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AGRICULTURAL RELIEF 
Mr. Axpresen. I am sure you recognize the fact that the other 
gentlemen who are here sponsoring the McNary-Haugen bill also rep- 
resent a large group of farmers in this country, many organizations, 
and what I would like to have you answer is: Have you ever been 
invited to sit in the councils of these other groups to consider with 
them farm legislation? 
Mr. Taser. I will answer that the National Grange issued an in- 
vitation to the bona fide dues-paying farm organizations of the Na- 
tion last February. We agreed on every item of legislation except 
two, and those were farm relief and the Muscle Shoals program. 
Mr. Crank. Just a moment right there. These other farm organ- 
izations accepted invitations to meet with you: did I understand that 
correctly ? 
Mr. Taper. Making it clear: The Grange, the American Farm 
Bureau Federation, and the Farmers’ Union are the three Nation- 
wide dues-paying farm organizations. There are others that cover 
a lesser territory. The Committee of Twenty-two organized for a 
special purpose, the cotton associations organized for a special com- 
modity; the milk associations for a special milk shed, and others of 
like character. These agencies were not called into conference, for 
the simple reason that it was thought wise to restrict the conference, 
if progress was to be made, entirely to organizations national in 
scope; and as it was stated, we had no difficulty in compromising all 
our differences save two. Maybe that should not be made public, 
but I want it to go into the record in answer to the question. in strict 
accordance with the fact. 
Mr. KincurrLoe. What two are those? 
Mr. Taper. Farm relief and Muscle Shoals. 
Mr. KixcueLoE. Do you know of any two more important ques- 
tions more vital to the farmers than these? You say you did not 
agreed on farm relief and Muscle Shoals. so you gentlemen did not 
agree on very much ? 
Mr. Taper. We agreed on 33 different problems. 
Mr. KincueLoe. Oh, that may be. But I am talking about im- 
portant problems. You did not agree on farm relief and Muscle 
Shoals. Do you know of any two bigger things in this country, so 
far as the prosperity of the farmer is concerned, to be solved? 
Mr. Taser. I think there is nothing so important as farm relief. 
But there are others more important than Muscle Shoals. 
Mr. AnpreseN. How many conferences did vou have with them on 
the subject of farm relief? 
Mr. Taper. We had a conference during two days on farm relief 
at that time. In November of this year we held another conference, 
and, again, with the same result. The Grange has never been invited 
to attend any of the Corn Belt or Mid-West organizations. We have 
never been invited to attend the meetings of the Committee of 
Twenty-two. But that has nothing to do with the situation. 
Let me pause in answering your question—and I think I can say 
this without any fear of contradiction : The Grange has a membership 
more widely distributed geographically than any other farm organi- 
zation in America. We have a strong membership in New England 
of the dairy farmers and truck farmers. We have over 130,000 mem- 
bers in New York State. They held their convention last week and 
between 2.000 and 3.000 were present.