AGRICULTURAL RELIEF 265 Mr. CLARKE (reading): This so-called equalization fee is not a tax for purposes of revenue in the accepted sense. It is a tax for the special benefit of particular groups: As a direct tax on certain of the vital necessaries of life it represents the most vicious form of taxation. Mr. KiLcore. The bill has been changed this year. Mr. Chair- man, may I make this point now? The President’s objection there was that last year we had six staple crops. He objected to it on the ground that it was proposed to help those staple crops and leave the others out. The bill this year takes in all crops. So that objection does not apply. We are trying to meet the President’s objection, and make this a better bill as we go along. Mr. FuLMER. Doctor, Mr. Aswell in his statement just now stated that he mmstructed a certain party in his district to buy up the cotton of his tenant at a cent per pound above the market price. Now, is there anything in the bill that he is willing to vote for here without the equalization fee that will even give this board the authority to pay the present market price, let alone a cent a pound above that? Mr. AsweLL. I would leave it with the board to say anything they want. My bill allows 5 cents above the price. Mr. Fort. You so testified. Mr. AswerLL. My bill allows them to give 5 cents, if they so desire. Mr. KiLcore. What would have happened to you, if vou had paid 5 cents above when it was 15 cents? Mr. AsweLL. It went to 20 cents right away last year. Mr. KiLcore. Yes; it did for a while last fall. Mr. AsweLL. It went to 24 cents one or two days. Mr. KiLGgore. You know, hind sight is better than foresight. Mr. KixcHELOE. Doctor, let me ask you that, in connection with Doctor Aswell. 1 think that would be a good proportion and work- able, if there is any way that you can keep down overproduction. How can you keep down overproduction of cotton? I will go along, so far as I am concerned, if you could convince me that you could keep down overproduction in this country. Mr. AsweLL. I have a bill to do that. You have not read my bill. Mr. KiNcHELOE. You admit that it is a gobd one, I understand. Mr. KiLGore. It comes a long ways. The Cuairman. Would you prefer to proceed without interruption? Mr. KirLcore. It is a matter for the committee. I can tell a better story, I think, if you will let me go along. Nevertheless, I want the question developed, and I want to give the facts; and I admit that what Mr. Aswell has given here about the cooperatives are facts. They are facts I was going to call attention to myself, as a part of the experience with cotton cooperatives, and my purpose in telling this story, was so that you might see what a surplus has meant to the cooperatives, that the members of the cooperative associations in doing what they have done to stabilize the price of cotton have had to carry the burden of that stabilization to the extent that they did stabilize it, that the nonmembers on the outside have gotten the benefit of it, and because they have gotten the benfit without having to pay for it, we have lost tremendously in our membership and in the volume of cotton which we have handled. Mr. Jones. Doctor, is not that the trouble with most of the bills that have been proposed? They all permit, even the loan bills