The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-10-21
SOCIALIST" PARTY BETRAYS
POOR FARMERS AND FARM
WORKERS

OF l.. officials have refused to organize farm
workers. whose conditions consequently have
worsened. They are now being organized in
the Agricultural Workers Industrial League,
to put up fight for better conditions.
This is the situation in the richest capitalist
country of the world This is the prosperity"
of the workers and poor farmers of this coun-
try. This is the economic crisis that has at
tackled the life and welfare of the producers
of the Countrywide workers, poor farmers and
agricultural workers, oppressed by the same
power-the power of finance capital--Gerards
''64 men" and their capitalist government This
also demonstrates community of interest and
the necessity of a Joint fight against capital
ism, to take the place of the struggle which
the capitalists stir up between the poor far
mers and the workers.
What has the government done for the far
mers in this ten-year crisis? 1t created the
Federal Farm Bureau and extended the farm
banks and credit. The government could not
fix the price of agricultural products, for mar
ket prices are determined by world conditions
and world supply and demand. The world mar
ket is glutted with agriculture products, for
following upon farm overproduction has come
the world industrial crisis, which has cut down
consumption still further.
Modern agricultural machinery has replaced
labor power-nen and horses being dispensed
with by the millions. And yet farm production
has increased and can be increased still more
if modern farm machinery could be bought
by all farmers. But this is impossible, for the
poor farmer has neither land enough to cult
vate nor money to buy tractors, combines, har-
vesters, etc.
One Out of Six Has Tractor
Thus in rich capitalist America, only 100000
tractors are in use-one for more than six
farmers-of course rich farmers.
AS far as farm loans and credits are con-
cerned, they are granted only to farmers with
proper" security-that is the rich farmers.
Thus the whole government farm program is
fraud and keeps only the better-off farmers,
while the poor farmers have sunk ever deeper
in the crisis.
The so-called progressive" and radical"
republicans and democrats have tried to ex-
plot this situation and propose that they be
allowed to continue and direct this flim-flam
game with the farmers
Chairman Legge of the Federal Farm Board,
recognizing the drift to big-scale production,
which is the only method of utilizing all mod
ern technical improvements and machinery,
with the aid of Detroit bankers is entering
upon campaign of the consolidation of farms.
If successful, the poor Tin technical and eco
nomical sense, incompetent) farmer, will be
driven to the wall and crushed, farms will be
consolidated into big units covering large areas,
large part of the farming population will be
forced into the cities (to take the place of
immigrant labor which is now excluded from
the country)-and the United States will be
equipped with large-scale industrial farms OPP
Grated like the plants of the manufacturing
industry.
Socialists" Not Even Mentioning Farm Crisis
How does the socal-fascist socialist" plat
form deal with this situation?
of II he known that neither the Neu York
state platform, the congressional platform nor
the millionaire "Marxian" Hillquit in his key
note convention speech even mention the agri-
cultural crisis, nor the changes in agriculture.
For them the disastrous misery of the poor
farmers and agricultural workers is of no
consequence. But, like all capitalist takers, the
socialist" party must have section" in its
platform on agriculture. How do they propose
to help the farmer in the crisis?
They propose acquisition by bonafide CO.
operative societies and by federal, state and
municipal governments of grain elevators, flour
mills =. stockyards, storage warehouses and
other distributing agencies and the conduct of
these services non-profit basis"
They also propose government insurance
against hail, drought etc., identification of
rural areas establishment of public marketing
agencies, reforestation and state aid for the
Improvement of rural roads"
Brookhart, MOTIFS, SnlpStead, NorDeck, La
Toilette, Borah could accept this program as
their own, for it is plain capitalist program.
None of these remedies" touch the basic prob
lem, which cannot be solved under capitalism,
nor does it touch the immediate problems re-
suting from the crisis What about overpro-
ducton, which exceeds market requirements
despite growing population? What about mort
cages, which increase from year to year and
the tremendous interest the poor farmers must
pay? What about taxes which crush the poor
farmers?
What Is to Be Done?
These problems cannot be solved under cap
italism. The proposal of large-scale industrial
farms to be financed by the banks shows clear
ly the relation of the poor farmer to capital
ISM He suffers from capitalism the same as
the worker does, only in different manner.
1t is obvious, therefore that the worker, farm
worker and poor farmer must carry on COM
mon, revolutionary struggle to overthrow cap
itasm.
In the meantime the poor farmer must be
enabled to carry on. He must get relief from
the mortgages, interest, taxes, ETC., that are
crushing him. He must demand a long-term
moratorium on these debts. He must have i'm
mediate relief for seed, machinery and neces-
sary equipment as well as for necessaries of
life Price-fixing, storage of grain till prices
advance etc., are a fake.
The poor farmers must understand that they
will obtain relief only through struggle. Just
as the 100000 unemployed in the city and on
the farms and the workers receiving wage
cuts learnt that only through revolutionary
organization into the unions of the Trade Union