davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
WATER FAMINE I'M
SOUTH DAKOTA AS
SPRINGS DRY UP
Guards are Placed Over
Wells, Water Is Held
for Sale

SIOUX FALLS, S. D.-A water
famine is spreading rapidly over
the western part of South Dakota.
Hundreds and hundreds of wells
have completely dried up. Springs
have ceased flowing and so have
a number of streams. In some
parts guards patrol the wells
to protect precious drinking water.
In O her places, drinking water is
hauled over miles and then sold by
the gallon.
Not drop of rain has fallen for
weeks and the mercury keeps above
hundred continuously. Since
there is little water for human
needs, cattle and other livestock
have often no water at all.
Forage and hay crops were also
burned weeks ago. Nothing is left
In some, sections they have some
thistles and they are quickly being
harvested to be used as feed. Or
the sun parched fields and pas
lures cattle. are dying and remain
there.
1t looked bad in the spring. Ye
many farmers did not give up.
Twice and three times they seede,
and re-seeded their fields and tire,
times the top soil was blown off
There is not the slightest hope lief
anymore.
Even the State College of Agri
culture at Brookings has to admi
| that conditions are absolutely ten
rfble. According TO the estimate
Of the college there will be as br
Of winter wheat 70 the acre at th
best. zoe, 900 acres Of wheat wer
planted out Of which only 42,OOC
acres will be harvested, maybe, tn
statistician Of the college states.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
Holiday Convention at MinOt
Endorses F.E.R.B. Presented
By N. Oak. U.F.L. Leaders
5000 TONS OF HAY
NEEDED IN WILLIAMS
COUNTY ESTIMATE

WILLISTON, N. D.-Farmers in
Williams county, North Dakota,
need Immediately from 5000 to
5000 tons of hay to feed their cat
tie it was conservatively estimated
here by the administration after
already $4,000 head of cattle had
been bought in the county by the
federal government.
The recognition of this fact by
the government should mean some
thing to farmers in Sheridan coun-
ty. If that much feed and hay is
needed in Williams county, accord
ing to a conservative estimate, a
good deal more is necessary to feed
the Starving cattle in Sheridan
county.
Since farmers now are compelled
to feed indefinitely the cattle pur-
chased by the government because
further shipments have been stop
ped for, as they say, stockyards
are cOngested. the feeding prob
lem becomes still more compli-
Gated.
Farmers should insist that they
get the feed that is needed. Indi
vidual insistence will not be recog-
nized. Organization is what is
needed. And the stronger the or
ganization, the more powerful a
demonstration. the more feed car
Re secured.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
FARMERS ADVISED
TOAT ONCE APPLY
FOR GOV. LOANS
Livestock and Crop Loans
Still Available

Two weeks ago we published the
announcement of the Farm Credit
Administration regarding the loans
farmers in the emergency drouth
area may make. Today again, we
are calling the attention of all the
farmers to the possibilities to Sc
cure loans that will help them to
carry on a little while longer.
Emergency Crop Loans
Emergency crop loans for gen
eneral purposes may be secured
until September 1. The maximum
for the new loans is $3.50 to one
individual for general purposes ard
$500 for summer following or for
the combined purpose Of summer
following and the purchase of win
ter wheat, winter rye or barley
seed.
Full information about these
loans may be obtained from the
county loan committees.
Emergency Livestock Loans
The limit for feed and forage
loans in emergency drought coun-
ties is $500 a month. It is to be
used for the sustenance of livestock
thru the fall and winter months.
Allowance for work sock is 81 per
head per month. for cattle SO pei
head a month.
Application for these loans are
to be made at the county relief Of
flee which is now located in the
school building across the street
from the high school.
Crop loans must be secured by
a first lien on the crops financed
while feed and forage loans are tc
be secured by promissary note.
Farmers who have not yet ap-
piled for these loans are advised t.
do so now. They will rot have
many more opportunities to gel
some cash.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
SECOND ALLOTMENT.
FOR WHEAT PAID
Is PROMISE
Farmers to Get 9 Cents Per
Bushel Minus Assn.
Expenses

