Evening star., 1939-06-13
A. A. A. Farm Setup
Holds Key 10 Future
Welfare, 5aysLuc
Agriculture Seeks Only
Parity, He Says, Citing
Fund Is Guarantee

crat, OF Illinois, gave his conception
of what the future holds for the
American farmer in an address last
night in the National Radio Forum,
arranged by The Star and broad
cast on a Nation wide network of
the National Broadcasting Co. The
complete text of Senator Lucas
speech follows:
AS the guest speaker of The Star
Radio Forum I express my appre-
citation for the opportunity to dis
cuss briefly some thoughts I have
with respect to the future of the
American farmer.
I am not prophet or a son of
a prophet; yet have no hesitancy
in specializing with certain degree
of boldness on future agricultural
trends. My reason for taking this
leap in the dark is based primarily
upon the fact that I was born and
reared on farm. I am the owner
OF farm lands in Mason County, Ill.
And during my tenure of Office in
the House of Representatives and
the United States Senate I have
had the privilege and honor of
serving as member of the Com
mittee on Agriculture.
No one doubts that the farmers
problems are strongly associated
with the conservation of the soil
and the conservation of human life.
Mans ingenuity and industry are
ever striving in this modern age to
make his position in society more
secure and contented without doing
extreme violence to the position of
his neighbor. And so any conjec-
ture upon the future of this impor-
tant subject has for its genesis a
note Of optimism which is based
upon the facts of yesterday.
U. S. Based on Agrarian Economy.
This Nation, my friends, was
founded in and based upon an eco.l-
omy strictly agrarian in it's nature.
The Constitution, the bill of rights,
the system of checks and balances
which characterize our democracy
all were conceived at a time when
the only problem which confronted
agriculture was that of providing
enough farm produce to sustain a
rapidly growing population. So. for
many generations the opportunities
of farming and the rewards it ex-
tended TO hard work and honest
service fulfilled the requirements Of
enterprise which had be-
come the ideal of American life.
Farming was really not an industry:
it was a way of life-one might we'll
say that in those days it was the
way of life.
AS the pioneers pushed westward
they opened the fertile plains of
Illinois, the level prairies of Kansas
and the Dakotas. The soil and cli-
mate of Wisconsin and Minnesota
were found ideal for dairy farming.
The broad expanses of Texas and
Arkansas were found adaptable to
the production of more cotton. Live
stock roamed endless pastures of
waving grass. Cattle and sheep and
hogs were raised in ever increasing
quantities and there developed huge
livestock markets at such centers
as Chicago and Kansas City to
supply the Nations need for meat
products. The corn that flourished
on the plains of Illinois and Iowa
not only provided food for our people
and raw material for manufacture,
but great deal of it, as we'll, was
converted into feed for livestock en-
route to market.
Moreover, the rich productivity of
American farm land left enough over
to sell to our foreign neighbors, and
this produce, bettered by the native
ingenuity of American farmers, was
welcomed in lands across the sea.
Our cotton and wheat found ready
outlet in nations where either there
was insufficient farm land or where
the farm land available had been
exhausted of its fertility through
centuries of use.
The American farmer was happy
He looked forward in high hope that
each new season would bring forth
good weather and bountiful crops,
all of which in almost every year
was tantamount to financial sue
cess.
Supply Demand Law Upset.
And then one day something hap
pened to the economic law of supply
and demand. We were suddenly
confronted with good weather and
billions of acres producing I'M
marketable surpluses which drove
the price of basic commodities to
the floor level of ruin. The more
the farmer produced the less he
could sell, and the nearer he came
to entering the doors of bank
ruptcy. 1t was indeed a sad and
detected picture. What a paradox
to find in this great country we have
sufficient natural resources, when
effectively used, to feed and clothe
almost half the people of the world,
yet when we over produce the farmer
goes broke and the economy of all
groups is so disturbed that we find
millions upon millions of our own
people without the adequate pur-
chasing power to aid in the distribu-
ton of the huge surplus which gluts
our markets.
And while this condition has been
with us for nigh on to two decades,
we have as yet not found the answer
No statesman or economist to date
has devised remedy for this strange
and unnatural economic situation
So, during the interim the Congress
of the United States has been called
upon by leaders of agricultural
thought to stem this economic tide
through legislative action.
During the past 20 years Demo-
cratic and Republican members OF
the Congress have attempted to con-
troll the chronic surpluses of basic
commodities through adequate legis-
lation. However, they were re-
buffed by Republican presidential
vetoes on two different occasions
and pushed fudely aside in 1896
when the Supreme Court invan-
dated the Agricultural Adjustment
Act. While I respected the opinion
of the court, I meyer agreed that 1t
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