The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-12-13
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The Decision Is Made For Us
American farmers would do wen 70
think long and ser1ously about the
temASis made to the Farm Bureau
Federation Tuesday at Chicago By
Secretary wallace.
The secretary's statement = that
they must decide whether the perma-
Dnent program for farm rehabilitation
Is to b national or international. In
other words, whether We are going
TO continue considering ourselves a.
IN agricultural exporting country or
es = self-contained economic entity. II
Ne are to accept the first theory, one
course Of action = indicated. II we
are to adopt the second another Is
In order. We cannot follow both and
We cannot have the benefits Of both
policies. The one limits the other.
A good many Of our farm agita-
tors have adopted the attitude that
~ should have cur cake and eat It,
too. That u Just - impossible for
the farmer as for anyone else. In
this classification come the Initiation
lists. Their remedy Is not remedy
because it will make no essential
changes In the economic system IS
It now exists. That changes are nee
easary is obvious to all who open
their minds to a recognition Of the
Conditions which we face.
CHiously enough ~ and - often
happens - our decision 10 being
made for u by the action u France
and other European nations In re-
fusing to pay the war debts. That
question has had more to do with the
farm problem than most Of VI have
appreciated.
A brief review OF economic changes
In the last 20 years proves the point.
Before the war. America exported
agricultural products and imported
manufactured goods. The English.
Germans and French had invested
large sums in this country and we
were . debtor nation. Agricultural
exports helped our world trade TO
strike . balance.
The war made several significant
changes. Instead Of . debtor nation
~ became the largest creditor na-
ton since Rome ruled tho world. At
the same time our manufactures were
stepped up to meet war demands and
science made it possible for our farms
10 produce more crops with less help.
We didn't get the fun significance
q this Immediately for Europe was
In need Of almost everything and
badly disorgani1ed. We sold her =
Tremendous volume Of everything. but
only by loaning her money with
which 10 buy.
Europe. a. fast = she was abls. re-
constructed her factories and re-
tabilitated her farms. She tried to
pay u In goods-and failed. We
would not taxa them. She wanted to
eell 70 US and Ne wanted to continue
selling to her. Tia stalemate was
Inevitable. ~ soon q we stopped
leaning she stopped buying and trade
practically disappeared. Each Of the
nations was more self-eontained than
1oemerly was the case and the de-
mand for materials from other parts
Of Tho world diminished.
Thus our wheat exports dropped off
b practically nothing. 30 did our
sxports Of other food products and
manufactured goods.
The American farmer, continuing
70 think q m export market which
had vanished. continued to plant and
harvest Is much - before. And the
bottom fell out Of everything.
This newspaper has printed charts
showing what happened to our wheat
exports. soon will print others telling
the graphic story Of our hog situa-
ton. They give the history.
What they do not show = the fu-
ture. It Is easily practicable when
we know that France and Germany.
big importers Of wheat. hogs and
other foods before the war and Inn
mediately sfterward. now arc export
ing these products. The advances ID
science and hnsbandSy have made 4
possible for them to do %. Every
nation now i more self-containsd,
both g to food and manufacture.
than has ever before been tt caso IN