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AGRICULTURAL RELIEF
that we can merchandise this under the plan suggested by his friends.
[f that is not leaving the situation in a way where nobody has to
sat any crow, or back water, or sacrifice a single principle he has in
mind, T do not know what is. What do you think of that kind of a
yromise?

“Mr. Stone. Mr. Adkins, that is all right, possibly, but I would
like to get my position clear to the committee; it is this; that I am
not here to advise nor to presume to advise this committee what to
do about it. I am here simply to try to lay before the committee,
if T can, certain facts, the results of certain experiences, and to sug-
gest some possible way out. I do not presume to advise this com-
mittee whet its duty is. It knows that, and it has its own responsi-
bilities under its oath of office.

Mr. Apkins. And you know how you would like to operate under
the law we might pass.

Mr. Stong. I know this; I know 1 would like to see the experiment
tried.

Mr. Apkins. Yes.

Mr. StoNE. I know I would like to see sone means set up whereby
we could make an earnest effort to accomplish some result, and
I believe this about it; I have faith enough in the fundamental
soundness of the general proposition, and faith enough in the earnest-
ness and integrity of any board selected by the President of the United
States to believe they will make an honest effort to reach a satisfactory
conclusion of the matter, and that that situation will be better than
a policy of doing nothing at all. -

Mr. Kincrzroe. Mr. Stone I would still like to have your ideas
about cotton.

Mr. Stone. I submit to you, Mr. Kincheloe, that I an making
as much progress as I can in that direction. 1 cannot answer a good
many questions, and at the same time go ahead with this.

Mr. KincHELOE. Absolutely. I am not going to ask you any.

Mr. Stone. I want you to ask. Wherever the matter is germane
[ want you to ask questions.

Mr. Former. Just merely passing a bill that the President might
not sign, shifting the responsibility to him, would not serve the pur-
pose. Do you believe any loan funds to be administered like all
loan funds would be effective?

Mr. Stone. I do not. In other word, I would prefer not to set
up a corporation to engage in the business of buying and selling cot-
ton, because you not only put the Government in business on that
proposition, but you put it in a competitive business with the peo-
ple who have millions and millions of dollars invested in the legiti-
mate enterprise of merchandising and handling cotton, and that is
one thing about the insurance plan of Mr. Bledsoe. It is not a
competitive undertaking because there is no insurance company that
cares to go into it or has gone into it.
gr. Fort. Don’t you understand it to be the purpose of the

augen bill and equalization fee principle to authorize the board to
et up corporations or to contract with corporations to do the very
thing you now state we ought not to do?

Mr. Stone. In some instances ; yes

Mr. Fort. They have that power.