The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-10-21
By ]. AMTER
Prisoner No. 52351
Communist Candidate, 28rd Congressional

Communist Candidate, 23rd Congressional
District Bronx
TOGETHER with the other sections of the
working population of this country, as of
the whole capitalist and colonial world, the
poor farmers and agricultural workers are in
fearful plight. Six million farmers, and their
families, the majority very poor, living a
miserable life, and the condition of the agri-
cultural workers is just as bad.
Of the six million farmers in this country
about 40 per cent are tenant farmers and in
the South the majority of the poor Negro
farmers lin reality peasants) are sharecrop-
pers living like serfs. The sharecroppers have
to divide up their crops with the landowner or
merchant, who advances them seed, provisions,
etc. The sharecroppers are always in debt,
thus being held in perpetual bondage, differing
little from the situation before the Civil War,
which was supposed to have liberated" them.
The Plight of the Farmer.
The farming idustry is in a deep crisis,
which in the United States, has been in
progress for ten years. Today the farmers are
hardened with mortgages Of more than ten
billion dollars and must pay interest on these
mortgages to the extent of $800,000,000 year.
Owing to the initiation of prices for land dur
ing the war and the deflation that set in short
ly after the war; land values diminished $19,-
000,0 ,000--the farmers, especially the poor
TAXES are shamefully high, consuming one
third to two-thirds of the net return, in some
sections of Michigan amounting to 80 per
cent. 1t is no wonder, therefore, that the
government report (Which is just as reliable"
as the government report on unemployment
has proven to be) declares that out of 1000
farmers, on the average 10S have abandoned
their farms and 1913 have been foreclosed in
the past years!
d. n
INTEREST consumes another big part of
the farmers income-17.5 per cent; consequent
ly banks, insurance companies, and also the
Federal Farm Board today are the owners of
tens of thousands of farms on which they have
foreclosed.
RAILWAY CHARGES are so high that at
harvest time in large numbers of cases, the
farmers have no money to pay for transporta-
ton of their produce to the market. Hence
they are forced to sell their products at very
low prices to commission houses, packers gran
aries and other middlemen, It'll the result that
the farmers income decreases to a minimum,
if they do not go bankrupt
The government calculates that the average
cash income of the poor farmer for living eX-
penses is 1924 year! This is the product of
the farmer. his wife and all his children. The
government report hence comes to the con-
clusion that "the farm does not support the
family"
The Cause of the Crisis
What is the cause of this crushing argri-
cultural crisis?
The agricultural crisis extends all over the
world as a result of overproduction The far
mers and producers of agricultural raw material
have produced more than the world markets
can buy. The masses of the workers, unem-
ployed or working at low wages cannot buy
sufficient quantities of the necessities of life
and as a consequence the surplus of stored up
produce drives down the market price. Wheat,
which a few years ago sold for $3.50 bushel,
is now quoted at 81 cents, the lowest price
since 1907; corn has decreased correspondingly
despite the drought in the United States which
cut the corn crop by 10 per cent Cotton is
selling at less than IL cents pound.
The farmers and peasants of Argentine,
Canada, Australia, India, China have increased
production, and today, with wealth in their
hands, the farmers of the capitalist and colo.
NAL countries face disaster.
Farmers Flocking TO Cities
As a result of this worldwide crisis, stiffened
in the United States by the drought, the far
mer's gross income (incuding that of the farm
banker, business and rich farmer), which in
1927 amounted to $4,000, 100000 will be reduced
by S2,000,000,000! This situation is driving
millions of the farm population off the farms
and into the cities in search Of work. This
amounted to more than 100000 in the past
years but in the present acute crisis has de-
veloped into mass movement easily under
stood when the government reports show that,
on the basis of an annual income of 500, which
the farmers should get but don't, the farmers
as whole are fleeced of $4,000 100000 year.
This loss of course, is sustained entirely by
the poor farmers, who have to live in poverty,
take out new mortgages, ETC., while the bankers
make tremendous profits.
The Republican Robber Tariff
On top of this crisis comes the new Smoot-
Hawley tariff which has raised the cost of
many industrialsproducts that the farmer needs
SO that he will be fleeced of billion dollars
more.
The farmer complains about the city worker,
and the "high" wages he has to pay the agri-
cultural worker Though the wages of the city
worker rose higher than the income of the
poor farmer the cost of living in the city is
far higher Today, with the crisis forcing the
prices of farm products down below bedrock
with wage cuts taking place in every industry,
the cost of living in the cities has not declined
correspondingly but is only six per cent below
1929-while wages in many instances have
been reduced so per cent. The situation in the
cities is so desperate that the Arkansas Com
missioner of Agriculture has warned the far
mers against moving to the cities. "Wait till
prosperity prevails" has says. Wait till the
Sweet bye-and bye.
Situation of Agricultural Workers
The situation of the agricultural wage work
ers, 100000 in number-in wages, hours and
living conditions-has always been miserable;