The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-04

AS the new crop is being
ers, sharecroppers, tenants and
small owners are being socked by
the Bankhead tax. They feel the
stranglehold Of the Agricultural Adj
justment Administration tightening.
Once more beneath the flowery
words of Roosevelt, and behind the
soIt-sounding phrases of the Demo-
cratic candidates all over the coun-
try, can be seen the real purpose
Of the New Deal crop-reduction
program. This is what they ask
farmers to support in the elections.
Cuts Meager Living
Crop curtailment for poor farm
ers whose production is already
small means cutting their meager
living from under them. Big farm
erS in most cases stand to gain by
this program And through the A.
A. A., reduction is being forced upon
the cotton farmers. 1t is part of
the plan to put the poorer farmers
out Of commercial production into
subsistence farming. The Bankhead
Bill provides that only 100000
bales can be marketed without the
payment of prohibitive tax of so
per cent Of the market price. The
amount which each farmer can
market without paying this tax is
decided by local boards composed
Of landlords, bankers local politi-
clans, ETC., who favor the large
farmers, and discriminate against
the smaller ones.
Big Farmers Favored
Many methods are used to in
crease the allotment to the large
farmers, leaving the small farmers
proportionately less tax free cot
ton. Even though farmers of some
states have not produced their full
allotment because of drought, the
farmers Of other states are not al
lowed to make this up, they must
hold to their original allotments.
The taxes collected from the small
farmer can be used actually to help
pay the reduction bonuses of the big
farmers and landlords. The cred
ltors gobble up the bonuses Of the
small farmers. Even leading Con-
gressmen of the South recently ad-
mitted that the Bankhead tax was
imposing great hardship on small
cotton growers. This is to say moth
ing about the fact that due to the
government reduction progra
thousands of sharecroppers and
tenant have been thrown off their
farms, or If allowed to stay could
not grow cotton, and were in many
cases driven into forced labor by
the landlords.
Real Election Issues
Thus the small cotton farmers
are being tied hand and foot by the
New Deal. These are real issues
OF the current election campaign.
This program Of more open force
and compulsion is being carried
over to other farmers in wheat.
corn, hog, and tobacco The use Of
the drought disaster to force
through the reduction program and
rum thousands of farmers is an
other burning example Of the ruth
lesSness of the A. A. A. policies.
The A. A. A. began earlier and
has gone farther in the South than
elsewhere. Even during the Re-
publican administration, the Hoover
government asked the cotton farm
ers to plow under every third row
OF rlpening cotton. They refused
TO take such loss. But it is clear
that the Republicans have the same
Kind Of program as the Democrats
W1en 1T comes to the treatment of
workers and poor farmers. If Roose-
welt Matched out the New Deal.
Hoover might well be its father.
Roosevelt and the New Deal bv
clever moves have gone much far
ther. Last year the A. A. A. plowed
under 100000 acres of maturing
cotton.
Landlords Grabbed Bonuses
The bonus payments for blowing
under MAYER got into the hands of
most of the poor farmers; it was
kept by the landlords and cred
ttors.
In 1884 the program was to re-
dnce the acreage planted by 10000
600 acres.
The trusts, the bankers and the
big farmers stand behind the A. A.
A. The ruin of the small farmer
means more profits in their pock-
cts. Of all the political programs,
only the platform of the Commu-
mist Party calls for the repeal of
the A.A.A. and the passage Of the
Farmers Emergency Relief Bill.
Ger airly all exploited farmers. if
they are to fight in their interests,
can support such a platform.
Workers and farmers all over the
country should rally in support Of
the small farmers right to sell his
cotton tax-free. The repeal Of the
A.A.A., an end to its dictatorship,
an end to its use of the drought to
force its destruction program, and
the puttinc into effect of the pro-
visions of the Farmers Emergency
Relief Bill are vital necessities. Re
lief for all drought stricken, all
New Deal ruined and impoverished
farmers must be won.
And long step toward winning
1t will be heavy Communist vote
In agricultural and city areas alike. |