Evening star., 1932-08-17
The Farmers Strike.

The Iowa farmers strike now pre-
sents itself Tor national inspection as
the latest phenomenon of the depres-
sion. There is nothing new in the
basic idea behind the strike. And there
is nothing new in the unreasonable and
absurd manifestations of the movement.
The basic idea is to withhold farm
products from the markets until a
demand for them produces a price
deemed, by some unnamed autf ority,
rs fair and productive of reasonable
profit. The manifestations of the strike
so far recorded are damage to property
of those who seek to carry on their
lawful business, the destruction of milk,
cream and produce bound for the
cities, and spread of the idea to other
communities.
The strike may reach serious propor-
tions and for several days or even weeks
demand its position in the headlines of
the Nations front page. But, like all
such movements, 1t IS destined at the
outset tc failure Some babies may go
without milk, some of the poor in the
cities may go without food, some law
abiding farmers who by industry and
good sense have profited may have
their property destroyed and good
many other farmers will 80 without the
money. as little as 1t is, that they might
have made by selling their products at
prices the markets would bring. But
the farmers strike will go down in his
hunger march. the KHAKI shirts and
other such demonstrations, as restless
and futile manifestations of discomfort,
accomplishing nothing.
One Of the obvious ironies of the
farmers strike Is the fact that Its fun
damental aim is strictly comparable to
the objective of the majority of regu-
larly organized, cooperative movements
among the farmers. But one of the
many troubles affecting the farmer has
been his failure to support such move
ments. II the farmers could and would
support cooperative plans for regulat-
ing planting and marketing, they might
have gained some Of the advantages
they now seek through their absurd
proposal to strike" But they have
been led to believe that the answer to
all the ancient problems of agriculture
lies in Washington, where the Treasury
is bulging with money that should be
utilized for them alone. 1t is only
natural that disillusion as to the p-ox-
unity Of that millennium when prices
will pay for cost of production and a
neat profit besides for every farmer with
anything to sell has produced senti-
ments akin to revolt.
If in this country the farmer re-
manned the only victim of the depres-
sion today there might be sympathy for
his plight. As it is, he is probably over
Whelmed with more sympathy from
every political stump in the land than
any other class. But the farmer today
is in far better circumstances than his
, unfortunate fellow-citizen of the city
, The farmer has enough to eat. Those
ragged fat men" has been a phrase
coined during the depression to denote
the physical wellbeing of the penniless
farmer. Except in relatively few cases
he does not contemplate being evicted
from his home and thrown on the
street. He has a job that continues as
long as his strength endures, and
there are millions of Americans who dc
not. His strike" will chiefly affect those
OF the cities, who are as little response
BILE for topsy-turvy economic world
as he is, and far less able to deal with
its vicissitudes.