P NATIONAL PRESS BLDG WASHINGTON. — There was a press statement sent around to newspaper offices the other day that failed to attract any attention. It failed to gain any publicity at all and yet, it seems to me, it was one of the most significant announce- ments to come from any govern- ment department in months. The statement, issued by the Agricul- tural Adjustment administration, said simply that a decision had been reached ‘‘against making effective a potato marketing agreement and | order program covering interstate shipment of potatoes grown in 13 early and intermediate states.” The AAA announcement explained that the ‘‘overall vote” was suffi- ciently large to make the marketing agreement operative under the law, but it was the conviction of officials that it was ‘‘not feasible’ to place the program in effect in the light of | the character of the vote taken. In some areas of the 13 states and, in- deed, in some of the states as a whole, there was actually a major- ity of the producers of potatoes who voted against the agreement. Thus, for the first time, a market- ing agreement sponsored by the Ag- ricultural Adjustment administra- tion is rejected. Perhaps, to be technically correct, I ought to say that, for the first time, there was such lack of public support that a narketing agreement has been | abandoned before it was started. Certainly, if the folks charged with official responsibility deem a plan unlikely to succeed, there must be a quite evident lack of enthusiasm for it. The tendency heretofore has been to cram rules and regulations and marketing agreements and con- tracts and what have you right down the farmers’ throats as a means of “educating” them to the benefits eventually accruing. Recognition of this lack of support, therefore, con- stitutes something of a change in the attitude of the AAA, but the sig- nificant thing as far as I am con- cerned continues to be the fact that the farmers again are asserting their independence. It amounts to a sign that agriculture has begun to desire less of Washington meddling in management of farms. There are obviously two schools of thought about government's rela- tions with agriculture in this coun- try. There is the philosophy repre- sented by Secretary Wallace and his followers who favor crop control. It was they who argued for the pro- gram of scarcity of supplies as a means to the more abundant life for the farmer, and it is the same Mr. | Wallace who now is promoting what | he is pleased to call the ‘“‘ever nor- | mal granary’’ idea. The other group | of friends of agriculture take the po- sition fundamentally that the farm- er should have some form of gov- ernment assistance, but they object strenuously to any program that contemplates regimentation—Wash- ington control over how the farmer operates his farm and what he pro- duces. I suppose that the marketing agreement idea is a proper one to be carried out if the crop curtailment idea is to be paramount as a nation- al policy. It is an historical fact, of course, that adoption of one type of regulation begets other regulations. No man ever lived who could con- ceive at one time, all of the neces- sary rules to control a set of circum- stances in which natural laws fig- ure. And natural laws figure in any question of production of farm | rops. So when and if there is to be national crop control, there must be these subsidiary and district pro- grams to carry out the broader as- pects of a plan. * Significant Decision Since I never have been convinced that a national crop control program : was sound, it was Rejected no surprise to me By Farmers to learn of what amounts to a plain rejection of the theory by the farm- ers, or one segment of them. The wonder to me is that these same farmers waited so long to reassert themselves as bosses of their busi- ness. It may be an incident, how- ever, that proves the statement of one farmer who wrote to me say- ing, “We may be slow in learning, but when we learn we usually are right.” One of the reasons given privately for the rejection of the potato agree- ment was that the “educational work’’ in advance of the vote by eli- gible producers ““was not of a very high order.” But why, I ask, is it necessary for our government to use propaganda at any time? There might be an emergency, such as came with the World war, when propaganda can be justified. Other- wise, I feel it is not a function of government, and one of the results is bound to be a government by men and not by law. The govern- ment is not anybody's salesroom. Our congress and the legislatures of states are elected by popular vote of the citizens. They are the fellows who create policy, not of- ficials appointed to office, There might be some interest in an examination of the states cone cerned in this proposed, and now abandoned, marketing agreement. They are: Alabama, Arkansas, Cal- ifornia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Caro- lina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. The AAA an- nouncement said there were 7,300 producers