The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1933-01-20

SASS Oils were sent TO cover
nor LANCER of North Dakota from
several meetings of farmers in
Williams county pointing out that
up to the present no aid had been
received by the ruined farmers
from the Reconstruction Finance
Corp, and that the $4,000 applied
Tor by the Williams coounty COM
missioners was totally Inadequate
to meet the needs of the farmers.
Governor Langer's reply which
was read to the gathering by o. A.
Mattingly, was the following:
Il find that your county Of
ficials did not ask for enough
aid asking for only $4,000. I
am today designating Roy Fra
zier of Crosby, who will meet
with the county commissioners
CT McHenry county on Monday.
and will come up to see you. He
will be up there likely by Tues
day or Wednesday. l regret l
wasn't Informed sooner as YOU
know | am still in the hospital
or | would come up myself. Wire
me and keep me in dOnstant
touch as to any development.
Governor LANCER"
The farmers then demanded the
county commissioners explain why
they had not asked for more relief
for the suffering farmers whom
they are supposed to represent and
why they had not even gotten the
$4,000 they had applied for.
VERSON EXPLAINS"
Commissioner Iverson attempted
an explanation which only served
to show more clearly that the coun
ty commissioners had taken no in
terest in getting relief until the
farmers had forced them to. He
said, GAS soon as (not before) the
farmers had protested at the de-
lay in getting the funds, that the
Board had inquired from the bank
at Minneapolis why the funds had
been held up" Even then they
had not been able to get money.
Iverson also said that the board
had applied for only $4,000 be-
cause they had thought the county
would be responsible for the money
and it would endanger its security
(credit). The commissioner thus
admitted that he and the
other commissioners were more in
terested in the Security of the
county than the security of the
farmer and his children whose
lives are endangered by having to
walk around in the snow without
any overshoes, undernourished and
dressed in ragged clothing.
APPLAUD SALISBURY
When the chairman announced
that Rodney Salisbury would take
the floor a tremendous wave of
enthusiasm spread thruout the
courthouse and he was loudly ap-
plaUded. Salisbury told the farm
ers that they should demand $685.
eco for the remaining winter
months from the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation which would
equal the appropriation OF Sheri-
dan county, whose inhabitants are
in the same plight as themselves.
Speaking about the Red Cross
which had also failed to bring re-
lief to the Williams county farm
ers, he said that the Red Cross
would only bring in as much as
the farmers forced them to and
that local committees composed Of
bankers such as Cunningham who
is head of the Red Cross commit
tee are more interested in living
off the farmer than in clothing
him.
Other speakers included Pete
Gallagher, Erik Bert and Charles
Taylor. Gallagher told how the
week before Montana farmers and
workers had marched to the state
legislature and their spokesman,
for the first time in history, had
presented their demands on the
floor Of both houses. TAYLOR who
is the national chairman of the
United Farmers League spoke on
the Farmers National Relief Con-
ference held at Washington from
which he and Bert had just re-
turned. He told about the de-
mands raised at the conference bv
farmers like themselves from 26
states, and pointed out that By
carying forward the struggle
themselves the farmers would
force relief from the state.
SUPPORT CONFERENCE
On motions from the floor the
farmers present voted their en-
dorsement of the demands raised
at the Farmers Relief Confer
ence, and elected Fred Wagner.
who had been delegate to be in
charge of organizing delegations
from Williams county TO the State
Relief Conference which is to be
held at Bismarck about Feb. g.
The farmers also demanded that