AGRICULTURAL RELIEF
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Mr. AxnpErsoN. Oh, yes.

Mr. MEnGES. Who pays for it; out of whose income is it taken to
run this machinery?

Mr. AnxpersoN. Oh, it comes out of the various places. Ulti-
mately, I suppose some of it comes out of the consumer, some of it
comes out of the producer and some of it comes out of the speculators.
It is borne in various ways.

Mr. MEnGEs. In the long run, is it not finally charged back to the
farmer?

Mr. ANpERsoN. I do not think you can assume, Mr. Menges, that
the charges are necessarily imposed at the farmer’s end. This thing
is elastic on both ends, and sometimes the farmer gets the benefit
of it and sometimes he does not. Sometimes he bears the burden
of it, and sometimes he does not.

That is like determining which is first the hen or the egg.

Mr. Menges. Granting your statement that it is correct that it is
charged both to the ultimate consumer and to the producer—I
do not know that the intermediaries have any claim here for consid-
eration—I may be mistaken; I do not want to do them any injustice;
but if that is so, is the machinery any more unconstitutional now than
it would be in the hands of an organized agency, such as intended
by this bill?

Mr. ANDERSON. Yes; I think so.

Mr. Menges. It would be? You see, I am not a lawyer and I
can not go through the hair-splitting business of constitutionality.

Mr. ANpERsON. There are many things which are permitted to
private individuals which are not permitted to the Government.

Mr. Menges. Would you please explain; would you please tell us
what they are? You made a statement there that ought to be
verified.

Mr. AnpersoN. I do not know. Perhaps you would assume that
the Government would directly enter into any private business. I
do not think they can.

Mr. MencEs. Mr. Anderson, I am not inclined to put the Govern-
ment into any business in which the people themselves can help
themselves in that business. I am not inclined to do that.

pe. ANDERSON. At least we can agree on that; I am with you on
that.

Mr. Menges. All right. I am not going to press you for an
answer. |

Mr. AnpErsoN. If we go into the question of constitutionality you
must then contemplate being bored by me for two or three days;
in fact, one can talk interminably about the economics or the legal
phases of a proposition that is as complex and as difficult as one
of this kind is. You gentlemen are quite entitled to your opinion;
I am simply trying to give you mine, although I do not know that
you will be influenced by it at all. But inasmuch as I represent a
considerable industry which would be affected by the provisions of
any bill which might be adopted by Congress, I feel justified in coming
over here and giving you my opinion about how it would operate.

Mr. Menges. That is all right.

Mr. AsweLn. Mr. Menges said he was not in favor of doing
anything that the Government could do itself. Does that mean he
1s not in favor of the provisions of the Haugen bill?

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