voting on the adoption of the agreement. My information is that this number is a pitifully small proportion of potato growers, even mediate’’ potatoes as distinguished Yet, there was not a sufficient number of these to What happened to Vell, I can make did not have any interest in it. Of course, it may be different with growers of other crops. It must be recalled, however, that there has the corn farmers are dissatisfied, and there have been howls from the cotton growers and from the tobac- co growers, and the wheat sections are the source of other complaints. I have no way of knowing what pro- portion of the growers of these crops are represented in the opposition al- ready voiced. There can be no doubt on one point, however. The inde- pendence of the farmer is bound to gusted with bureaucratic direction of his affairs, it is a condition that cline in scope. * * * And speaking of regulation, I heard a conversation the other day that I am going to record here as faithfully as I can recall the words. It took place at my favorite table in the National Press club, a large table at which men gather for lunch. Usually, all 12 places are filled, and the types of work and means of livelihood represented are interest- ing of themselves—some lawyers, government officials, some trade representatives, some writers. On this particular day, Douglas Corrigan, flying “west” from New York to California, had landed in Ireland—without a permit from the department of commerce. The ques- tion: what could or should the de- partment of commerce do about the violation of its sacred rules? “Of course,” said former Sen. C. Case of Corrigan ment must take away his license. It has to do it. If it doesn’t, there will be any number of foolhardy lads try the same thing.” “Well, now,” obser H. O. Bish- op, famed student of George Wash- ington, “I just wonder whether that’s right. Here we have a gov- ernment department telling one and all of us that we must not fly across the ocean unless we get their per- mission. What are we coming to in this country? Presently, we will have to have a permit to walk across the Potomac river bridge. It may come to the end that we have to have a permit to buy food—as they do in Russia.” Senator Dill: “Oh, but that's not the point. There is a question of safety involved, human lives.” Mr. Bishop: “The railroad engi- neer isn’t licensed. He is responsi- ble for hundreds of human lives. This whole thing of the government ved We don't have a de- mocracy, any liberty, any more. It was the spirit of adventure that made this country great.” Senator Dill: “True. Corrigan incident, however, and think what the government would spend looking for him if his $900 crate had fallen in the Atlantic. I've an idea that the cost of looking for Amelia Earhart mounted to several hundred thousand dollars. If the government hadn't made an effort to look for her, or for Corrigan if he had fallen, the newspapers of the country would have ‘burned up’ the officialg responsible.” Mr. Bishop: “Where's it going to stop? Year after year, we see rattle brains get into congress and imme- diately promote some new regula- tion or create another political bu- reau or commission.” And so it went, on and on. Some finished their lunches and left; oth- ers came, and the argument was continued. A few days later, the National Press club entertained Howard Hughes and his "round-the-world fly- ers at a luncheon. Mr. Hughes was praised and his aides commend- ed. They had made all preparations for their flight in accordance with department of commerce require- ments. They were successful in their effort. And what do you think ~—the success of the Hughes trip sub- sequently was used by the same two men as a means of renewing their argument, The moral? If any, it proves why a democracy is a good form of gov- ernment. If you have an opinion, express it. © Western Newspaper Union, Take the GREAT BOOKS Dumas’ Story Formed Basis For ‘Traviata’ By ELIZABETH C. JAMES NE has grown used to seeing characters from favorite books on the screen. There is interest also in meeting again the old books, just as their authors wrote them long Among fa- mous love stories recently brought to the screen is that of Camille, the lady created by Alexan- der Dumas in his book, “The Lady of the Camellias.” You recall Dumas opened his romantic novel by relating how he him- self had gone to the sale of the personal possessions of Mar- guerite Gautier, a beautiful ceurtesan of Paris. He bought the book, Manon, which had been inscribed by one Armand Du- val, whom he guessed to be one of her lovers. The day after this sale a card was presented at the author's door, bearing the name of Armand Duval. Very curious, Dumas invited the caller into his apartment. The per- «orngrmp that “ Elizabeth James VERSATILE DUMAS Alexander Dumas, fils, was the nataral son of the noted novelist and a seamstress. The mother brought up her son carefully and early he attained a wide and cul- tured education. Taunts from his playmates shadowed his child- hood with