ture is one of the most individualized
and independent of enterprises, still
as the report of the Business Men’s
Commission points out, “Agriculture
is essentially a public function, af-
fected with a clear and unquestion-
able public interest.” The country is
an economic whole. If the buying
power of agriculture is impaired, the
farmer makes fewer trips to Main
Street. The shop owner suffers be-
cause he has lost a large part of his
trade. The manufacturer who supplies
him likewise suffers as does the wage
earner, because the manufacturer is
compelled to curtail his production.
And the banker can not collect his
d'-bts or safely extend further credit.
This country can not he a healthy,
strong economic body if one of its
members, so fundamentally important
as agriculture, is sick almost to the
point of economic death.
The normal market among the
farmers of this country for the pro-
ducts of in iustry is $10,000,000,000.
Our export market, according to
latest available figures is, exclusive
of argicultural products, approximate-
ly $1,600,000,000. These large fig-
ures furnish striking indication of
the serious blow to national prosper-
ity as a whole which is struck when
the buying power of the farmer is
paralyzed.
When, therefore, I say that 1 am
in accord with our platform declara-
tion that the solution of this problem
must be a prime and immediate con-
cern of the democratic administration,
I make no class appeal. I am stating
a proposition as vital to the welfare
of business as of agriculture.
Unfilled Pledge*
With the exception of the admin-
i-tration* of Cleveland and Wilson,
the government of this country ha -
been in republican hands for ha1 f
a century. For nearly eight years the
president and congress have been re-
publican. V hat has been deno to voic e
this problem? Many promises were
made which have never been fulfill-
ed. Certainly the promise of relief
by tariff has n-'t been fulfilled.
The tariff is ineffective on com-
modities of which there is exportable
surplus without controlled vale of the
surplus. Our platform points the way
to make the tariff effective for crop-
of which we produce a surplus. There
has been government interference
with laws of supply and demand to
benefit industry, commerce and fi-
nance. It has been one-sided because
business, industry and finance would
have been helped more if proper at
teiitiou hail been gi\«m to the con-
dition of agriculture. Nothing of sub-
stance has been done to bring this
M»ic r>»rt of our national iifs int-j
conformity with the economic* system
that has bertn set up by law. Govern-
ment should interfere as little as pos-
sible with business. Hut if it does
interfere with one phase of economic
life, be it by tariff, by assistance to
merchant marine, by control of the
flow of money and capital through
the banking system, it is bad Iogi--,
bad economics and an abandonment
of government responsibility to say
that as to agriculture alone, the gov-
ernment should not aid.
Farm Aid Vetoes
Twice a republican congress has
passed legislation only to have it
vetoed by a president of their own
party, and whether the veto of that
specific meafure was right or wrong.
IT IS UNDISPUTED THAT NO
ADEQUATE SUBSTITUTE EVER
WAS RECOMMENDED TO THE
CONGRESS BY THE PRESIDENT
AND THAT NO CONSTRUCTIVE
PLAN OF RELIEF EVER WAS
FORMULATED BY ANY LEADER
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
IN PLACE OF THE PLAN WHICH
ITS CONGRESS PASSED AND ITS
PRESIDENT VETOED. Only caustic
criticism and bitter denunciation were
provoked in the minds of the re-
publican leaders in answer to the
nationwide appeal for a sane endeav-
or to meet this crisis.
Co-operative, co-ordinated market-
ing and warehousing of surplus farm
products is essential just as co-ordin-
ated, co-operative control of the flow
of capital was found necessary to
the regulation of our country’s fin-
ances. To accomplish financial stabil-
ity, the federal reserve system was
called into being by a democratic ad-
ministration. The question for agri-
culture is complex. Any plan devised
must also be co-ordinated with the
other phases of our business institu-
tions. Our platform declares for the
development of co-operative market-
ing and an earnest endeavor to solve
the problem of the distribution of
the cost of dealing with crop sur-
pluses over the marketed unit of the
crop w>hose producers are benefited
by such assistance. Only the mechan-
ics remain to be devised. I purpose
to substitute action for inaction and
friendliness for hostility. In my ad-
ministration of the goverment of my
state, whenever I was confronted with
a problem of this character, I called
into conference those best equipped
on the particular subject in hand. I
shall follow that course with regard
to agriculture. Farmers and farm
leaders with such constructive aid
as will come from sound economists
and fair-minded leaders of finance
and business must work out the de-
tail. There are varying plans for the
attainment of the end which is to be
accomplished. Such plans should be
subjected at once to searching, able
and fair-minded analysis, because the
interests of all require that the solu-
tion shall be economically sound.
Non-Partisan Basis
If I am elected, 1 shall immediate-
ly after election ask leaders of the
type I have named irrespective of
party to enter upon this task. 1 shall
join v/ith them in the discharge of
their duties during the coming winter
and present to congress immediately
upon its convening, the solution ree-
commended by the body of men best
fitted to render this signal service
to the nation. I shall support the
h< tivities of this body until a sat-
' factor', law is placed upon the sta-
tute books.
