Evening star., 1934-06-03
BY OWEN L. SCOTT.


trouble That trouble, officials are
ready to admit is serious. 1t grows
apparently out Of a clash between the
deep-seated individualism Of the
American farmer and the American
business man, and the attempt at
some cooperative planning under the
A. A. A. and the N r. A. The recov-
cry program, In other words, has run
head on into human nature. and right
now appears to be getting somewhat
the worst Of it.
The calculations of the brain trust
have been based on the idea that
nation of rugged individualists can,
under the stress of an emergency, be
turned overnight into a nation of CO.
operators. Those calculations worked
during the first year. when the out
look was dark and when the country.
seemed on the verge of collapse. Gen.
Johnson then could talk about crack
ing down" and could order business
men around and expect obedience.
Henry Wallace could sell the farmers,
who are lifelong lone wolves Of the
competitive situation, on the idea that
the way to better times lay in CO.
operative endeavor and restricted pro-
duction.
But now, both in industry and in
agriculture, Americans again have had
taste of profits, after four lean years.
They think that they can see green
lights ahead on the road back to
prosperity. The result is that the
old urge of every man for himself and
the devil take the hindmost is assert
ing itself, much to the chagrin Of the
brain trusters.
So aggravated has this situation
become that the Agricultural Adjust
ment Administration this week warned
the farmers of the South. Down
there the cotton farmers are kicking
over the traces and threatening to
disrupt the carefully laid plans of the
Federal Government for control Of
output.
Those Southern farmers have been
the real chosen people of the present
new deal for agriculture. They have
received the lions share of the bounty
money distributed out of processing
tax receipts. They were given
chance to buy old Farm Board cot
ton at a cheap price and sell it at
much higher price. The new 5906-
cent dollar has proved chiefly Of bene-
fit to them. Not only that, but the
Government went in and made price
fixing loans to help out at a time
when the market wasn't acting right
To top it off, the Federal Govern
ment has ordered that the sale from
the 1884 crop must be limited to TO-
000, 900 bales. This means that the
Government is obliged to police the
sale of cotton.
But are the planters of the South
happy with all of this attention?
Hardly. They are, if the A. A. A. can
be believed, ignoring their agreements
to limit production. They are going
out and planting millions of acres
more than the cotton program called
for. They are in many instances ex-
pressing irritation with the inspec-
tions and the checks that the Gov
ernment must make to carry out its
part of the bargain.
The result is that a spokesman for
the A. A. A. says:
"The cotton producing South is
now facing the gravest crisis Of the
depression"
What is the reason for this stu
alton? There may be several reasons
But the first Is that 11-cent cotton,
the present price, is profitable crop.
Farmers have been told that, with the
Government ready to limit marketing,
cotton should sell at is cents pound.
That apparently is too much of
temptation. Contract or no contract,
cooperation or no cooperation, the
farmers want to have plenty of cot
ton If the price is going to be that
high. But the Government says that
they cannot sell above their allotment.
The farmers seem to be saying: Try
to stop us. Secretary Wallace had
feared just that when he expressed
opposition to the idea of a forced
limit on marketing. He thought it
might require the United States Army
to stop bootlegging.
So now the Government is saying to
the farmers of the South:
The progress so far made in i'm
proving the position of Southern farm
ing has been the result of co-opera-
ton. Greed and selfishness are show
ing themselves again. If one group of
farmers is to be greedy, others will
have to be to protect themselves. That
is all right if you want it, but cotton
planters should remember that there
still is more cotton than can be sold
readily; this means that there will be
adjustment one way or the other.
Either it will come through low prices
and ruthless competition or through
plan based on cooperation and on
the help of the Government"
Officials report signs of the same
sort of dissatisfaction and chiseling in