unhappiness. The younger Dumas was versa- tile in the number of his literary talents, but one quality ran through them all, the purpose of a reformer. Most of his works have a didactic theme, which caused the elder Dumas to scold his son, sonable young man could hardly talk for weeping. He wanted to buy back the book, Manon. After much weeping, Duval told the story of the Lady of the Camel- lias. Marguerite Gautier, outstanding among the lovely women in Paris, had as her favorite flower the ca- mellia, which she wore the year round in preference to all other flowers. From the time that Ar- mand first saw her, his life was not the same. When he obtained an introduction to her, he was so over- come that he made a very silly im- pression and for two years he made no effort to see her again. At one time she was ill for two months, and he went daily to inquire about her, never leaving his name. Marguerite Is Consumptive, Finally he arranged to meet her again. When she learned that it was he who had come daily for two months, she was interested and in- vited him to supper. He knew al- ready that she was consumptive. Marguerite had never seen any- one pity her so deeply and she was touched. When Armand told her how much he loved her, she ex- plained that her mode of life was lavish, that she spent 100,000 francs a year. But no arguments pre- vailed against their mutual attrac- tion. Marguerite loved Armand. As spring came, she suggested that they leave Paris and take a house in the country for the sum- mer. This plan seemed idyllic, and proved to be so. For six months the lovers were happy. Then came a message for Armand to meet his father in Paris. The interview between father and son was stormy, but neither gave way to the other. The next day Armand called again to see his fa- ther but found him out. Return- ing to Marguerite he found her in a state of agitation worse than he had believed possible. She gave him vague reasons and wept contin- uously. The next day she urged Armand to go once more to see his father. To please her, he did so. Marguerite Disappears. Late in the evening when Armand returned to the country, he found the house dark. Frantic, he found that Marguerite had gone. A letter stated that their relationship had been lovely, but it could not last. Armand was wild. He would show her! Back in Paris he went every- where that Marguerite went, he gambled and lived recklessly, tak- ing every occasion to insult her. Marguerite fled from Paris. In her exile, the Lady of the Camellias knew that she would soon die. Longing for Armand she wrote him each day, but did not send the letters. She gave instructions that when she was dead these let- ters with one other should be sent to Armand. On returning to Paris, Armand learned of her death and received her letters with one from his father to Marguerite in which Armand’s father had implored Marguerite in the name of her love to give up his son so that the family name and future would be untarnished. The importunate letter had used every means to win her to the idea that she would be doing an heroic deed in the name of love. The plot of Verdi's opera, “La Traviata,” comes from this book. © Bell Syndicate. —~WNU Serviee. SIX GUNS A Gallos County . and w= Story CAR PET TAC KS © McClure Newspaper Syndicate, WNU Service, N OST times, county, a si a leetle the be but there was one difference bet was a box of carpet tacks. { Sheriff See that there, there at the 1 well, without givin®' him a chance, but still had that gun in } when he backs out of Happy Hour. 'Fore long Tom be e him ha in Gallos 3 a-got just » argument jutch ; » when the after rides in ut the she ween two gun toters tree a rd on acct that's been no ’ 12 oo} + 4 nin’ to lights out { ys of m out |) untry dows der 1e1 Butch has holed up for y 8. and taken him out and strung him gone to that there tree. And Butch'd | the border, but he d« been livin’ right, like as 1 if its by the shack, wasn't for thern carpet tacks. y It was right here in the Happy Hour a-begin- nin’. Butch was at the bar when | somethin’ Johnnie Rucker comes in and was| He’ a leetle when he said some- | his thin’ 'bout Butch stealin’ 50 head from Jc but John- nie did nick Butch's right foot as the lead from Butch's gun went a-tearin’ through his own heart, x ‘ i course 3utch’'d shot Johnnie ’ And Butch a-bein’ a cow he was, they just up itch oughta 101 ’ where ti 5 was bout that foot of his'n. 5 a doin at - 1 Tom rides up. Ton {fc ( been a { a leetle doctorin’ of 1 Siow hnnie of steers Along the Highway Don’t let ownership of an automobile rob you of your po- liteness. Probably the worst fault in driving a car is believing you haven't any fault, In these days, on the roads, it’s a case of the survival of the flittest, Thinking about one thing while doing another causes ac- cidents, | | (AACE L ’ RLU: Just at the time when you need a new set of tires for your truck, Firestone makes it possible for you to buy high quality tires at a new low price. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers