The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-12-07
The Strange Story Of the National Farmers Union Convention Sioux Falls

with initiation the profit makers
will find it difficult to maintain
their controlling position at the ex-
pense of all the rest of the people.
Supposing more currency is issued
in accordance with the Thomas
bill, which legislative resolution
No. A endorsed, as "full legal ten
der Notwithstanding currency,
to pay the debts of the nation in
stead of issuing more interest
bearing bonds" Is there anything
to stop this currency from paying
the usual tribute of high profit to
the same financial buccaneers? 2"
So long as we are forced to trade
with pirates we can not benefit
ourselves by issuing more money.
Supposing the Frazier-Lemke
Refinancing bill passes this next
congress. Will it mean the saving
of farm homes? Those who can
pay three per cent on their in
debtedness will be encouraged to
keep up payments a little longer.
But the bankers will be helped
even more. The bankers and in
surance companies will see their
farm mortgage assets which are
going bad on their hands refin-
anced and guaranteed by Uncle
Sam. 1t is safe to predict that
the Frazier-Lemke bill will only
pass when the bankers have de-
cided that the farmers can pay no
more and they better collect the
rest from the government.
The fight for initiation goes back
to the Greenbackers after the Civil
War, and the free silver campaign
of William Jennings Bryan. The
world has rushed madly ahead
since then and now it can clearly
be seen, as the junior report states,
that the strong arm of the farm
ers and all the working class must
unite to stop the desperate inter
national gamblers from plunging
us into another war for profits or
setting up a fascist dictator. Cur
renee tinkering is too mild a medi-
cine to handle fierce problems
which lie just ahead. The great
mountain of the Farmers Union
recognizes the dangers which are
closing in, but acts like the old
story if the mountain which labor
ed and brought forth a mouse
Unless the Farmers Union devel-
ops a program which strikes at the
fundamentals of the situation, il
will surely lose the battle against
, the oppressors.
; "COst of Production
The Farmers Union has rallied
around a splendid slogan, "Cost Of
Production. Cost of production
demands that farmers shall get
good return on the wealth tina
they produce. This slogan stand
sharply against the bankers pol
icy Of reducing the farmers bacl
to a Give at home" policy, to
subsistence level" This slogan
= calls for a fight against peasantry
- 1t should be faced that cost o
= production involves a fight betweel
;, big business interests and the far
mers. Cost of production to far
- mers can only come about at tn
: expense of the profit makers. Cor
= sumers can not be charged highe
y prices or they will buy even les
= than now and more farmers wi
= get nothing for their production
- Cost of production challenges tn
= capitalist system for profit. 1t
" a slogan worth fighting for.
But as owners become tenants, Z
y farmers see the equity in the
y farms passing out of their HAND
= to the bankers, they are brougl
&c smack up against a terrible ar
y immediate need: relief.
We know that from now on ia
mers will be in desperate need {
lie relief until they get cost of pr
e. duction. We see that cost of pr
IN duction can be won only after
ne bitter fight with the most stron,
en- ly organized interests in the coul
d. try, interests which control Il
Id press, radio, schools, congress al
m the legislature. Therefore Il
to fight for relief becomes a Wit
ey part Of the struggle for cost
re production. This winter there mu
nd be adequate relief or humans al
'lr animals will die. Here is a bur
n ing issue of the moment. How d
ISL the convention handle it?
ot A county meeting of the Sou
al Dakota Farmers Union (Brr
on county, met some time before t
er convention and after consideril
ut the relief situation, directed one
no its members to present a rel
er-