Weekly Radio Report: Feed Grain Bill

Transcription (Scripto)

Read Full Text Only (TXT)

Extent (Dublin Core)

5 Minutes, 31 Seconds

File Name (Dublin Core)

c031_034

Title (Dublin Core)

Weekly Radio Report: Feed Grain Bill

Description (Dublin Core)

Congressman Bob Dole discusses the recent passage of the feed grain bill and gives his opinion that the time of passage was wrong and not in farmers’ best interests. He also expresses disappointment with continued requests for more staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and with the propaganda he feels they are spreading. In closing, Dole is pleased with how many high school students from Kansas and his district have been visiting Washington, D.C.

Date (Dublin Core)

1963-04-26

Date Created (Dublin Core)

1963-04-26

Congress (Dublin Core)

88th (1963-1965)

Topics (Dublin Core)

See all items with this value Wheat farmers

See all items with this value Agricultural administration

Policy Area (Curation)

Agriculture and Food

Creator (Dublin Core)

Dole, Robert J., 1923-2021

Record Type (Dublin Core)

radio programs

Rights (Dublin Core)

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

Language (Dublin Core)

eng

Collection Finding Aid (Dublin Core)

https://dolearchivecollections.ku.edu/index.php?p=collections/findingaid&id=84&q=

Physical Collection (Dublin Core)

Collection 031, Box 1

Institution (Dublin Core)

Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

Archival Collection (Dublin Core)

Dole Audio Reels Collection, 1960-1979

Full Text (Extract Text)

This is Congressman Bob Dole with my weekly radio report from Washington. I certainly wish to thank the station again and again for continuing to use my program as a public service broadcast. And to those who may be listening: let me urge you again to contact me, and give me the benefit of your views, and your comments, your suggestions, and, of course, your criticisms. We're now getting into what I think will be a — probably — a fairly busy part of the year for this 88th Congress, and of course, we'll have many, many controversial subjects before Congress, and I'm certain that they may be of interest to you, so I do hope that you will take time to write to me, and let me have your views on matters of interest.

I'm certain that most of you who are interested have read that the feed grain bill was passed by the House in a rather narrow victory of some 12 votes. I might add that the real bone of contention was not the feed grain bill itself — though I think there's some very serious defects in the bill itself — it was on the timing of the passage of it. Many of us who feel strongly about the wheat referendum and the fact that the farmer should be left some freedom of choice felt that the feed grain major should have been passed over until after the wheat referendum on May 21. But needless to say the majority party — they have an 80 vote edge in the House — and we felt that when we come within a 12 votes to victory, it was really significant. And it does show that the people in the country are concerned. And it does indicate there's a strong feeling on the part of Congress that we shouldn't try to interfere with the wheat referendum by passage of feed grain legislation at this time.

I want to ask two questions, and in fact, I've asked these of many members of the other party. The feed grain bill was passed, or the wheat program was passed last year in the closing days of the session, and of course, if there had been an inclination at that time to enact the feed grain program that could have been done last year. So it seems rather strange to us in talking about all the urgency now, and of course, it gets back to the basic bone of contention: and that is that Mr. Freeman [U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman] wants the feed grain bill passed now for one reason and one reason only, and this is an effort to obtain a ‘yes’ vote on the wheat referendum. Let me make it clear, as I made it clear on the floor of the House during the debate, I feel — and I honestly feel — that the farmers of Kansas will make a proper choice. They will determine whether they should vote “yes” in the referendum or vote “no” in the referendum if they are fully informed the facts, and I deplore the constant efforts of this administration to propagandize the farmer. We read time after time, and we're understanding that through the ASC [Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service] Offices even businessmen are now getting the letters on the feed grain — [correcting himself] the wheat program — and asking them to read the questions and answers and to encourage the farmers to vote “yes.” Of course, the farmers get a monthly newsletter from the ASC Office; this material originates in Washington, is sent to the state office in Kansas in Manhattan, and then from Manhattan, it goes down to the county office.

On last Friday Secretary Freeman appeared before our committee and asked us to authorize the appointment of another assistant secretary of agriculture. We have an undersecretary now and three assistants, but he thinks he needs one more — actually feels he needs many more — but he said he would settle for one more, and he'd want the assistant secretary in what he calls ‘research and education.’ And I'm wondering that with all the propaganda floating around the country now coming from the Department of Agriculture, whether we can afford another assistant secretary. And it seems strange to me at a time when farmers become fewer and fewer, and the farmers who are left are allowed to plant fewer and fewer acres, that we need more employees in the USDA [United States Department of Agriculture], and particularly that we need a high echelon assistant secretary of research and education. And I think this is something that Congress should consider very carefully; and certainly, in my opinion, there is no justification for creating any new job in the Department of Agriculture. They have now well over a 100,000 employees, and I think this should be sufficient for the time being.

I think perhaps, too, that you'll be interested in knowing that as we get into the spring and summer, we've had literally hundreds of visitors, and it's been a source of satisfaction to us to see that nearly 1,000 high school students have come to the capital from Kansas this year — and nearly half of these from our First District in Kansas. Needless to say, when we have, say, groups of 400 or 500, we have very little time to visit with anyone individually, but we think it's the most worthwhile effort and certainly want to thank the parents and those other people responsible for these trips. And certainly when we can be of service to young people, we want to be.

Again, let me say that the time has gone very quickly again. I do wish to thank the station and again invite your comments and your suggestions. Just write to me: Congressman Bob Dole, Room 244, House Office Building, Washington, D.C. Thank you.

Weekly Radio Report: Feed Grain Bill

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