Evening star., 1938-10-25
WALLACE ASKS AID
Of CITY JEWELLERS
Tells How Abundance Can
Be Made to Work for
American People.

American People.
Secretary Of Agriculture Henry A.
wallace spoke on Making Abundance
Work for the American People" last
night over the National Radio Forum,
arranged by The Star and broadcast
over q Nationwide network of the
National Broadcasting Co. The text
Of his address follows:
Tonight I want to talk with the
city folks about our agricultural abun-
dance. I want to tell them what
farmers are doing and hope to do to
translate that abundance into bet
ter living for all our people. And
when I say "all our people," that is
exactly what mean. I refer to
farmers and city people alike.
Each Of us remembers the time, six
years ago and seven years ago, when
bountiful production on the farms
Brought, not better living, but suffer-
ing and despair. That suffering and
that despair were felt both on the
farms and in the cities. Why was
that? In China, as we all are aware,
famines result from the actual failure
OF crops. In the United States we
have never known that kind of wide
spread famine. But at the depth Of
the depression in 1882 millions of our
people did know hardship and want
because our farmers and our city
workers were unable to exchange the
products of their labor with each other
fully and freely.
The calamitous breakdown Of 1882
showed that blind economic forces,
operating by themselves, no longer
brought farmers and workers and
their families the decent living their
hard work had rightfully earned. That
Is why the American people called
upon their Government to do what
those blind forces, operating by them
selves, could not do. That is why the
American people called upon their
Government to help make that abun-
dance blessing, and not a curse.
Cried Out for Help.
Such an appeal was not new thing
for farmers. For II long years-from
1921 to 1933-they had cried out for
help. At first the city residents had
been prosperous. and had paid little
attention to the troubles of their
neighbors in the country. But at last
the farm depression that by the end
Of 1929 had closed nearly 5000 country
banks crept upon the cities too
Why is it that ever since the close
IF the World War agriculture has
been in difficulties? Why is 1t agri-
chronic disease of surplus? For city
folks who wonder about that, I will
give the answer in a few sentences:
First, there was the wartime ex-
pansion Of cultivated crops when farm
ers patriotically plowed up 40,000000
extra acres of land to help win the
war.
Second, there was the abrupt change
OF the United States after the war
from a debtor to a creditor nation,
making it more difficult for foreign
nations to buy our surplus farm crops
Third, there was the displacement
Of the horse by the automobile, truck
and tractor and the releasing Of 35,-
600. 900 acres that had formely been
used for the production of feed.
Fourth, there was the movement of
European nations to produce all their
own food so as not to be starved out
IN another war
Fifth, there was the new farm COM
petition in other exporting countries
such as Argentina and Australia.
Sixth, there was the increase in in
dustrial tariffs in the United States,
which caused other countries to re-
taliate by shutting out our farm prod
ucts.
Seventh. there was the growth of
monopoly and price fixing by corpora
tions, so that farmers, when they went
to the store to buy, had to pay what
was asked, but when they sold their
own produce they had to take what
was offered.
Lacked Buying Power.
As far back as 1921 farmers suf-
fered from all these seven handicaps.
Then, as their own depression spread
to the cities. they suffered from still
another handicap. That was the lack
Of buying power in the cities In 80
and 81 and '32 more and more fac
tory workers lost their jobs, demand
tor farm products fell lower and
lower, and the surplus problem grew
more and more acute. The Nation
saw the ironic spectacle of great sur
pluses on the farms and long bread
lines in the towns.
From the brief review I have given
you can see that the farm surplus
problem has been with us quite while
But for IS years its full severity was
hidden from the American people,
and even from many farmers. For
nine years following after 1921 the
surplus problem was mitigated by our
excessive foreign and domestic loans,
many Of which turned out to be dona-
tions. These loans temporarily gave
both foreign and domestic consumers
the purchasing power to buy large
quantities OF our farm products. What
farm prosperity we had in the '20s
was borrowed from the '30s by the
process Of making excessive loans of
American capital to people inside the
United States and to people overseas
By 1880 the loans had largely ceased
and both our export and domestic
markets began to dry up. At that
time the Federal Farm Board stepped
IN to buy the surplus farm products.
Our whole economic system broke
down and the farmers turned to the
New Deal for rescue. The Triple A
Immediately made an attack on the
surplus problem by crop adjustment.
Then, suddenly and Unexpectedly, the
country had series Of short crop
years. beginning in 1888 and extend
ing through 1896.
All these things have mentioned
erst. excessive foreign and domestic
laans nd fhen tho cfin,,s nf tia n. ....