264

AGRICULTURAL RELIEF
Mr. Aswers. I have; that is as far as I will go. 1 will not go as

far as the equalization fee. May 1 interrupt you there just a minute?
[ can show you why my bill is better without the fee than the McNary-
Haugen bill. It is not the kind of a bill I would write, but it is the
best thing we can get now. I am for legislation of some kind. I
will not vote for a bill'that I know can not become a law.

Mr. KiLgorE. But you would like to get the very best bill you
could—you would like to get the very best bill to be had?

Mr. AsweLL. It is not a debatable question.

Mr. KiLcore. That is what you stand for, the very best bill you
can possibly get.

Mr. AsweLL. I repeat my statement; it is clear to everybody who
is at all informed that you can not pass a bill with the fee in it. That
is perfectly clear, that you can not get it into law.

Mr. KincaeLoE. Why can you not, Doctor?

Mr. AswerL. 1 think it is a childish question to ask me why.
Because you can not get it signed by the President.

Mr. KINcHELOE. 1f you can get a two-thirds vote we can pass it
over the President’s veto.

Mr. AsweLL. You do not have the two-thirds vote.

Mr. KiLcore. May I tell you this little story?

Mr. AswerL. No; I want to tell you one first. Ixcuse me for
referring to my own experience. A year ago and a little over I was
informed that the tenants on my little farm had the cotton but the
price was so low they could not pay their debts. I telegraphed a
triend of mine to buy the crop at a cent a pound above the market
price that day—gave them a bonus of 1 cent—put it in the warehouse
and took a chance: this is really what I believe these boards could do.
He made a mistake in interpreting my telegram. Good middling
that day was worth 11 cents a pound. So he paid 12 cents all around.
But some of it was low ordinary, when I got down there and looked
at it. He paid as high as 314 cents a pound that day more than the
market price on some of it.

[ put it in the warehouse and paid storage and insurance, and the
food came on and I got busy with the flood and neglected my own
affairs. I left word with my friend that when it got high enough to
pay out to sell it; and I lost $7.32 on the whole transaction. That 18
what I want the board to do. That is a little example, a very small
thing, but the whole cotton crop can be handled just that way,
without any fee.

Mr. Kircore. I feel extremely hopeful, Doctor Aswell. There
was a Jew who went out to a gentile to solicit a contribution for his
church.

Mr. AsweLL. I have heard that. .

Mr. Kircore. And he asked him for a hundred dollars. The
gentile gave him $500, and the Jew said, “Almost thou persuadest
me to be a Christian.” I think, Doctor Aswell is almost persuaded
to become a McNary-Haugenite.

Mr. AsweLL. 1 am, if you will cut the fee out.

Mr QLARKE. Let me read something just to strengthen his faith.

Mr. AsweLL. Whose faith are you going to strengthen?

Mr. CLarkE. Under the President’s veto——

Mr. AsweLL. Whose faith are you trying to strengthen?