Where are those who are to be called statesmen? Let us give out a word from this honorable body. Those people are deceiving none who have intelligence. They will not be further allowed to mislead those of patriotism. The point is clear, the understanding is evident, that the dishonor behind it is one that has been clearly calculated to result in confusion and embarrassment.
On this floor at this moment, daring to be something of a spokesman for my honorable colleagues on both sides of the Chamber, I announce the time has come when we here reveal these people and now declare to them that this Government will not yield to peculators in their offense nor to speculators in their crime. This is a Government of patriots who will sustain their country by every sacrifice. This is a body which will stand squarely in defense of our country. We insist upon the indulgence and enjoyment of prosperity by its whole people and the patriotism of this Nation to denounce and punish all conspiracy against the people and the Nation of America.
I thank the Senate for allowing me to break into the debate at this time. [Applause on the floor.]
AGRICULTURAL RELIEF
The Senate resumed the consideration of the bill (S. 2787) to provide an adequate and balanced flow of the major agricultural commodities in interstate and foreign commerce, and for other purposes.
The VICE PRESIDENT. The clerk will state the pending amendment.
Mr. BORAH. Mr. President, before we take up the next amendment I should like to know what became of the amendment of the Senator from Louisiana [Mr. Overton].
It was passed over last evening, and I want to call it up, if I may do so this morning, because if it is adopted it will in part take care of another matter which I have in mind.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Logan in the chair). If there is no objection, the amendment of the Senator from Louisiana [Mr. Overton], referred to by the Senator from Idaho [Mr. Borah], will be laid before the Senate for consideration.
Mr. OVERTON. Mr. President, the amendment I proposed has been thoroughly discussed on two different occasions before the Senate. Yesterday the junior Senator from Washington [Mr. Schwellenbach] expressed a desire to postpone consideration of the amendment until he had an opportunity to study it further. He advised me this morning over the telephone that he has no objection to the amendment.
The purpose of the amendment is simply to protect soil conservation payments.
Mr. McNARY. Mr. President, I think the amendment should be stated before the discussion proceeds.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the amendment.
The Legislative Clerk. In the committee amendment, on page 11, it is proposed to strike out lines 18 to 25 and to insert in lieu thereof the following:
(c) Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this act, parity payments for cotton, wheat, and corn in any marketing year shall be computed on the basis of the payments available under the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended, in case such payments are greater than the payments available under this act.
Mr. OVERTON. Mr. President, as far as I know, there is no Senator now objecting to the amendment. I ask the junior Senator from Washington. whom I see in the Chamber, whether he suggests any modification of the amendment, or whether he is satisfied with the amendment as it is now proposed.
Mr. SCHWELLENBACH. Mr. President, if the Senator will yield, I have discussed the amendment with the Department this morning, and they have no objection to it. Therefore I withdraw any objection I might have had to the amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment proposed by the Senator from Louisiana to the amendment of the committee.
The amendment to the amendment was agreed to.
The amendment as amended was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the next amendment of the committee.
Mr. McNARY. Mr. President, yesterday I asked that the amendment on page 19 be passed over, and that order was made. I am ready to make inquiry concerning it now if the Record made yesterday is as I have stated it.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the amendment.
The Legislative Clerk. On page 19, after line 9, it is proposed to insert the following:
(c) Adjustment contracts shall require a cooperator engaged in the production of wheat or corn for market to store under seal his stock of the current crop thereof up to an amount not exceeding the normal yield of 20 percent of his farm's soil-depleting base acreage for such commodity if the Secretary, at any time during the marketing year for such crop or within 30 days prior thereto, determines that such storage is necessary in order to carry out during such marketing year the declared policy of this act with respect to the commodity; but such storage shall not be required if the Secretary has reason to believe that during the ensuing 3 months the current average farm price for the commodity will be more than the parity price therefor. Such storage shall be for the period of the marketing year or such shorter period as the Secretary shall prescribe. Cooperators shall be entitled to obtain from the Surplus Reserve Loan Corporation surplus reserve loans in respect to stocks stored as required by the Secretary under this subsection.
Mr. McNARY. Mr. President, in reading the amendment yesterday it occurred to me that this might work an imposition upon the producers of wheat and corn. As I read the amendment whenever a crop is harvested, what we call a current crop, not to exceed 20 percent shall be sealed and stored, whether in the fanner's home, or in a cooperators' elevator, or in one privately owned. It also provides that this must be done. Then on line 15 this provision appeared:
If the Secretary, at any time during the marketing year for such crop or within 30 days prior thereto, determines that such storage is necessary in order to carry out during such marketing year the declared policy of this act with respect to the commodity-
And so forth. The interpretation I place on the amendment, the manner in which I claim it would work a hardship to the wheat and com farmer, cotton being omitted, is that a producer would necessarily comply with the terms of the amendment and store 20 percent of his crop for the full year, because if the Secretary decided in the first 3 ensuing months, which would be, according to the bill, July, August, and September. that he needed the storage any time during the marketing year, which is 12 months, he could call upon the farmer for 20 percent of that which had been stored, and if the farmer did not have it stored, he would probably be subject to the penalty prescribed a few pages further in the bill for not reporting correctly, and be fined at least $100.
If I have misconstrued the language, I should like to have it explained by the Senator from Idaho [Mr. Pope] or the Senator from Kansas [Mr. McGill], in charge of the bill.
Mr. POPE. Mr. President, I may say, to begin with, that the authors of the bill have agreed to strike out the provision with reference to the hundred-dollar fine in connection with the report. That may be of interest to the Senator.
Mr. McNARY. That is of very great interest.
Mr. POPE. With reference to the amendment now under discussion, my interpretation is that in the contracts it is provided that the Secretary may require storage not exceeding the normal yield, or 20 percent of the farm base. There is a proviso, however, as the Senator will note, to the effect that the Secretary must determine and carry out the policy of the act, and the further proviso that if he has reason to believe that the current price of the commodity will be equal to parity, then he cannot require the storage.
Yesterday the Senator was making the point that the amendments to the bill were more for the benefit of the grower than is desirable.
Mr. McNARY. Oh, no.
Mr. POPE. More to the benefit of the grower and less to the benefit of the consumer than is desirable.
Mr. McNARY. No.
