Evening star., 1936-06-24


slaughter of the fat hogs Of privilege
and plunder which they have fed on
the peoples substance"
an the hymns of hate which
emanated from the recent outburSts
this act, which was voluntary and not
compulsory. the prices Of farm prod
uctS were increased, sometimes dou-
bled and trebled, and more than $3,-
900 900, 900 were added to the annual
income OF agriculture. 1t was because
of this increase in farm income, and
the opening of the facilities Of fiscal
credit to the farmer that he has been
able to save more than three-quarters
Of a million homes, begin the pay
ment of his debts, the repair Of his
houses and the purchase Of things
produced by others.
| 1t was because of this that IN every
referendum held among farmers on
the continuation Of the Presidents S
program it has been approved by q
vote of from to l to 20 to /.
1t was because of this that when
| the Supreme Court intervened to
nullify this act, and Republican
Spokesmen were gleefully exulting
over it. the voice of American agri-
culture appealed for the enactment Of
the soil conservation act under which
they are working out another program
for the enhancement of the rewards
OF farm life.
In the light of past Republican full
limitations in behalf Of controlled ag-
ricultural production, their present
devotion to uncontrolled abundance
seems cheap and hollow.
The business man and the manufac-
turer control their production to meet
their market. When they shut down
| because of slack in demand, they
pillow under" their machines for the
| time and discharge their wage earners.
| When business is ready TO produce
for abundance and not for profit. it
will then be logical to ask the farmer
to do likewise. But not until then.
Mourned Pigs as il
They Were Human.
They have wept over the slaughter
Of a few little pigs as if they had been
| tender human infants nesting at their
mothers breasts. They have shed
these tears over the premature death
of pigs as If they had been born. edu-
Gated and destined for the ministry or
for politics.
But their bitterest tears are not shed
over the fate of little pigs. Their real
grief comes from the slaughter Of the
fat hogs of privilege and plunder
which they have fed on the people
substance.
They are not weeping because We
plowed under a few rows Of cotton.
Mr.. Hoover started that. Their real
sorrow springs from the fact that We
have plowed under the sordid concep-
tions of old deal government and its
chance ever to be restored to the con-
troll Of American life.
Having declared for 20 years that
the agricultural problem was national
and four years ago having declared
for controlled acreage and production,
the Republican leaders and reaction
aries now denounce the Roosevelt
administration for the doctrine Of
scarcity.
| Having allowed nearly q million
family-type farms to become subject
to immediate loss, they now avow their
love for it; and they declare that
benefit payments, such as we have for
three years been making, are consist
ent with balanced budget.
In 1882 they were for controlled"
production. We enacted 1t into law
Now they are for economical" pro-
duction. by which suppose they mean
Cheap production. These are weasel
words Of the first magnitude.
The Roosevelt administration has
inaugurated soil conservation under
an intelligent program. The Repub-
lican platform tardily follows in the
rear.
Denouncing experimentation by the
Roosevelt administration, the Repub-
lican platform for political purposes
proposes to extend "experimentar' aid
to farmers in developing new crops.
In one breath they propose to assist
in selling agricultural surpluses abroad
by. the bargaining process, and in the
next they would embargo all agricul-
tural imports, which would render idle
| 1000, 900 acres of land in cultivation
for export crops; and in still another
breath they propose to repeal the law
authorizing trade agreements.
Failure 'Four Long Years"
Hindered Consumption.
With that omnipotence which they
claim but never exercise, they propose
to increase consumption. But 1t was
their dismal failure for -four long
years" that rendered consumption by
third Of our population impossible
except for the bounty of the Govern
ment.
They reject now controlled produc-
ton, but offer the marriage Of
bounty from the Treasury which
would ultimately render impossible
the balancing Of all budgets and the
payment of all debts. The whole
scheme Is put forth to deceive the
American farmer, which is the only
| consistent policy of the platform
writer's of the Cleveland convention.
After the years of bitter disappoint-
ment and disillusionment suffered by
the farmers of this Nation rs re-
suit Of Republican incapacity and
duplicity. IT Is inconceivable that they
viii again be taken In BY those who