Another Dawes Plan?

Gen. Dawes spent his 59th birthday working on a speech. He then gathered his family together; and the entire group were transported from Evanston, Ill., to Lincoln, Neb.

There they were met by an honor guard of boy scouts, by bands, by marchers carrying ten-foot cornstalks. That evening, General Dawes delivered his speech. It dealt with the farm question.

He analyzed the situation which had brought about the depression in agriculture during the past year and found its causes to be the poor market for farm products, especially wheat, abroad. He declared that the protective tariff and discrimination in immigration justify farmers in demanding relief. He condemned the political stump-speakers who shout loudly for legislative remedies in order to gain votes. There could be nothing worse for agriculture than ill-considered legislation.

The solution of the problem he saw in a sort of "Experts' Plan" for agriculture-- the appointment of an expert commission to make an investigation and to draft concrete proposals for legislation. He repeated that President Coolidge had promised to create such a commission; and he considered the moment opportune for such an enterprise, since the pressure of farm problems is temporarily relieved by better crop prices. He concluded: "Whoever promises more than this is entering into a contract which cannot be filled. "

The New York Times (pro-Davis), in a leading editorial, gave Mr. Davis credit for making, on the whole, what was a sound speech and a good proposal. Mr. Dawes and the honest Times must divide the credit.