The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-24

II. On the Alliance Between the Proetariat
and the Poor Farmers.
THE Draft Program CThe Communist, Feb
ruary, p. 1879 points out the inevitable
disparity between the production and the con-
sumption of agricultural products. The con-
clusion drawn is as follows
obviously, little or no outlet can be found
under capitalism for ever-growing production
except the reactionary outlet of imperiast
war; If, however, the city proetariat by
struggle can compel the employing class to
pay higher wages this would help to absorb
the surplus; while if the masses overthrow
capitalism and socialze industry, increased de-
mand for food and clothing would take up all
the farm surplus now choking the market,
since we must by no means imagine that the
proletarian masses in the cities have either
enough to eat or to wear. 1t is upon this basis
that an alliance between the poor farmers
and the revolutionary city proletariat should
be built for joint fight against capitalism,
the small farmers aiding the proletariat both
in wage struggle and the revolutionary over
throwal of capitalism, the establishment of
Soviet Government of Workers and Farmers"
(Our emphasize. b.
This would indicate that to the extent that
the fight of the proetariat in the present per-
iod for increased wages is successful-to that
degree will these increased wages help alb
sorb the surplus of the farmer. The success
full fight of the proetariat for increased wages
will help to solve the agricultural crisis within
the capitalist system. 1t is on this basis that
the united front of proletariat and poor farm
ers against finance capital is to proceed ac-
cording to the program ct would be big
mistake" as the Draft Program for Negro
Farmers (The Communist, March, p. 251)
points out, "to cherish illusions concerning the
possibility to improve the position of the
small and partly the middle farmer under
capitalism. On the contrary, the chief object
of our agitation and propaganda is to explain
to the broad masses of small and partly the
middle farmers the process of their ruin under
capitalism" 1t is just such illusions that the
excerpt from the Agricultural Draft Program
quoted above might foster
Further on in the Agricultural Draft Pro-
gram it is pointed out that the bourgeois solu-
ton of the farm problem is expulsion of vast
numbers of farmers from the farms. The line
of the Program is thus: "The Communist
Party proposes to restore solvency* not only
to agriculture, but to the agricultural popu-
lation as we'll, by abolishing capitalism and
socializing the agricultural as we'll as other
industries" (The Communist, February, p
1917
The line of the Draft Program as outlined
in the excerpt which we have quoted above
Up. g., however, seems to indicate that not
only will "solvency" be restored to agriculture
after the revolution + but that possibilities of
increasing "solvency" exist in the present per-
iod of the general crisis of world capitalism
and in particular in the present period of the
agrarian crisis in the United States. All other
things being equal, it is almost a truism that
If the American proletariat receives increased
wages, it will spend an increased amount on
agricultural products and that this will help
reduce the surplus. 1t must be pointed out
that this will help reduce the surplus 1t must
be pointed out that all other things are not
going to remain equal and that consequently
these abstract logical conclusions will not fol-
low. In the first place the surplus of agricul-
tural products is world surplus, particularly
for cotton and wheat, the two predominant
cash crops of the American farmer This sur
plus is tending to increase. The rapid growth
of exports of American agricultural machn-
cry ~ will accelerate this growth and will
reduce the cost of production outside of the