Second payments on the wheat
allotment contracts will be coming
around soon, it was promised by
the Agricultural Adjustment Ad-
minis ration. Sheridan county farm
ers are to receive approximately
100000 on the 2,1OO contracts
signed in the county.
The second installment will be
paid at the rate of nine cents per
bushel. From this, however, each
pcO-rata share of he expenses in
Cured by the local production con-
troll association will be deducted.
This deduction will also include the
money spent unnecessary for the
wheel pushers, surveyors and sta
ticians who were to figure out the
acreage of land under The contract
ard whether farmers had not
planted more than they were sup
posed to. That this work was alb
solutely foolish and nonsensical
was evident for every farmer
when he looked at the acres of
wheat completely destroyed by the
drouth. Now farmers will have to
pay for this work.
For the entire state of Montana
the second payment will amount to
about 1892, 900, Washington ad,
vises. S8,388 contracts have beer
approved in the state.
The administration announces
that the wheat program for the
1934-35 year is planned upon the
same basis as the one just com
pie ed. The benefit payments viii
be % cents per bushel and the pro
cessing tax is to remain the same
it was stated.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
Night Riders Routed When
They Try to Lynch
Henderson

VINELAND, N. IA mid
night telephone call to a small
farmer, a member of the
United Farmers League saved
the lives of Donald Henderson
and his wife Elinor, organic
ers of the Agricultural Work
ers Industrial Union, whose
home was raided Sunday
night by a fascist gang of
KKK's and ''Vigilantes."
The farmer Immediately aroused
the membership Of the United
Farmers League and together with
workers of the Unemployed Coun-
ell. they rushed to the home of the
organizers. The lynchers were al
ready preparing to force their way
into the little cottage At the APP
proach of the workers and farm
ers. however, they jumped into
their cars and fled.
The Vigilantes. numbering about
25. drove up in five cars and sur
rounded the house. Spying radio
wires, they mistook them in the
dark for the telephone connections
and tore them down. They then
began pounding on the doors and
windows which were barred shut.
Mrs. Henderson telephoned the
vineland police who said they had
no one to send. The borough po-
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
s. D. Farmers
EPIOWed Under
They Moved to Subsistence Farms North of Black
Hills; 10 Acre Plots for Living; Two
Million More to Follow

what we have been through, moth
ing worse" they say.
This program is carried out bv
the Rural Rehabilitation CORPORA
ton, headed by Governor Berry H.
M. Cass, relief administration vel
fare director, and C. L. Chase.
head of the rural credit hoard. It
is In line with the policy of Mr..
Wallace and his AAA to pillow I'M.
der two million farmers, to remove
them from the market. And of
course, the ones to be plowed under
are the poor and middle farmers
in order that the big and rich
farmers, the corporation farms,
may have a larger share of the
market so that they can produce
for profit.
Two other projects are being de-
veloped by the Rural Rehabilita-
ton corporation. The government
holds title to hundreds of farms in
the eastern part of the state. Hun
dreds of western farm families are
to be placed on these farms. The
farmers who lived there before
could not make out, were fore
closed and thrown off the land bv
the sheriffs. They gave their
best and after they were bled
white they had to leave. Now an
other group of farmers is being
placed on these farms. They are
starting out with a heavy burden
of debts and viii be less able tc
make the grade than the first
group. All they have is a chance
to work for a number of years fol
taxes and interest, for the state
and bankers and mortgage holders
An abandoned Mennonite colony
in southwestern South Dakota neal
the James river has been pur
chased. SEVENTY families are be,
ing moved 10 this propect.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
(SEE EDITORIAL)

PIERRE, S. D., Aug. 2.-Over
300 families today are moving
from the lands they homesteaded
0O years ago. In trucks, cars and
trains they are being moved by
the government to ten-acre plots
north of the Black Hills.
Capitalist papers are full of
praise. They are talking of the
gigantic experiment in rural So
cialism" launched by Governor
Berry. They forget to mention the
Governor is very much interested
IN the land that is being evacuated.
He is one of the biggest ranchers
In the state of South Dakota, and
the thousands of acres west of the
Missouri River are excellently
suited for the grazing of his stock.
The government is buying the
dry lands at So per acre, of course,
the money goes to the fellow who
has the mortgage. And $650,0OC
have been appropriated by the fed
eral government and millions more
are being promised to carry thru
this kind of Socialism"
Every family gets ten acres Of
irrigated land north of the Blacl
Hills. Little wooden structures art
being thrown up on every plot tt
house these families. The farmer,
are expected to raise all they neeC
on the ten acres, to be self suf
ficing. Relief is out of the ques
ton once they get on the "self
subsistence farms"
The farmers who are moving ART
taking it with a grain Of salt
Even the capitalist papers admi
that farmers state: 1--WE can't ge
any poorer than we are" An att
tude of hopelessness, Of dismay
What can happen to as after
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
N. ]. FARMERS DEFEND LIVES
OF TWO UNION ORGANIZERS

