Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-11-09
POVERTY WAR
is GREATER
So Says Governor Olson in
November 9th Address
in st. Paul.
Maintains That Fair Ad-
vance in Farm Prices Will
Not Hurt Consumer.
BY HENRY G. TEIGAN

BY HENRY G. TEIGAN
There can be no solution of the
farm problem until the farmers con-
troll the marketing machinery of their
own products"
The above is the view of Governor
Floyd B. Olson as expressed at the
recent conference of Veterans, farm
ers, and Labor Organizations assem-
bled in the House Chamber at st.
Paul on Monday, November 6. The
Governor made it plain that he did
not believe that the program of the
Federal Administration provides for
any immediate relief for the farmers.
Federal Plan Intellectual.
"To me the present plans of the
Department of Agriculture represent
an Intellectual tinkering with a sys-
tenn that has never given the farmer
fair deal and never will he said.
'At the best it can only hope to help
him as to future prices. No hope
lies in it for the securing of fair
prices, whether they be based on par
ity or cost of production, for the COM
modities now in the possession of the
farmer. If and when, if ever, the
plan affects future prices, most of the
farmers will probably have lost their
farms or their opportunity to ever
clear themselves of debt.
while the federal farm credit or
CARNATIONS are making very credit
able effort to refinance the farmer,
the mere changing of the name of
his creditors will in no sense solve
his problem. The only way his prob
lem can be solved is by giving him a
price for his commodities which rep
resents such a decent profit as will
give him buying power. And unless
his buying power is restored we might
as well give up our efforts for in
dustrial recovery"
Compulsory Action Required.
The Governor doubts the practic-
ability of the idea of attempting to
solve any problem by depending en-
tirely upon the voluntary action of
the people. In saying this, he had
reference to the allotment plan,
which is in the main the program of
the Federal Department of Agricul-
ture.
Compulsory action is what will be
required to get results the Governor
contended. This, he said, is the pro-
gram of the several governors who
last week presented their plan to
President Roosevelt and to the De-
partment of Agriculture.
The Governors View.
Speaking on this point Governor
Olson said:
This war against poverty, as has
been often said, is a greater war
than any military conflict in which
we have ever been engaged. 1t abso-
lutely requires compulsory action.
This the Governors sought through
price fixing and restriction of the
amount that any producer could sell
upon the open market. Under our
plan if the farmer was only able to
sell three-fourths of his crop, he
would get much more for the three
fourths he would be permitted to sell
than for his entire crop which he is
now permitted, and is attempting, to
dispose of on a market already de-
pressed.
Under our plan marketing is linn
tied, and not production; but if mar
keting is limited, the production con-
troll is inevitable. The surplus would
remain on the farm instead of being
thrown on the market. Most of the
surplus could be consumed by the
farmer himself on the farm. That
which could not be consumed by him
could be purchased by the Federal
Emergency Relief Administration for
feeding those who are now on, or
entitled to public relief.
81 know that the farm leaders in
the middle west approve our plan.
i believe that the great majority OF
farmers approve it. l believe that
all the farmers would approve it II
it could be explained to them. IT the
same effort were used to put it over
as is being used to put over the
voluntary schemes of the Department
of Agriculture it could be explained
satisfactorily to the farmer"
Strike Action Defended.
The Governor defended the farm
ers right to strike and also main
tanned that fair advance in prices to
the farmer will not injure the con-
sumner. His argument on this point
is that there is very little direct con-
nection in the price of raw products
and the price of finished farm pro-
ducts. For example, there have been
periods when wheat was higher in
price than it is today, and at the same