He told Bishop Berning that being a Catholic himself he admired and wanted to promote Christianity. Many hopeless people returned to farming to feed their families, the numbers of farmer s rose by seven percent to total 99,732, a number never again exceeded. Most city folks believed the farmers are better off because they could raise their own food. There is poverty in the midst of plenty. Bennett buggies, automobiles being pulled by horses, are a common sight as there is no money for gasoline.
Farmers are unable to pay their gasoline bills to harvest their crops.
The major oil companies would write this debt off but many farmers would finally pay their 1930's bills that are yellow with age in the 1950's and 1960's. One million three hundred thousand are still on relief and this would increase by eight percent by year-end. Cardinal Villeneuve of Quebec, following the lead of Pious XI condemned the Spanish Popular Front charging it is controlled by Russians and Jews, those Godless Communists. He called for all Catholics to join in a Roman Crusade for its extermination. By implications this is calling for the extermination of the Jews, or at the very least showing support.