lice refused pro ection on grounds
that it was out of their "jurisdic-
ton" She called the state police,
but before the state police arrived
the entire household could have
been lynched. A call 10 the MEM
bers of the United Farmers
League members, however, brought
quick action.
The farmers and workers re-
manned all night on watch.
A workers and farmers defense
corps is being organized by the
International Labor Defense, the
Agricultural Workers and United
Farmers League
The attempted mobbing of the
Hendersons is just one more move
in the campaign of Charles Sea-
brook, rich landowner and cannery
operator, together with other cap
italists, to crush the Agricultural
and Cannery Workers Indus' rial
Union which has led several big
strikes in this section.
The storage barn on the Sea-
brook farm was set Attire as an
excuse for the fascist attack
against the union and against the
Communist Party.
A united front fight of workers
and small and middle farmers to
establish the right to strike, to or
ganize for free press and speech,
is being carried on here.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
MOONEY FILES
FIFTH PARDON
WITH GOVERNOR
Asks Clemency on 18th
Anniversary of His
Arrest

SAN FRANCISCO.-Today, the
eighteenth anniversary of his ar
rest for completely in the Prepared
ness Day bombing of July %, 1916
Tom Mooney, through his attOr-
ney, Leo Gallagher, filed applica-
ton for a pardon with Governor
Frank Merriam.
Attached to the application is a
statement of Mooney giving m
addition to the mass of evidence Of
his innocence, presented to pre-
vious governors, a further reason
that he was acquitted last year of
the original murder charge, when
tried on an old remaining indict-
ment. Moneys statement fol-
lows:
Eighteen years from the day ]
was arrested and seventeen years
after the evidence against me was
exposed as perjured, 1 am again
I compelled to appeal for he fifth
time to a governor of California
for executive clemency".
MONEYS application contains
the following statement:
con May "a, 1888, over tremen.
dous opposition, 1 forced my case
again before a court and jury.
stipulated that where witnesses
were dead or unavailable the State
might use all the evidence used a
my prior trial, provided l were
allowed to disprove it. The Dis
trict Attorney who was elected OF
his promise to do justice by me, dix
not dare to present the ev,dsMce t.
jury, fearing an exposure of thu
whole monstrous vicious frameup
He publicly states that all wit
nesses available had been thorol.
impeached and discredited. All ma
terial witnesses to my prior con
viction were available except Ok
man, and this perjurer has been di
credited and condemned by every
one without exception. The Dis
trict Attorney, over my most ear
nest protest asked for an advise
, verdict, which was given-thu
making impossible the exposure bt
fore a Jury of the whole frameup.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09

Inc Bill was taken to the
Convention by several mem
bers of the State Committee
of United Farmers League.
Ashbel Ingerson, Pat Barrett,
state organizer of the U.F.L.,
Jim Pearson, and other lead
ing U.F.L. members tried for
two days to get the floor in
order to present the Bill and
for two days received nothing
but the cold shoulder from
the Big Shots.
Finally the U.F.I~ committee
prepared a leaflet and had it dis
tributed among the delegates to
the convention. The circular also
pointed out the need for action by
the rank and file and warning
them against the tactics of the top
leadership of the FILA.
| Told to make 1t Short"
Upon this our people were then
granted the floor. but were warned
to snake it short" etc. Ash niger
son then spoke for the F.E.R.B.
and exposed the other fake bills
passed or proposed. Senator Fra
zier spoke right after Ingerson,
but failed to swing the sentiment
of the farmers away from the
F.E.R.B. Immediately after Fra
zier,s speech vote was called on
the question of endorsing the Bill
and it was passed with only one
solitary vote against it.
We can say that this was a ire
mendous step forward in pushing
the Bill. The fact that the State
Holiday Convention has endorsed
the Farmers Relief Bill proves
that the hold Of Frazier and others
is not quite as firm as it was a
short time ago. Here it proves
that there is no longer unanimity
of opinion even among the little
J bigger shots.
Ingerson called for rank and file
unity and for disregard of the poll
ticians. A good number of farm.
ers responded to this call, in fact
many of them came to him after
his speech and told him that they
agreed with him one hundred pei
cent.
Steps were taken to set UP 4;
United Front on the drought ques
ton. Under pressure of the rarl
o and file the leadership agreed t,
endorse the United Front action
but stated further that the U.F.L
u was expected to take the lead i
: this issue and in other simila
tissues.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
BANKS Use DROUTH.
TO HOLD UP MINI.
FARMERS FOR HAY
Small Farmer With 6 Cows
Is Squeezed $40 for SIS
Piece of Pasture
By a Farmer Correspondent

