The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-02
Rr ]. RARNETT

THE weakness in our work among
l the agricultural workers and
lack of proper orientation of the left
wing farmers organizations upon
the poorest strata of the farmers,
are conditions which must be rap
idly overcome if we are to carry out
the line of the Open Letter and the
18th Plenum in preparation for the
revolutionary battles which lie be-
fore us.
The struggles of the farm work
ers and the poor and middle farm
ers. along with the city workers, is
calling out more and more repres-
sive fascist measures in rural areas.
The New Deal is openly preparing
to force commercial crop and acre
age reduction, and to force the
smaller farmers out altogether or
onto subsistence farms, with
Reconsideration existence.
To turn the militancy or these
farmers into conscious class strug-
gle and revolutionary channels, and
to split the farmers along class lines
is not a simple or easy task. And
We have the difficulty that some of
our comrades do not see the neces-
sity or do not know how to draw
sharp distinctions between the
capitalist farmer and the small and
middle farmers, do not fully realize
that our struggle must be based
upon the poorest and smallest
farmers.
THE issues around which we fight
i will play big role in orienting
us and drawing to us the poorest
sections. Relief is an outstanding
issue. This has not been taken up
in all sections due to a lack Of
proper class orientation. For in
stance, in some localities where
there is left wing organization some
Of the leading members of this or
ganization refused to lead or take
part in relief struggles These sec
tionS we're orientated mainly
around middle farmers, many of
whom were, nevertheless, practically
ruined, without money, but who still
hesitated to enter into relief fights.
Through the pressure of the Party
relief struggles we're taken up. And
then these ruined middle farmers
began also to take part, being en-
couraged also by the C,W.A. relief
becoming respectable" At the
same time the organization began
to be orientated more and more
toward, and to draw new recruits
from small and subsistence farmers.
The fight for the cancellation of
mortgage, rent and tax debts of
the small and middle farmers which
was brought forward by the Party
also turns the struggle in the in
terestS of the poor farmers, many
of whom are loaded with debt, at
tracts sections of the ruined middle
farmers, and draws the line against
the capitalist farmer. In the south
the demand for complete cancella-
ton of the troopers debt has been
raised.
Fundamentally the fight against
evictions and foreclosures draws the
battle lines between the exploited
farmers and the banks, insurance
companies, and large farmers. How
ever, in some instances this strug-
gle has been used to keep capitalist
farmers on their farms.
The milk strikes around prices
contain enormous explosive ma
terial. These struggles themselves
have been developed to a large de-
gree around middle and to GER
tain extent rich farmer elements,
although small farmers have, espe-
rially in some areas, taken mill
liant part in them. The means of
putting the price fights on a class
basis and for turning them also
toward eviction, debt, and tax fights
are clearly indicated in the resolu-
tons of the Extraordinary confer
ence.
| ABGE sections of the ruined mid
L die farmers are militant and we
have taken up the fight with them.
This is good. The danger has been
that in most sections outside of
the South, where we have q good
organization among the troopers,
we have neglected too much the
fight of the small and poorest
farmers. There is a danger that we
may lose these middle farmers
through the lack of solid base
among the poorest sections.
The poorest and small farmers
have no outlook under capitalism.
The part farmer, part wage worker
who was not able to make a living
on the farm alone, and the small
farmer who even during the past
so-called prosperous times eked out
a meagre living, continually falling
deeper into poverty, whose economy
is SO small that ordinarily he does
not need to hire any labor outside
that of his own family, have black
prospect under capitalism at it's
best. On the other hand a revolu-
tionary workers and farmers gov
eminent will give them land, free
them from rent and debt, and i'm
nediately improve their conditions
Whereas, the middle farmer al
though at present he may be busted
and his situation hopeless, still has
the type of economy which, al
though small, in ordinary times
yielded surplus above a meagre
living and whose farm might fairly
frequently require little hired
labor in case the family is small.
This farmer was middle farmer
precisely because he was in mid
die position, his farm was such that
he could feel that he had a posi-
bility of building up his farm and
that he might have a chance of
becoming capitalist farmer, with
fnO1ilor hi Lob L T.