Evening star., 1936-01-21
DICKINSON URGES
NEW FARM POLICY


Program in Radio
Forum Talk.
CONTINUED From Thirteenth Page.)
ministration's search for some pre-
text through which the continuance
Of subsidies to the farmers could be
justified until after the November
elections. To this political considera-
ton, the suggestions made by Mr..
George Peek. and others who had the
interests Of the farmer genuinely at
heart, were ruthlessly subordinated.
It Is now indicated that Congress will
be asked to appropriation the con-
tinuation Of such subsidies-whateve
their new disguise-some $500, 0,000,0 900.
or an amount even greater than the
benefit payments made last year by
the Triple A. AS in the case Of the
N. r. A., where the code administra-
tive machinery was continued IN
operation for nearly six months after
the Blue Eagles death, 50 the ad-
ministration again indicated that it
will refuse stubbornly to accept the
courts decision. The reason for this
is very simple one. To be reelected.
it Is necessary that Mr.. Roosevelt
carry the farm States. And. to carry
the farm States. some method must
be found by which to continue on
the Federal pay roll those $4,000 field
agents who. under the Supreme
Courts edict. have now lost their jobs.
Salesmen Of New Deal.
Remember that in every township
of every agricultural county there
are five such agents. They are the
statesmen of the New Deal. They are
no longer merely members Of the De-
partment Of Agriculturals extension
service, aiding and counseling the
farmer in the more efficient use Of his
land. Their principal function now is
political contact-distributing Roose-
welt speeches which breathe such en-
dearing devotion to the farmer, the
handing out of Farley TRADES which
attack those who criticize the New
Deals more abundant life," or those
Wallace sermons. preaching national
agricultural self-sufficiency. or the
Tugwell tracts, urging worker
farmer" alliance to work for the trans
formation Of America into COLLECTIVE
ist society.
Again President Roosevelt, in an
nouncing his belated adherence to
program of national soil conservation.
opposes the export Of what he calls
plant foods" that is, farm crops, to
other lands. He thus passes over the
fact that, under the New Deal. there
has practically ceased to be any such
export trade. He evades the equally
important fact that, by slaughtering
pigs and brood sows, plowing under
corn and cotton and burning Of hay
and forage. to restrict production, we
did not raise enough last year even to
feed our own population Thus, in
the first 10 months of 1885, while the
Government was paying bonus to
farmers not to grow wheat. actually
We imported nearly nineteen million
bushels-an increase OF such imports
by $1,000 per cent over the year in
which Mr. Roosevelt took Office. Like
wise. our imports of beef and veal for
the first seven months Of 1885 In
creased by $500 per cent, while we
imported lard-with which America
had formerly supplied the world-to
the tune of 1900 per cent. Butter
rose by the same percentage: corn by
8.400 per cent; oats, 1900 per cent
Truly, the Roosevelt policies are doing
we'll for the farmers-for the farmers
of other countries.
What Mr.. Roosevelt does not tell
the farmers is that this policy OF
lessened production and increased i'm
ports has resulted in forcing into idle
ness the equivalent in crop production
of no less than 15500,000 acres! The
outcome is the same as II that same
number of acres Of American land had
been placed directly under a foreign
flag! Are those who are responsible
for such gigantic blunders not to be
permitted to write another agricul-
tural control bill and to impose fur
ther burden upon the consumer and
the farmer alike?
Mr.. Roosevelt now objects to farm
exports on the ground that it ex-
hausts the soil fertility Of our fields.
Yet 1t should be pointed out that with
regard to cotton, for example-which
Is one Of our leading exports-not one
pound Of plant food is ever exported.
There isn't even an ounce Of plant
food to whole bale of cotton lint,
1t consists Of carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen, all elements of the air, none
from the soil. But of course such
facts are ignored when the President
Is confronted with the necessity for
building up a case or an excuse for
further subsidy.
Likewise, at Warm Springs, Ca,
last November, Mr.. Roosevelt made
an equally important admission. He
stated that on his own Georgia PLAN
tatioh of $500 acres he was not grow
ing cotton. but only cattle and corn.
OF course the AAA provided no regu-
lation covering corn or cattle in
Georgia, but with what alarm must
the corn-belt farmer have received
that statement. While he was forced
to submit to strict regulation, de-
signed to cut down production Of both
rorn and hocs tho Geor0ia forrnar