MINAHGA, Minn.-The drouth
burnt me up plenty, but the way
the bankers take advantage of it
burns me up still more.
l am small farmer with only
six cows. Like many in the same
fix l haven't enough hay on my
own land (beware of the "my" be-
cause the state is after me for the
taxes. the insurance company for
insurance, and the bank for mort
gages) to carry the cows through
the winter. The hay land we have
to rent is owned by insurance COM
panies, banks, loan companies, etc
l used to rent hay stumpage from
the Murray Land Office in Wadine
for SIS 10 ST for many years. Now
[ learn from the court that Murray
never did have title to the land but
simply laid claim On it and made
us pay.
Now the G. NJ. Gustafson Co.
mortgages, insurances) of Mime
apolis claims to have the title t.
the land. They come to me tellins
me how scarce hay is and offer
ing me, in their estimation, a yer!
good bargain SIS piece of ha!
stumpage for the small sum o
only $40 to be paid at the FRS
National Bank for Minahga.
Imagine that. Four times a
much. They are doing that every
where. l can't rent hay this yea
at such figures, and neither ca
the rest of us. Our corn and
grains are burnt up and even tn
gardens are willing away.
Boy on boy, won't we have
organize for this winter.
I know the Minneapolis Journ;
won't print this letter, so I'm senC
ing it to you.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
MORE THAN 3 MILL.
BUS. OF WHEAT In
MONT. ELEVATORS
Cattle Need 1t; Force Relief
Agencies to Distribute 1t

HELENA-The number of BUSH
els of Montana wheat in storage in
mills. elevators and farms amount
to 6,413,O00 bushels on July 1. or
practically 100000 bushels less
than in July last year, it was an
nounced by the state and federal
livestock and crop department here
today.
Storage supplies on July 1, 1888
amounted to 13,398,OOO bushels.
1t was estimated that this year
on July 1 there were $4,000 bu.
on the farms compared with $685.
600 blu. last year. At the present
there are 3,15O,OOO bushels of
wheat stored in Montana elevators
compared with 100000 bushels a
year ago.
With still more than 100000
bushels of wheat in Montana eIeva-
tors livestock of Montana farmers
is dying. Farmers are killing their
poultry because they have no feed
The relief agencies maintain that
there is no feed in the state. The
figures of the livestock and cror
department show that this is moi
true. Relief administrations Of
South Dakota are buying feed ir
the western part Of Montana, hay
and wheat.
What are eastern Montana ueliei
agencies going to do? What i,
going to happen TO the more thar
8 million bushels of wheat in tn,
elevators Farmers are interest
ed in the answers to these ques
lions. They need feed for their
cattle and need 1t Immediately.
4
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09

grea est film actors, has turned
Gorki's masterpiece of literature
into a masterpiece of the cinema.
Critics of London, Paris and New
York have seen it and invariably
greeted it with thunderous ap-
plause.
The circuit has been organized
Jointly by the United Farmers
League and the Workers q Farm,
ers Cooperative Unity Alliance anc
their local organizations as bene,
fit affair. Fifty percent of the net
proceeds will go into the organi
cation furd of the United Farmers
J League and fifty percent to the
Course Fund of the Workers an'
Farmers Cooperative Unity ALI
| ance.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
FOR AUG. MONTANA
GETS $1,1O4, 900 OF
FEDERAL RELIEF

