| Show Merry Go err o- o oun Anderson Action H Helped Beat r. r Italian Commies rBy r By Drew Pearson WASHINGTON Several Sederal editors hav havi said some nice things about this columnist In connection with winning the Italian elec However the real man who won th the elections stepped out of the Truman caW cabi cabin 1 net this week and went back to New ew Mex Mexico Me Meleo ico leo to run rum for the United States senate f For if Secretary of Agriculture re Clinton Anderson had not made a n 1 certain vt vital tai d d de regarding farm Carm policy at the end o fj the war starvation and communism b both bott th would be rampant in Italy today Few people know about that decision It came at the end of or the war when American Ameri Ameri- can farm leaders had visions of farm surpluses sur- sur ur pluses and falling prices Wanting to avoid a farm slump the killing of little pig an anthe and the plowing under of cotton farm leaders leader urged less production But Secretary Anderson said no This was a tough decision to make For l If Anderson was wrong it meant that tha he would be cussed out by farmers fo for years to come Carefully he read the re reports reports reports re- re ports of David Houston secretary of ot agri agri- agriculture agriculture culture under Woodrow Wilson Vilson for guidance guld guid- ance Houston gave him none Nevertheless Anderson finally demand ed cd that farmers increase not decrease production pro pro- which which is the big reason why w WI we have had enough grain to feed Europe No Picture Farmer Anderson Farmer Anderson has bee been one of the most refreshing and variegated personalities in the turbulent Truman ad add ministration Once when whim asked by th the March of Time to pose with a pitchfork he said Im an insurance man not i n a farmer fanner Actually he has a cattle ranc ranch back in Albuquerque has made madea a a lot o of money at ins insurance rance voted against all in insurance Insurance Insurance In- In measures in the house of Though wealthy he has mad made some o othe of the most effective speeches in congress championing labor and blasting lush business bust busl bustness ness profits F D R was one of ot his idols ido and the Anderson library on the late prest dent is one of the best in the country Coming to New Mexico from South Dakota Dakota Da kota because of lung trouble Anderson first worked for the Albuquerque Journal Later Anderson went into insurance be became became be came came the biggest individual insurance man ma manin manin in his state then was elected to the house hoUe of representatives Though Anderson says he was a better bette congressman that cabinet member actu actually Uy he did an outstanding job as secretary o of agriculture Solving Sol Soap Soar Shortage Shortage Not Not only i in regard to grain but sugar copra and fiot lot t ton was he most farsighted During th the first fir t months after the war the world des dea hard up for soap received no coconuts coco coca nuts from the Philippines Plenty still grew grev there bu but weren't being harvested So Anderson An derson Indu induced ed the army and navy to acm send small boats up Philippine rivers and trucks truck to inland plantations until plantations until enough copra was carried out to solve the worlds world's fat fa and soap shortage The end of the war also found the U. U S S. S Commodity Credit corporation with bales of surplus cotton Not only was wu the taxpayer likely to be stuck for this cotton cot cot- ton but the surplus had haa a depressing effect on the market So Anderson conceived the idea of selling selling sell sell- ing it to Japan and Germany for the manufacture manufacture manufacture manu manu- facture of textiles Both countries needed a i industry and textiles were the best answer Anderson sold Japan and Germany the th th cotton the American cotton farmer farmei benefited Europe and Asia got badly needed need ed clothing One of Andersons Anderson's greatest trIumphs triumph was his purchase of two Cuban sugar crops at the same time Sugar then was scarce and in order to keep prices down he wanted to buy both the 1946 and 1947 19 Cuban crops crop But the Cubans said no and agriculture department emissaries got nowhere with will them Finally Anderson himself went to Cuba called caned on President Grau San Martin In 72 hours Anderson had closed a deal which other emissaries had not been able to sign in six weeks Most people think that running the department department de of agriculture is a matter of ot putting put ting out booklets on soil conservation boll weevil and how to preserve vegetables But it isn't And in these days where crop shortages can cause communism the U USA S A Ahas has been lucky to have as secretary of at agriculture a farsighted statesman Copyright 1948 Bell Syndicate |
