The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-12-27

means Tor the exploitation of the
farmers suddenly developed a
touching concern for agriculture.
They made studies and carried out
;nvestigations-but the common re-
train of their conclusion was ever.
rurtail production, concentrate on
the home market. In 1925 Presi-
dent Coolidge called a conference
of agricultural representatives to
work out legislation. One of the
principal stars at the hearings con-
ducted by the conference was the
then Secretary of Commerce, and
the now President of the United
States, Mr.. Herbert Hoover him
self. His program was the same
as that of the other spokesman of
Big Business: The farmers must
abandon the foreign market, he
said. and concentrate on the home
market.
Should See the Plot.
In the light of this emphasis,
the farming masses should be
able to see a little more clearly
the purposes of the Farm Board
which Big Business has put over
on them. On December 10, Chair
man Legge addressed the delegates
of the American Farm Bureau
Federation at Chicago. What pro-
gram did he advocate as the solu-
ton of the farm problem? The
same old policy of Big Business,
curtailment of production. "Sur-
pluses," he told the farm delegates
present, must be controlled at the
source. And you are the source.
This is the program which Big
Business has laid out for agricul-
ture which it has consistently
maintained and which it will con-
tinue 10 follow as long as the
farmers continue TO permit their
exploiters to hold power. To be
sure, the percentage of wheat and
wheat products exported is from 25
per cent TO 40 per cent annually;
fully 500 of the cotton crop must
find a foreign market; Is to 25ee
of the pork and pork products
must be exported, etc. The grad
ual restriction of this surplus
means the elimination of some
eight or ten millions of Surplus
farmers from the land. But this
IS all to the advantage of Big
Business. Likewise it is true that
Big Business has promised the far
mer the "home market" against
foreign agricultural imports, but
try and get it!
Contradiction of Capitalism.
The fact is that American CAPT.
talism is faced with an insoluable
contradiction: For the first time
in history, a creditor nation is a
large exporter of both agricultural
and manufactured goods. This
process cannot long continue il
foreign trade is to go on. Hith-
erto it has been made possible
through the means of huge foreign
loans constantly pumped into the
weak body of the decaying Capital
ist system in Europe. This false
stimulation obviously cannot con-
tinue indefinitely.
American Big Business is irving
to solve the paradox by a policy
OF restricting agriculture. The Fed.
eral Farm Board is the agency OF
that policy. Democrats, Republi-
cans, ProgresSives, friends of the
farmer, so-called, all the tribe Of
Washington politicians, including
most of those receiving easy sal
aries as officers of so-called farm
organization are all in cahoots IN
this. game. 1t is time that the
farming masses woke up to the
real facts.
Accordingly, the shrewd comedy
now being staged with the Farm
Board IN the role of defender of
the interests of agriculture against
the grain gamblers would be the
laugh-hit of the generation-except
that it is so tragic. Is it possible
that this shoddy 1880 Election
SHt can succeed?