WASHINGTON-The federal re-
relief grant to the state of Mon
tana will amount to 81, 100000 for
the month of August, It was an
nounced.
Over $4,000 of this amount
will be for general relief, $780,
900 for drought relief and $4,000
for transient relief. For buying
material for FERA projects $780,
600 is allotted, $4,000 for summer
relief camps, $4,000 for educa-
tional purposes and $4,000 for re-
lief amorE professional workers.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09

Mr.. Kuusisto, who accompanies
the circuit as a lecturer, is a Young
American who has risen out OF the
struggles of the workers and the
farmers in the Central States. Al
though young, he has had years OF
experience especially in educa-
nonal work. He will deliver alks
on vital, timely topics. Also promi-
hent local leaders of the workers
and farmers are allotted time dur
ing the affair to take up with the
people local problems
The motion picture which will be
Shown is all talking with English
dialogue based on the world IA
nous novel Mother" by Maxim
HOrh' without question the great
est writer Of contemporary litera-
ture. In this epic Of the screen
you will hear and see the echoes
OF the Russian Revolution directed
~ the Master Of Cinematic Art Of
the USsR, Pudovkin.
:. Mother" is powerful, drama.
VIC story Of a mothers ordeal and
sacrifice. Maxim Cork. famous
LOT his understanding Of humanity
mas never written more piercinf
s@e OF human lives caught In en-
ssress Of elemental emotions Pudo
KIN the great director. with th'
'@laOCration. Of some Of Russia
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
Farmers Complain About
IneffiCiency Of County
Emergency Relief Office
They Wait for Hours and Often Have to Come Back the
Next Day; Conditions Show That Cash
Relief Is the Only Way Out

Many complaints have been made by farmers about the
service of the county relief office People have been made
10 wait FOUR five and six hours and then sometimes they
could not get their order through and had to come back the
next day, 20 and 80 miles,
On Monday just before closing hour group from Ray
mOd who had waited for hours had the of
ing home without having anything accomplished made UP
their minds stopped waiting and went into the separate
offices in group They got their orders through and did
not have to come back the next day.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09
RAYMOND UFL LOCAI
MEETS AUG. IL

The Raymond Local OF the
United Farmers League wAh
have its next regular meeting
ON Friday, August II, at the
farm Of Otto Granthsm. Ray
mOnd. An members are urged
20 be there on time. The meef-
ing starts at 2 p. m. sharp.
Other farmers are invited TO
roma also.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-08-09

There are 1,2OO cases on the
county relief roll. K. E. Burleigh,
county relief manager, states that
It is impossible for the office force
TO handle all these cases efficient
" without having people wait.
"People are coming in within the
first few days of the month to get
their orders" he said, "and with
the small force on hand we can't
DO any better"
This condition can be remedied,
Of course, by employing more peo-
pie in the relief office. Their sal
sry, however, would have to come
out of the county relief allotment.
For this reason they have been
rather reluctant in employing any
more people, Burleigh said. Since
farmers insist on being waited on
in time, the manager explained,
efforts are being made to hire
more people to do the job.
The office is also trying to work
out a method by which it can be
arranged to have the people COM
ng into the office turnout the
month and not hae them crowd in
the first week.
ALI this trouble could be avoided
il cash relief would be paid instead
Of having details and regimenteC
orders. Cash relief is the demand
Of the organized farmers of tht
county ard even a large number O.
small businessmen are becoming
aware of the fact that this demand
Is justified and the most sensible
one.
Present Arrangement FavOrs
Chain Stores
Due to the fact that the keymel
In the communities have PRACTICAL!
been put out of commission AM
people have to come into Plenty
wood to get their orders, Plenty
wood businessmen have been re
ceiving a lot more business, es
pecially the chain stores. This, o
course. worked to the disadvant
age Of the small businessmen II
the outlying communities who re
ceived so much less of the relic
orders.
They have been complaining an
they are pretty excited about Il
But that will not help them an!
Anger and swearing and complain
ing will not get them anywhere
and unless they do something i
an organized way they will ge
less and less business and will 500
have to apply for relief them
selves.
Their solution lies in an org;
nized effort. with farmers-ar
workers together to enforce the d
man6 FOR cash relief.