The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1932-11-25
Friday, November Is, 1882
BANKERS LENIENCY' MEANS
INTENSIFIED EXPLOITATION


If farmers anywhere turnout the country needed to
be convinced of the necessity for the Farmers National
Relief Conference the statements of bankers to
their future program would carry conviction
The bankers have made these statements with a
view hndering the organization or the farmers to
struggle for their interests. Therefore the slogan
of the bankers is 'lenency But while they talk or
eniency they actually plan for foreclosures and evic
tons.
The latest expressions of the bankers program have
come from Louis Clarke president of the Nebraska Mort
gage Bankers Association and O. NJ Corwin of the Cor
win Company of Minneapolis. Clarkes statement was
to the press while Corins made at the North Da-
kota Landowners Conference meeting in Fargo North
Dakota, this past week.
Here are the statements of 'leniency
mo foreclosures are being started by legitimate in
sutions unless the farmers absolutely hopeless
Clarke said The average banker when he there
a chance, is working with the farmer
Mortgage companies are not pursuing policy of
ruthless foreclosure said Corwn. Perhaps that might
have been said of conditions 10 years ago. But it
certainly today that mortgage holders fore
ing people off the land except last resort and where
the farmer says he is through where ne heavily
involved that he cannot possibly work out.
There are cases, of course, where mistakes are
made where clerk in loaning agency may take an
arbitrary attitude and bring about condition of msun
Outstanding that may end in needless foreclosure, but
those as isolated instances
These are the WORDS about '1eniency." What
are the facts7
c. F. Mudgett, manager of the Bank of North Da-
kota state-owned agency for exploiting the farmers
speaking the Land Owners Conference agreed with
Corwin that land is foreclosed except when it is
found that there is other resource.
The Bank of North Dakota itself has, according to
Al 4
closed 387 900 of farm land This is the result
of the program of ''leniency' of the bankers.
This program falls into two parts-one of which
follows directly the other. The first part is enency
The average banker, when he there is chance
working with the farmer" says Clarke Chance of
what9 Why is the banker working with the farmer or
how is he working the farmer2
AS long the bankers can squeeze more out of the
farmer who is the land than they expect get
from new buyer from tenant they lenient
they allow the farmer to remain the land and be
plotted
The second part of the program is brought into use
when the farmers is absolutely hopeless accord
ing to Clarke, and last resort or where he is so
heavily involved that he possible work OUT ac
cordng to CorUin. Who these farmers1 These are
1 the most impoverished farmers those who have been
| bled to the bone by the capitalist class.
These two steps part of the same program
"eIS yet possibility OF exploiting the farmer
who is on the land the bankers let him stay When how
ever thru their ruthless punderng he has been driven
to point where there is nought left but the farm stock
and machinery, then they demand that also as their tr
ute.
his is the program of the bankers and of the other
great mortgage holders What must be the program Of
the impoverished farmersa This program will be worked
tout at the Farmers National Relief Conference in Wash
ngton, Dec. 7-IO.
his program is being carried out already bv inn
Povershed farmers turnout the northwest as this issue Of
the PRODUCERS News indicates The program is one of
ass resistance the onslaught of the robber can;ta
The United Farmers League has continuously advocated
such actions by the impoverished farmers and now manv
of the most determined struggles against evctons and
foreclosures taking place under the leadership Of the
UF.L. = '''0
Why this kind of program rather than such RELIEF
programs as are proposed by all manner Of .nrno..