Big Farm Business

Last week the proposal was put for ward that the farmers of the country take over the combined businesses of five of the largest grain elevator companies of the Middle West (TIME, July 28). The Farm Bureau Federation approved it, and the first steps leading to carrying out the proposal were put into effect. This means that the Armour Grain Co., the Rosenbaum Grain Corp., J. C. Shaffer & Co., Rosenbaum Bros, and the Davis-Noland-Merrill Co. have surrendered their prop erties to the giant $26,000,000 Grain Marketing Co. The public is being asked to subscribe $25,000,000 of preferred stock which is gradually to be retired as an equal amount of preferred stock and $1,000,000 of common stock is sold to real dirt farmers. Meantime a board of directors has been chosen for the new company. It includes Oscar E. Bradfute, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation; W. J. Brown, President of the American Wheat Growers, Inc.; H. L. Keefe, President of the United States Grain Growers, Inc.; Fred A. Mullage, President of the Illinois Farmers' Elevator Association, and several others of like experience. Among these men is Gray Silver. It is Gray Silver who has been chosen to head this tremendous project of the farmers. The public does not know Gray Silver very well, but any Con- gressman or any farmer knows all about him. Gray Silver is the Legislative Agent of the Farm Bureau Federation. He is the Federation's mouthpiece in Washington, keeps tab on the legislation that farmers are interested in. He is probably the greatest of the new type of lobbyist. The old type of lobbyist was a man who went around pulling wires, invoicing "pull," giving parties, wining and dining the men whom he expected to pass his bills. The new type of lobbyist is entirely aboveboard. His weapon is the card index. He keeps tab on everything and everybody that affects the things he is interested in. Mr. Silver's record in Washington is remarkable. The bills he has passed and the bills he has defeated are innumerable. When he wished to exert pressure he sent out word to his "constituents"--a million dues-paying members of the Federation, organized into 7,500 local bodies. Telegrams poured into the Capital in response. They went, however, to Representatives and Senators, and the legislators mur- mured "The voters are speaking, I must obey--and Gray Silver has inspired their voices." Frank R. Kent, noted correspondent, says in cold blood: "He is the man who originated, organized and operated the famous Farm Bloc."