The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-03-02
BY HARRISON GEORGE.

IT is rare pleasure for the writer to act as
referee between hypocritical capitalist con-
gresham and disconnected American farmer
who, though not yet Communist, is beginning
to shed old illusions. The argument takes place
by mail, between the farmer, c. ]. Mcdonald of
futile, Okla. and democrat congressman from
Oklahoma Jed Johnson. The principal subject
under dispute is the United Farmers League of
New York Mills, Mimi. which the congressman
freely misrepresentS as Communist" organ
ization merely because its program and its
struggles are supported by Communists.
We first give the essential parts of Congress-
man Johnson's letter to Mcdonald inserting our
comments. 1t is dated Feb. 4, at Washington,
on official government letterhead of Congress
of the United States" and begins:
my dear Mr. McDonald:--I have your letter
of Feb. advising me that Mr.. Hamrick had
shown you my letter of inquiry relative to
charge made by Congressman Fish of New York
to the effect that there had been Commuunis-
tic meeting in Grady County"
SO, to this democratic follower of Thomas
jefferson, Communists have no right to hold
meeting, since it is charge to claim so!
81 must say Mr.. Mcdonald, that am some
what surprised to learn that Mr.. Fish was cor
rect in his statement that there had actually
been held such a meeting"
Congressman johnson, you are certainly due
for more surprises"
Permit me to say in this connection %, that
I was reared on 74-acre hillside mortgaged
farm; that there were ten of us in the family,
and I know what it means to struggle to make
ends meet and help keep little mouths from
going hungry. My heart goes out in sympathy
to the farmers of Oklahoma and elsewhere who
are not receiving anything like fair prices for
their products and yet are forced to pay ex-
horbitant and unreasonable prices for the things
they have to buy"
The congressman must drag in the old hokum
about 81 was poor boy" ETC., though he drags
it in by the hair. What has it to do with
whether there was meeting of the United
Farmers League in Grady County, to discuss
means to struggle against thieving landlords,
bankers, tax robbers and capitalist monopoly
bandits? Only this, that by this oily demogagy,
Congressman johnson tries to get the present
hillside mortgaged" farmers from effectively
fighting these thieves, robbers and bandits.
II am sending you, under separate cover, some
speeches I have made in Congress along this
line. I especially call your attention to my
speech against the Grundy Tariff Bill and
would thank you if you would do me the honor
to read it and pass it along to some of your
neighbors."
Speeches are the cheapest thing on earth.
There is lover production" in capitalist dena-
gogy. And one of the most vile deceits is the
tariff. 1t is always in favor Of monopoly, and
it is completely impossible for farmers to rig up
their own monopoly, though they keep vainly
trying 1t is impossible because it requires
credit power, and credit is already monopolized
by the great finance capitalists. This capitalist
politician "nlade speeches" against the Grundy
Tariff But If he were republican he certainly
would claim that the Accent tariff on wheat
saved" the grain farmers (maybe johnson also
voted for IT'D But it did not save the grain
farmers; it. only helped the capitalist specua-
tors who bought their wheat and later were
kindly paid more for it by the Farm Board
which helped to reduce the price paid to the
farmer by first saying the board would buy no
wheat-then reversing itself to pay the specu-
lators nice profit after the wheat was in their
hands q
while am in thorough sympathy with the
farmers and their problems and apprecate all
you say about the low price of milk and farm
products must say to you frankly that do
not believe you or the farmers thoroughly I'M
derstood what the Communist organization
really stands for else you would not have allied
yourselves with such an un-American organiza-
ton"
You now see why the Congressman dragged
in his palaver about where he was reared" He
'nakes speeches" for the farmers, but his real
business is to keen them away from Com
munist ORGANIZATION" as he calls the United
Farmers League. which is composed of. and
whose policies are determined by, American
farmers But from Misrepresentation he goes on
to outright lying:
IT have seen these Communists parading In
Washington; have read their un-American
signs and have noticed that practically al Of
them are from Russia or some other foreign
country They carry signs similar to this; To
hell with America Down with the American
flag and other Objectionable and disloyal state
ments. am sure you do not belong to that type.
and do not endorse such un-American propa-
ganda, but that you and your neighbors are
good. law-abiding citizens who simply are pro-