The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-10-04
LET'S FACE THE FACTS

Mr.. Roosevelt, you were elected president
of the United States nearly three years ago
by an overwhelming majority of the votes
of this country. We plain people, making
up ninety-five per cent of the population,
wanted change for the better. We were
sick and tired and respondent at the need
less conditions of insecurity, starvation, pri-
walton, want, endless crime and untold suf-
fering that Haunted itself is every corner
of our broad, rich and resOurceful land.
You were presented with a tOpzheavy
Democratic congress, the partisan support
of about eighty per cent of the states, an
almost autOcratic power and a measure of
public confidence and cooperation never be-
fore enjoyed by chief executive. You had
a clear mandate to do the job and every tool
that could be presented to do it with.
Everybody knew what had to be done.
You knew it. Most of the wealth, that is,
the resources, conversion plants, transport
alton and communication facilities, mechan-
ical power, and practically all of the bank
ing and credit agencies of the country, were
locked in the ownership and control of a
handful of RObber BarOns commonly known
as Wall Street Associated: Morgan, Mellon,
Rockefeller, Dupont, Ford and a few hun
dred other industrial pirates owned and ran
America. The great mass of people who Gre
ated all this wealth owned nothing. The
few were surfeited with wealth and power,
the many had nothing and no way left by
which to get anything.
In some way Americas ample and eff
cient productive plant had to be taken out
of the control of a greedy crew that would
use it only to squeeze out a few more dol
lars of profit for themselves, and put to
work supplying the gaunt and threadbare
masses OF other equally, or more deserving,
humans with the necessities and comforts
of life. In short, some of the wealth of
the country had to be taken away from
the rich and put to use for the benefit of
the poor.
You said as much, directly, when you ac-
cepted the Democratic nomination at Chi
cagO. Turnout whirlwind campaign you
time and time again conveyed the same idea
by doZen different methods. If the whole
job couldn't well be done at once, it could
at least be started. With your full know
ledge and consent, millions of dollars were
spent in getting these kinds of promises to
the voting public.
Before and after election there were the
pleasing but glib phrases about "the for
gotten man." "a more abundant life,"
"chaSe the money changers out of the tenn
pie" return of prosperity" and other pal
atable mOrselS. The whole world looked to
siah come to save civilization. Now, MIR.
Roosevelt, your record is twO-thirds run,
and what is the score?
You ballyhOOed the country to the effect
that MIR. Hoover had left $4,000, 900 unem-
pIOyed. Your friends now admit that there
are still 100000 jOblesS, while your en-
emies say the total is 100000. You have
quit saying.
You are now washing your hands of the
entire relief problem. Eighteen months ago
your MIR. Hopkins boosted that the Federal
Government was caring for 100000 peO-
pie. There has been insufficient industrial
revival to take any substantial percentage
OF these people off relief rolls. Certainly
there are still 100000, probably a very
much higher number who must have helm
from some source. Your help is a four bill
lion dollar work fund, still being translated
into help only by promises of projects to
come. Your politicians will get from ten to
tWenty-ti per cent of expenditures by way
of overhead, administrative salaries. etc
Another twenty-five to thirty per cent will
60 into materials. At the best not more
than $3,OO0,OOO,OO0 will remain to apply to
100000 peOple-abOut $3.50 each, to car
ry them for year, eighteen months or two
yearS-nObOdy knows.
The farm problem has been solved by
VI CNCA luCluOlnQ Tnf
Spud. We are run by hOrdes of supervisors
agents, collectors and experts that clutter
up the landscape. Little pigs were slaugh
tered, cotton plOwed under and wheat pro
ductiOn curtailed to the point where work
ers can no longer buy meat, and million.
Oh unfOrtunates must eat yellow bread-Ol
none at all. The available wheat SUNNY
VIII not feed the nation. Total farm in
come did raise about fifteen or twenty pc
cent-while dollar devaluatiOn and Othel
quack remedies drove purchasing power
down by still greater percentage so tina
total farm income will buy less now thar
it did under Hoover.
Labor has Jared no better. Wages wen
up some. Living costs went up more
Workers who are not protected by union
have longer hours and the speed IN" i
common policy.
To the accompanying blare of pOlitica
trumpets we have had economy (?) an
borrowed billions spent for prosperity (7l