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Show ter because we think it important for the people of the United States, as well as those who grow wheat, to understand the methods used to determine the acreage of wheat, cotton, and other crops. The acreage allotment is adjusted adjust-ed each year so that, with the prospective carry-over, it will provide pro-vide wheat for normal consumption, consump-tion, normal export and at least a thirty per cent reserve. Wheat growers now face a prospective carry-over of approximately 500,-000,000 500,-000,000 buahels on July 1, 1942. The 55,000,000 acre allotment is the minimum provided by law but above the level necessary and the department warns that "above normal nor-mal reserves continue a definite part of the U. S. wheat situation for at least two or three years." The situation in regard to cotton cot-ton is somewhat similar. Cotton growers face a record carry-over when the new cotton year begins this summer. Obviously, with a year's supply on hand, the unlimited unlim-ited production of cotton, or any other crop, will mean pauper prices for the producers. Consequently, the government has found it necessary ne-cessary to provide loans on wheat, cotton, tobacco, and rice which prevent pre-vent prices from falling below a certain level. The justification for government loans on these basic farm products is to be found, in part, in national policies which have penalized agriculture ag-riculture in favor of industry and in the fold stark necessity of preventing pre-venting the standard of living of our farmers from deteriorating. Obviously, with huge carry-overs, it would be foolish for the government gov-ernment to adopt a loan policy unless un-less the growers willingly accept acreage allotments in order to prevent pre-vent the government from being swamped. Looking at W as king ton PARITY FOR FARMERS ACREAGE ALLOTMENTS THREE FACTORS INVOLVED COTTON AND WHEAT LOANS UPHOLD PRICES COURT CHANGES MIND PRIMARIES ARE ELECTIONS When President Roosevelt signed sign-ed the farm loan bill, providing government loans to farmers for eighty-five per cent of the parity value of five basic commodities, he stqted that it reflected the "government's objective for the past eight years," and reflected "the fact that the farmers did not have and have not had as great a share of the national income as other groups." Farm leaders hailed the new low as placing "a floor under farm prices similar to the floor already under wages." Representative Cannon Can-non said that "for the first time in history, the farmer is guaranteed a parity price," and Edward A. O'Neill, president of the American Farm Bureau federation says that the law "marks the end of a twenty-year fight" for parity and means that in 1941 the farmers will receive for their crops "prices which will represent fair exchange values in buying the goods and services ser-vices produced by other groups." mate choice by qualified electors." Last week, by a four-to-three decision, the supreme court, in a decision written by Justice Stone, said that the Constitution (Sections (Sec-tions 2 and 4 of Article 1) "requires "re-quires us to hold that a primary election which involves a necessary step in the choice of candidates for elections of representatives in con-1 con-1 gress and which, in the circumstances circum-stances of this case, controls that choice, is an election within the meaning of the constitutional provision pro-vision and is subject to congressional congres-sional regulation as to the manner of holding it." Chief Justice Hughes did not participate in the Court decision, because as counsel for Senator Newberry, he argued his case before be-fore the supreme court in 1921. Justices Black and Murphy, in which they conceded congressional rights to deal with primaries but declaring that "congress, through the years had refused to intrude in this field" and Justice Douglas asserted that "this court is legislating." We think it is very important for non-farmers to understand that in fixing the acreage allotments of the various crops, the department of agriculture takes into consideration consider-ation the three factors listed above. As closely as possible, the agricultural agricul-tural experts determine the normal domestic consumption, normal export ex-port and add a thirty per cent reserve. re-serve. This total represents the probable market for the crop during dur-ing the coming year and in connection connec-tion with the carry-over of the crop from present and preceding years, provides the background for the national allotment. Twenty years ago, the United States supreme court refused to sustain the conviction of Truman H. Newberry for irregularities in his senatorial campaign, the court holding five-to-four that congress was powerless to interfere with primaries. Justice McReynolds, who wrote the opinion, filed May 2, 1921, held that "primaries are in no sense elections for an office but merely methods by which party adherents igree upon the candidates they intend in-tend to offer and support for lti- Before signing the bill, the president presi-dent pointed out that when it became be-came law, the cooperating farmer will be able to receive an eighty-five eighty-five per cent parity loan, plus cash parity payment, plus a cash soil conservation payment. He added that "under no circumstances should the sum of these three exceed ex-ceed parity," and asserted that he had received letters from legislative legisla-tive leaders chiefly responsible for the loan law agreeing, in effect, that the broad intention is that parity payments should if necessary neces-sary be so curtailed "as to avoid a price above parity when added to the loan and the soil conservation conserva-tion payments." The 1942 national wheat acre- : age allotment has been set at 55,-000,000 55,-000,000 acres, which represents a reduction of 7,000,000 acres from 1941. The department of agriculture agricul-ture says the reduction is intended 1 to aid farmers in meeting the prob- 1 lem of export market losses and mounting surplus. i We call attention to this mat- I We call particular attention to this decision, not because of its importance, im-portance, although election procedure proce-dure experts view the decision as a very vital one, but to demonstrate to our readers the working of the American system. The supreme court, representing the judicial branch of the government, plays its part in the life of the nation, and, as in the present instance, at times reverses its position. Twenty years ago the supreme court said, "Primaries are in no sense elections for an office," but in 1941 the supreme court says, "A primary election ... is an election . . . subject to congressional regulation." regu-lation." Such changes in the judicial judi-cial interpretations of the constitution consti-tution and statutes are inevitable and represent some of the necessary neces-sary shifting which makes the framework of democracy fit existing exist-ing conditions. |