122 THE AGRICULTURAL BLOC 



has been thrown into the machinery which many predicted 

 would move smoothly enough when the administration went 

 into power." 



The Public Ledger said : 



"The hoof marks of the ^Farm Bloc' decorate many 

 sectors of the administration profile. The embattled farm- 

 ers from the Com Belt and the Cow Country have muti- 

 lated the Harding program and made the administration, 

 eat much dirt on the tax, tariff, railway and other pet White 

 House measures." 



It is interesting to compare this statement 

 with the summaries of the administration's ac- 

 complishments made from time to time by ad- 

 ministration leaders in the House, which show 

 that many of the measures put through primari- 

 ly because of the support of the Bloc were also 

 looked upon as those of greatest importance 

 by the administration. 



The press found a sensational topic in the con- 

 troversy between the Bloc and the President and 

 missed no opportunity to build up public in- 

 terest in the discussion on this subject. "When 

 Senator Kenyon was first offered a position as 

 Federal Judge in Iowa there was considerable 

 glee in certain quarters over the prospect that 

 the Bloc might soon lose its leader. These 

 writers did not take the trouble to inquire into 



