The President's News Conference

FARM RELIEF

THE PRESIDENT. Well, there are some questions I am able to answer on this occasion on which you may quote direct. They refer to the legislative program for farm relief.

I regret to see that some of our farm organizations are again divided on measures of relief. One primary difficulty in the whole last 8 years has been the conflict in point of view in the ranks of the agricultural organizations and the farmers themselves.

A definite plan of farm relief was adopted by the Republican Convention at Kansas City. it was the plan of the party; it was not then or now the plan of any individual or group; it was necessarily the result of compromise; it represented an effort to get together and secure fundamental beginnings and necessitated the yielding of views by all of us. It was supported by all elements of the party in the campaign, and I think we have a clear mandate from the electorate.

And without entering on the merits or demerits of any other suggestion at the present moment, I can deplore that divisions in the ranks of the farmers themselves only encourage those who oppose all farm relief, and can at best only bring delay and danger of entire failure. If, after 8 years of agitation and debate on a matter so vital to so many of our people, we are to succeed in getting this question out of politics and on the way to solution under solely economic guidance, we have need of unity in the ranks of the farmers themselves and the different groups which reflect their views in Congress. No great step in public action can ever succeed without some compromise of view and some sacrifice of opinion.

I have nothing else that I can answer today.

APPOINTMENTS

There are two appointments which might interest you. One of them is Julius Klein as Assistant Secretary of Commerce. The other is Colonel Earl D. Church of Connecticut as the Commissioner of Pensions.

Q. Mr. President, are we to have that matter about the farmers in quotation?

THE PRESIDENT. Yes, we will get it out for you. Mr. Akerson can give you data on Colonel Church, and most of you know about Dr. Klein.