A Dress Rehearsal

The closing of Congress gave Senator Pat Harrison some fine opportunities to tongue-lash Republicans, and he was not slow to seize his opportunities.

He cried across the chamber:

"You put off the development of Muscle Shoals and will prohibit farmers from getting cheaper fertilizer to help them. You have 'denied consideration of the McNary farm-relief bill, and the so-called Norris-Sinclair bill, and it looks as if my friend from Idaho (Mr. Gooding) would not be able to get up his reclamation bill. Nothing has been done to help the farmers."

Mr. Lenroot: "I want to ask the Senator how it is, if the Democrats controlled a majority in the Senate, and passed the tax bill, that they have not been able to put through some farm legislation?"

Mr. Harrison: "We have not blocked any farm legislation here. We have been appealing to Senators on the other side to do something but they would not do it. They were busy trying to pass the Mellon plan, which gave 1,200 people in the country out of 3,555,000 a great reduction and prevented the enormous number of 3,500,000 from being given the greater reduction of the Democratic plan. Senators on the other side were too busy looking after the special interests of the country to take care of the farmers, and when they go back home they will have to explain it to them."

Mr. Moses: "Mr. President, I wish to announce that what the Senate has just heard is a mere dress rehearsal. The real speech by the Senator from Mississippi, amplifying the text which he has used today, will be heard in Madison Square Garden on the 24th of June!"