The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-12-27
TAYLOR PULLS OUT
FROM The UNITED
FARMERS LEAGUE

mat Would Strengthen Capital
SIlc theology Among Farmers
organization Only Exists on
faper, Says Senator.
IN letter to Alfred Knutson of
bismarck, N. D., Secretary of the
united Farmers Education League,
senator Charles E. Taylor charges
hnutson with following a reaction
airy policy, thru his slogan "The
Land for the Users" The letter
follows:
The United Farmers Educational
/ League,
Bismarck, North Dakota,
Alfred Knutson, Secretary.
MY Dear Working Farmer.
For considerable time l have
Deen studying your deviations in
the United Farmer and bordering
over the paradox presented by the
left line of the Krestintern and the
tact that you are still capable of
holding your position, despite the
opportunistic right wing policy
you have followed, both in the
United Farmers Educational Lea
que and in the United Farmer, the
official organ of the League.
Since you are using my name on
your letterhead to recruit dirt far
mers into your organization,
wish to call your attention to one
! specific right wing slogan, that is
fundamentally incorrect and en-
tirely out of harmony with the
policy of the Krestintern in the
Third Period of postwar capital
ism. The slogan is ''The land for
the users"
believe moments thot will
convince you thai this is a menshi-
vik, counter-revolutionary, opportu-
nlstic right wing and petty-bour-
geois slogan. Not only that-and
indeed because of that-but it does
not correspond to the needs of the
farmers in period when the inner
and outer contradictions of post
war imperialism place the war dam
ger on the order of the day and
when it is evident that the inner
contradictions of American i'm
perialism have gained primacy ov-
er the outer contradictions, despite
the statements to the contrary VI
the right wing renegade Lovestone,
whose agent you were until he was
relieved of his position and ex-
PEELED from the Party by the Com
munist International.
The slogan of "The land for the
users" is no longer capable of mob
iiizing the farmers for the strug-
gle against big capital. 1t may
have been appropriate in the LIST
and End periods of postwar CAPT
talism but does not fit in at all
with the requirements of the Third
Period. 1t encourages capitalist
tendencies among the farmers. An
theological campaign must be con-
Quoted among the farmers to eradi-
cate those capitalist ideas and they
must be taught that only thru a
common struggle with the prole-
tariat can they solve their prob
lens.
The American working farmer
can no longer compete with large
scale scientific farming, which
calls for a considerable investment,
which the individual farmer of
small means has not at his dispos-
al. The American farmer is not
suffering because of scarcity of
land. There is so much available
land that he is land poor. He
usually lacks even the means to
purchase seed and machinery and
he is continually faced with the
problem of getting a reasonable
return from the labor power he in
vests in the soil. There is his
REAL problem. Not the thrill of
looking over hundreds of acres OF
waving grain, but some degree of
certainty that he will be able to
feed, clothe and house his family
after he hauls his grain to the ele-
vator.
1t is therefore quite evident that
the slogan "The land for the
users" offers no solution of his
problem to the poor farmer. 1t has
no appeal for him, either as ar
immediate guide to action Of
something to strive for in the fut.
ure. There are thousands of far.
mers in Montana and turnout the
Northwest who are unable to Sc
cure enough loan money on theil
farms to buy themselves sheep
skin coat.
Instead of the slogan, "The lane
for the users" the farmers shoulC
Immediately raise the slogan, eth
; Specialization of Agriculture unde
a Workers and Farmers Govern
, ment." This policy is proving it
merit in the Soviet Union and sine
, it is utopian TO expect that an,
worthwhile reform can be achieve,
under the capitalist system eithe
for the farmers or the workers
the agricultural population Nigh
as well be told now as later tina
ony when they abolish capitalism
and establish the rule of agricul
tural and industrial labor under
Workers and Farmers Government
can they hope to undertake tn
. task of solving the permanent cris
is that confronts farm industry Co
: day.
e In view of the fact that I am en-
/, tirely out of accord with your pres
r ent right wing line l take this OF
portunity of asking you TO with
: draw my name from the letterhea