The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-10-22

taken their educational facilities ant
programs seriously enough. We have
taken the American principle of free
education as a matter of course but
we now see evidence on every turn
that in the name of patriotism an6
going most dangerous change. Edu-
cational facilities have been turned
to defense and to preparing for an
about effort of war, with too little
attention being given to the educa
tional needs of the long future. Sew
eral governors have said recently that
we must economize-must reduce all
kinds of expenditures including school
costs during this period so that we
can put more money into the defense
effort. What they mean is more mon
ey for defense with less taxes on the
wealthy. An editorial in a rather
large newspaper in the state in Ne
braska, where rural school teachers
get such low pay that they have been
quitting by hundreds and where rural
schools did not open on time in many
places for lack of teachers, called
upon the CCC and the NYA to devote
their efforts to preparing their en-
rollees for war. 1t stated frankly that
| federal facilities for education, such
as the NYA was providing, was a very
in many instances the NYA could, and
in some instances had, provided edu-
cational opportunities which were
| heretofore wholly lacking for the en-
rollees because of an inadequate rural
system of education. Farm Security,
your co-operatives, National Youth
Administration, your schools, Triple-A,
taxes, defense-these may seem I'M
related, but they are detectives of our
fifth column group which supports
scarcity and opposes an economy of
abundance, and this group has made
gains.
We in the United States are now in
the process of making a decision
which we probably should have made
a long time ago, as to whether or
not we are a great world power and
whether or not we recognize the effect
of world conditions upon our domes-
tic economy. So far, the policies have
been definitely in the direction of in
ternationalism, but we haven't deter
mined our course. The matter of
hemisphere solidarity is one which
has many implications. 1t can either
mean that our farmers shall be asked
to assume and pay the bill for hem
ispheric solidarity by reducing their
production and thus give part of their
market to South America, or it can
mean joint program between the
Americas which might have the effect
Of helping South America raise the
standard of living of it's own people
and to use its production powers to
make for a better life for the peoples
in those countries. Here again the
philosophy of abundance through full
production and free exchange of goods
and services must fight it out against
the philosophy of scarcity and low
living standards which have made the
poems and multimillionaires of South
America.
So far as farmers are concerned,
the most important single determine
ton we are now in the process of
making is whether or not farmers
shall organize voluntarily for indie
pendent action and for constructive
criticism of the programs of govern
ment, or whether they will be organ
lied by edict and pressure into a
common front. If we organize our
selves we will be a powerful influence
upon America for a future of security
and abundance. If we are organized |
by edict we shall be but cogs in a |
gigantic machine controlled by others, |
producing in abundance but buying
and living in scarcity.
The Farmers Union believes that |
farmers must organize now-voluntar-
lily, rapidly. But we further believe |
that when farm organization ceases
to fight for the rights of the under |
privileged when it becomes more |
with mechanics than with |
it becomes an insti- |
tuition and not crusade-that it can |
even become a device for organization
by edict.
The Farm Bureau proposal for adj
all agricultural credit and |
Triple-A through 5-man board is a |
plan for mechanism in which they
L
Bureau will be synonymous Such a
mechanism under such controls, in a
field of farm necessity provides or
yanization by edict in the guise of self
organization.