The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-02
On the
World Front
Eating Under Capitalism"
The World Harvest
U.S.A. and U.S.S.R.
by HARRY CANNES

THE fate of the world harvest TIM
year, taking place in the midst
of such terrific blows being delivered
to capitalism, is of an Importance
unequaIled In all past history. There
have been heavy crop failures be-
fore, and millions have starved.
Crop failures in China are almost
the rule in some portions of the
country. But crop failures coming
now, say in Germany, on top of the
devastation of fascism, in the face
of the geratest danger Of war, be-
come of decisive importance.
Such catastrophe crop failures as
we now witness in the United States
the more rapidly smash and expose
the demagogic propaganda and
schemes of the Roosevelt regime for
agriculture and for the toiling
masses.
THEN, too, the drought was one Of
l the severest tests of socialist
agriculture in the Soviet Union.
Humanity has an opportunity in
many capitalist countries through
its tears and it's hunger pangs, to
see the contrast between socialism
and capitalism in the face of nat
ural catastrophes plus economic
crisis.
Three weeks ago the New York
Times, keenly class conscious and
appreciative of the significance Of
this years harvest, wrote an edito-
rial entitled Eating Under Cap
italism" The gist of the editoa
rial was that in the Soviet Union
the drought had destroyed the
chances of the masses of eating,
while in the good old land of Nor
gan, Rockefeller, Mellon and Roose-
velt, what's little drought between
friends. The Times reasoned that it
would be very easy task for Sec
rotary of Agriculture Wallace to
meet that dreaded horseman of the
Apocalypse, Famine, with the three
spear-points of the A. A. A., and to
make short shrift Of him.
NOW both in the Soviet Union and
~ in the United States that has
vest is being gathered and we again
turn to the New York Times to
see how their news reports check
with their editorial. Here is what
we find:
The U. S. A.: Panorama of Desc
lation Seen in Plane View of
Drought Area. Fields once filled
with waving grain and teeming
herds of cattle now resemble desert
wastes, devoid of life with rivers
dried to beds" The writer is Russell
B. Porter, who had just returned
from the San Francisco general
strike front where he himself helped
put over little desolation by whip
ping up anti Communist hysteria.
What Mr.. Porter saw must have
been indeed dreadful for he writes
a moving story of catastrophe.
Here's sample of it.
"In every direction the dry, wasted
land extends further than the eye
can reach. 1t makes one think Of
stricken giant. stretched out fat
upon his back, thirSting for water,
staring blindly into the mercilessly
hot sun and gasping for breath. Be-
fore ones very eyes a whole section
of the country lies dying. One can
not help joining the people who live
there in a silent prayer for the
rain which will bring it back to
life"
1T would be just as useless, OF
4 course, to pray to Wallace or
Roosevelt who were as potent as the
drought in destroying crops.
Just the other day we heard over
the radio how Mr.. Wallace SO bravely
faced the farmers Gin Louisiana, Of
course, in a drought area) and
defended the Roosevelt agrarian
program. We'd like to see Mr..
Wallace try the thing say in Kansas
from where Mr.. Porter writes.
NOW, let's see the Times on the
IN Soviet Union: (This appears in
the same issue that speaks about
desolation and ruin in the grain
belt of the United States)
Nowhere is there anything that
might be called crop failure. Winter
grain suffered from the Spring
drought las it did in the U. S. A
H. Gl but replanting did much to
compensate for that" (And what
volumes are omitted in that phrase.
Replanting! The A. A. A. plowed
under thousands of acres. In the
Soviet Union when the drought hit.
planned, socialist economy modified
the whole country for replanting!
Hence Nowhere is there anything
that might be called crop failure.")
Although the volume of wheat and
rye is less than that of last year,
the quality is said to be higher,
which is important in the export
market.
1.-The foregoing is a summary of
conditions found by an authoritative
1OACASA CAPCA0 Oii dSllCultuIc wiz
has just made trip through the
Soviet grain belt"
THE same cable goes on to tell Of
the unequalled speed with which
the grain is being harvested, the cut
ting down Of all waste, and the COM
plete victory of socialist, collective
farming over individual farming.
With these contrasting reports we
can ask the Times what about Eat
ing Under Capitalism" What will
the hundreds of thousands of ruined
farmers and their families eat?
Roosevelt's promises? What will thet
unemployed proletarians eat? What
| will the enployed workers eat with