The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-04-11
What Roosevelt'S
Neqv Deal Means
To the Farm ers
BY II. PURO

The ending Of capitalist stabilize
ton finds American farmers breaking
their backs under the immense debt
load of $4,000, 100000. In addition to
this huge debt, the taxes of farmers
have risen since 1914 over $50 percent
while the prices of farm products
have gone down to 49 per cent. This
enormous burden OF the American
farmers has become so much more
impossible fer them to endure, be-
cause their income has been reduced
from SIT, 900 000,G00 in 1919 to IS ,oO0,-
100000 in 1882.
These figures show very clearly the
form Of exploitation Of the telling
farmers, of which Marx said:
1.-THE individual capitalist exploits
the individual farmers thru mort
cages and usury, and the capital
ist class exploits the peasant class
thru State taxation"
1t is necessary, however, to under
stand that not ALL farmers suffer
alike. This huge debt burden rests
upon little more than 40 per cent OF
the American farmers. 1t means that
it is the small and medium farmers
who suffer the most.
Effect of Price FAN
AS long as farmers were able to pay
their immense tributes to the bank
ers and insurance companies in the
form of high interest rates and the
ever-higher taxes to the capitalist
state, everything went all right, but
when farm prices began to sink con-
tinuaIly, farmers were no longer able
to meet their mortgage, amortization
payments, interest, and taxes. When
this happened, the bankers, insurance
companies and other mortgage hold
ers. together with the capitalist state,
began ruthless foreclosure sales, SO
that in 1882 these foreclosures reach
ed to the amount OF AT per 1000
farms.
Being no longer able to pay the
annual tribute OF $90o,000000 interest
and in addition, $777, 100000 (theSe
figures are given by the Secretary OF
Agriculture, Wallace himselO in the
form of property taxes for the cap
italist state, and faced with want and
misery, hundreds OF thousands Of
American farmers were ready to de-
fend themselves and their families By
mass actions, against the foreclosures.
And so, during the last six months
gigantic struggles have taken place IN
the American countryside under the
leadership of the United Farmers
League and militant rank and file
Committees of Action.
Rise of Mass Struggles
These struggles began to take place
when the country was in the midst OF
the presidential election campaign
Millions of farmers voted for RocSe-
welt, believing and hoping for his
promised new DEAL for farmers
They have not been able to wait
any longer, and now, tens of thous-
andS Of those who voted for Roose-
welt, have been engaging in this ire
mendous wave OF struggles. Never in
the history of America has there been
such militant upsurge in the coun-
tryside.
Fail to Stop Movement
Naturally these determined strug-
giles of American farmer take the
bourgeoisie by complete surprise. Fa-
nous penny sales thru which farm
ers begin to liquidate their mortgages
compelled mortgage owners and the
government to do something In order
to save their investment. Thus the
insurance companies, who own %
per cent of the farm mortgages, be-
gan by declaring a temporary mora
torium. This was followed by declara-
tons of governors and legislatures OF
some states of partial halt on mort
gage sales
The purpose of this partial mora
forum was two-fold: y to save the
investments of mortgage owners; q
to halt the gigantic mass struggle OF
| farmers.
simultaneously with this partia,
moratorium, the propaganda for
maintaining the illusions for Roose-
velt's promises was strengthened by
the bourgeoisie thru the press, the
radio, etc. When Roosevelt took over
the administration his first concern
was the bankers. He refused to see
delegations of unemployed. oppressed
Negroes and the toiling farmers. He
was too busy" aiding the bankers
Roosevelt Illusions
But, to be sure, he has not forgotten
farmers. He has appointed a mil
lionaire agricultural publisher, Henry
Morgenthau Jr, as the head Of the
consolidated farm bureaus and farm
credit facilities; and another ricl,
publisher of farm papers, Arthur Wal
lace, as his secretary Of Agriculture
Together with Morgenthau and Wal
lace, professors Tugwell and Ezekiel
(the first named has for years beer
singing songs of high praise for the
endless prosperity" of American cap