450 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



Mr. Kline. I have no intention of getting into a pro and con argu- 

 ment on the political campaign. 



Mr. White, We know all this is political, Mr. Kline. The whole 

 thing. You cannot escape it. 



Mr. HoEVEN. Will the gentleman yield? 



Mr. White. Yes, I will yield. 



Mr. HoEVEN. I am assuming you are also including the Brannan 

 proposal as being political. 



Mr. White. I say we cannot escape the inevitable fact that all 

 agricultural plans are involved in politics. I want to be honest about 

 it. 



Mr. Kline. I should like, if I might, to enter into the record a very 

 brief statement on that point. We have made tremendous progress in 

 a national approach to the agricultural problems of this country in 

 my time. We have done it by working sincerely together on a bi- 

 partisan basis. I hope that we can continue to take the elements that 

 are good and the elements that are bad of various proposals and work 

 with the outstanding leaders of Congress and work on a bipartisan 

 basis for the welfare of agriculture and for the general welfare. It 

 is the determination of the American Farm Bureau to do exactly that. 



Mr. White. Let me enlarge on that just a minute, if I may, Mr. 

 Chairman. 



I agree with the gentleman that we should work on a ])ipartisan 

 basis. I point out that within each party there is a difference of 

 philosophy. It seems that one philosophy is that philosophy which 

 says w^e can return to the free enterprise system and the other extreme 

 philosophy which says we ought to tie up everybody so they cannot 

 move. I submit that there is a middle ground but the middle ground 

 is certainly not in proposing a plan on a so-called flexible basis which 

 is tantamount to handing a crippled man a pair of rubber crutches 

 and saying, ^'Here, walk with these." The}^ will let him fall flat on 

 his face and that is what will happen to agriculture if we adopt the 

 so-called flexible price system. 



Mr. Andresen. Mr. Chairman, a parliamentary inquiry. The 

 House will be in session this afternoon beginning at 12 o'clock reading 

 the bill for amendment. I am sure all the Members want to be here. 

 I understand we have three or four witnesses and that this is the 

 only day for the Farm Bureau Federation to testify. I would like 

 to inquire if we are going to hear these other members in the next 40 

 minutes. 



Mr. Pace. I previously announced that it was my intention to ask 

 for the testimony of the other witnesses at 20 minutes of 12. 



Mr. Kline. I think, Mr. Chairman, it might be well to hear the 

 other witnesses first and then continue questioning all or any of us, if 

 it would meet your approval, because it is a little rough to ask the four 

 people to appear in 20 minutes. 



May I also make one point here in response to this last statement? 

 It is to the effect that under the law which we have proposed the sup- 

 port itself can also be 90 percent of parity. It is 90 percent on tobacco 

 and other connnodities when acreage allotments or marketing quotas 

 are in efi'ect and the supply is in line with demand. They can get it 

 under the law, 



In addition to that we have made some special proposals with regard 

 to cotton because of the special conditions involved in the production 