Adequate distribution is necessarv
to tiring a proper return to produc-
tion. Increased efficiency of rad-
cad transportation and terminal
handling means lowering of cost
which in turn reflects itself in the
form of increased purchasing power
through reduction in the cost of
eveiv-day necessities of life.
Nor do railroads exhaust means of
transportation. I bplieve in encour-
aging the construction and use of
modern highways to carry the short
haul of small hulk commodities anil to
aid in effective marketing of farm
products.
Of great importance and still in a
highly undeveloped state are our
‘■ranTOortatior* ro'vte by waterways
("om modifies of *firuf bulk, where
the frei&rht cost is a larger part of
the cost to the ultimate consumer,
are among the least profitable to
railroads to carry and lend them-
selves most readily to water trans-
portation.
Certain areas of our country are
deeply interested in opening up a di-
rect route from the Middle West to
the sea by way of the Great Lakes
and adjacent waterways. Contro-
versy has arisen over the relative
merits of the St. l*awrence route for
th# All-American route. As governor
of New' York. I have heretofore ex-
pressed a preference for the All-
American route, basing mv views on-
engineers’ reports made to me. The
correctness of these reports and also
of those favoriog the St. Lawrence
route have been challenged. As pr«6
ident of the United States, therefore,
it would be my clear duty to re-
studV this question impartially upon
engineer:.’ reports the accuracy of
which must be above question. When
the results of such a study are given
to congress. I am entirely willing to
abide by the decision of congress.
—-From Governor Smith’s Speech of
Acceptance, August 22, 1926.
CATCHING THE SUCKERS.
The present fight against the Cath-
olics reminds me very much of a bul’y
1 knew when I was young. This bully
had whipped most everything around
and thought he was it with a big I.
At last a little innocent looking
fellow came into the neighborhood
that was about twenty pounds lighter
than the bully. One night the bully
tried to run him away from a party,
but the say-nothing meek looking one
did not run. The bully hit a lick
at him and then things hegran. The
meek one Rot both thumbs in the
hulley’i eyes and hold of his shoulder
with his teeth. In about a minute tb
bully began to squall, take him of",
boys, take him off, he is killing me
anti 1 uni doing a thing to him. The
protestants are fighting the Catholics
and the Catholics are complacent. The
protestants seem to be getting the
worst of it and they are not doing
a thing to the Catholics except mak-
ing the Catholics well known as
peaceful citixens. Every time they
give A1 Smith a bump they make
him a few more voles. They seem
to have eliminated L"rd Hoove*- It
is now Smith and Anti-Smith with
Accident Hoover bringing up tb
rear. Lots of this fight against Smith
is made by paid hireling' of the
Anti Saloon League One of them
told me that, he owned stock in the
league and expected tn get a nice
fat dividend this fall. There is an-
other bunch of grafters traveling
around selling books. The name of
one of these books is the Sin of
Priests. I figure the books cost ten
cents each by wholesale and I saw-
one bird sell t h i r t y-f i v e of
them in less than an hour for $1.00
each. The man who said there was
a sucker born every minute did not
know what he was talking about; it
is nearer two.
JOE FITZGERALD.
A man should be careful never to
tell tales of himself to his own dis-
advantage; people may be :> muse d,
and laugh at the time, but they will
be remembered and brought up
against him on some subsequent oc-
casion.—Johnson.
Patronize FARMING’S advertisers.
Our Lady of the Lake
('oJ/ege for. the Higher Education of Women
Approved by the Association of American Universities.
For information, address the Secretary.
SISTERS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
AYLOR COLLEGE
for Women-—Belton, Texas
A CHARMING ENVIRONMENT
—of culture, refinement and homelike influences,
offering exceptional facilities for happy, health-
ful and successful school work. Accredited by
Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
of the Southern States. All standard course®
leading to degrees. Superior Conservatory, Mus-
ic, Art, Physical Training, Home Economics,
Business Administration and Education Depn-*.-
ments. Modern buildings; spacious gr unds. 8kh
term begins September 15. For catalog or in-
formation, write—
J. C. HARDY, A.M., LL.D., President
FOR WRITING ALL YOUR LETTERS
GET A BOX OF OUR STATIONERY
100 ENVELOPES
200 NOTESHEETS J
$1.00
Neatly printed with any ones name and address on every piece
and mailed anywhere between the Mississippi river and the Rocky
Mountains postpaid. Beyond these points east or west 25c extra.
SPECIAL: Either send $1.25 for one box, $2.00 for two boxes
for the same person or $1.00 each for a box for three or more
persons in one order and we will send you Farming one year
without additional cost. Address with the cash.
FLETCHER’S FARMING
Hondo, Texas.
H C
* Z
o w
YEAR FOR $2.00 FOR THE
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Davis, Fletcher. The Hondo Anvil Herald. (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 43, No. 10, Ed. 1 Friday, September 28, 1928, newspaper, September 28, 1928; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth567897/m1/8/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hondo Public Library.