The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-02

farmer will sign anything" / was
told. "He will sign anything be- |
cause he has nothing to lose and !
he's willing to swallow any plan
that permits him to work his farm
Cor the insurance company's FARM !
a little longer" To believe that /
the number of farmers who have
entered into government allotment
plans, acreage reduction plans, etc.
indicates a widespread approval OF
the government policy is to misun-
derstand what has been taking
place. The farmer has agreed be-
cause he has had no other re-
course. But no amount of bally-
hoo. no Brain Trust, no President
will ever convince the farmer that
it is right to slaughter young pigs
or 20 pillow down cotton, to dump
milk. l have heard more uniform
criticism of the government, more
bitter prediction for the future on
this score than on any other.
Whether they were small farmers
or county tradespeople, 1 have
never heard anyone champion the
reduction policy. They have ac-
cepted it because they have not
known what else to do.
The farmer knows that the pro-
cessing tax supposed to be paid by
the consumer has been shunted on
to him because the packing trusts
refused to raise their prices. He
knows that the Home Loan Plan
of President Roosevelt is a fraud
because evictions have gone on
steadily and attempts to evict are
increasing. And he knows that
even the government plan for can
ming meat from some of the slaugh
tered cattle and giving this meat
to the unemployed, he knows that
this too is a fraud because most
of the meat is being buried and in
the canning process little of the
meat can be used.
The farmer has worked under
the AAA and seen his fortunes go
down under it. In Roberts county
46 per cent of the population was
on last weeks relief payroll. Of
this number Is per cent received
food for themselves as well as farm
relief. And it is the conservative
estimate of the relief board head
that 80 per cent of the people will
be on relief next winter (if there
is money to provide for thsm).
What does the farmer say to
this? There are some who sill
quote the Bible and maintain that
these are the seven lean years and
we must tighten our belts. There
was still some scattered applause
in Sisseton the other day when
welt the greatest man who ever
Governor Tom Berry called ROOse-
lived and said that the farmer
must not be disgruntled at the
low puice he is receiving for his
slaughtered cattle because this is
an effective means Of preventing
the big man from squeezing out
the little fellow. A slight error
in logic undoubtedly due to con-
fusion at the size Of his audience.
The slaughtering campaign means
that the small farmer is left with
no cattle and no money, while the
big cattle raisers like Governor
Berry are left with prices up and
the field to themselves).
There are some farmers who shy
. away from the United Farmers
League because the politicians and
rich men have Matched the Red
Scare, or because they listen to the
. local Lutheran minister preaching
against the stoppage of evictions,
or because they read the mimeo :
guaphed pamphlet put out by the
local Catholic church which con-
tains sulphurOuS sermons ana car
ICONS on the subject Of religion in
the Soviet Union.
But there are others who say
'The machinery is breaking down
can't buy new ones i. the cows
are being killed off, can't buy new
ones no crops to sell the
tractors too old foo rVp g. moth
ing % do Hell. thev're striking
IN the cities. we mi1ht PC we'll
~+--;1-o Too"