Evening star., 1932-08-28
FARMERS TO FACE
GRAND Jury PROBE
Council Bluffs Move Made as
Pickets Close in on Des
MoineS.
BY the Associated Press.

IN this county would be submitted to
the District Court grand jury, which
meets next Tuesday.
The county attorney said he would
attempt to obtain indictments of some
on charges Of robbery with aggravation,
and petty and grand larceny. These
charges, he said, would be in connection
with the confscation of produce from
farmers seeking to pass through the
picket lines.
The Iowa code makes 1t q special
duty of the grand jury to Inquire into
the obstruction of highways"
Meanwhile, at Des Moines picket
lines Of the farmers holiday movement
slowly frightened about the Iowa capital
as the center of activity in the fight for
higher farm prices shifted for the third
time in two weeks.
Calls Governors Farley.
Gov. Warren E. Green of South
Dakota at Huron announced he would
call conference of Is governors Of
agricultural States to meet at Sioux
City, Iowa, to promote an orderly,
legal and non-violent' pro-
gram for raising farm prices.
Peaceful blockades were established
at DeS MoineS on six main highways
and the pickets carried on persuasion
campaign" to induce truckers. carrying
farm products to return home. Those
who refused were warned that this
is the last time they would be per-
mitted to pass.
Plans were being laid for extension
OF the picket lines to include all of
the 90 highways leading into the city.
Leaders said they expected to have
camps established on every one of the
roads by Monday morning.
Cooperating with the farm pickets
was a group of members of the Khaki
Shirts of America, a recently organized
body led by Lyman Cook, Burlington
and a member Of the staff of
w. w. Waters with the Washington
bonus army. Cook claims that the
is not an offshoot of the
bonus army and labeled it a political
seeking better govern
ment.
Forces Increase Quickly.
Beginning with a handful Of men
who appeared on one highway early
today, the force of pickets was in
creased to 200 by 10 am. and doubled
that figure in the late afternoon.
Despite a chill drizzling rain lasting
through midafternoon most Of the
pickets held their positions.
Sheriff Charles F. Keeling toured
the camps with group Of deputies,
but made no move to stop the assem-
he fol
action as long as no violence occurred.
Some decline in milk receipts was
noted during the afternoon by diStrib-
utors. Four directors of the Des Moines
Cooperative Marketing Association
went into conference with holiday
leaders preliminary to conference on
milk prices.
Produce consigned to the League of
the Unemployed here was permitted to
pass through the blockades unmolested.
Milk was the principal item of prod
uce ca the highways today, as the
weekend supplies of other farm goods
had been delivered to DeS Moines mer-
chants earlier in the day.
Meanwhile pIcketing activities at
other points remained fairly quiet. A
men blockaded the four high
ways leading into Council Bluffs, pre-
vious center of the movement.
The blockade remained officially in
effect at Council Bluffs, but John
Chalmers, president of the Iowa Holiday
said it would be lifted as to
milk shipments as soon as Omaha dis
tributors signed an agreement Tor
higher prices. Distributors issued an
ultimatum that no negotiations would
be conducted unless the blockade was
raised completely.
Peace Efforts Fail.
A meeting this afternoon of milk pro-
ducers and distributors with Mayor
Richard L. Metcalfe came to no definite
action. The conferees agreed to meet
with the mayor again tomorrow:
Sheriff P. A. Lainson, central ngure IN
the threatened riot at Council BUNS
Thursday, when 1000 farmers 1orced
release of SIS arrested plckets py
to storm the court house,
said motorists were exhlonlng resent
ment toward the pickets.
He said all cars as well as TRUCKS
were beinp stopped and searched at the
PottaWattamie blockades and that ne
had received protests from about oo
persons. some of them women, who ac-
cused the pickets of using abusive IAN
guage. -,
The tension at Sioux City, scene OF
the original picketing activity, quleteo
further as milk trucks were allowed TO
pass blockades unmolested following
settlement last night Of price dispute
between dairymen and milk distributors:
The holiday movement spread to Fort
Dodge, where holiday adherents decided
to begin a peaceful blockade Monday.
men were chosen to enlist farm
ers for picket duty.
Gov. Green's proposal would seek
peaceful achievement OF the honday op-
priceS-through a gen.
eral anti-marketing campaign along
legal lines. State executives from Min
nesota. the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Illinois,
Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ne
braska, Montana, Colorado, Idaho, In
diana and Ohio would be asked to assist
in speeding on the campaign.
Gov. Turner Willing.
Gov. Dan Turner of Iowa expressed
willingness to attend such a confer
ence, while Gov. Charles Bryan of Ne
braska expressed disapproval of the
idea.
Rain led to abandonment of picket
ing attempts at Spencer, Iowa, after
produce buyers refused to suspend oper-
ations at the request Of holiday leaders.
Walthill, Nebr., farmers lifted the ban
on cream, butter, eggs and farm produce
so that they might obtain money for
living expenses. The proposed strike at
Mimi, scheduled to start
Monday, was postponed pending COM
pletion of county organization.
BACKS POTATO GROWERS.
Gov. Moore of New Jersey Indorses