The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-08-07

The PEOPLES VOICE
envelopes solicit Farm membership They
operated in checking off Farm Bureau dues from
payments
One county agents. writing the in Alabama
county to inform them the checks had arrived oo
them
"There only way continue to receive pay
ments is through membership in organization which is
strong enough congress want
Farm Bureau Federation the largest farm organization in
the world and only through this organization you been
able to receive these payments
"For each dollar you invest in Farm Bureau Dues" he
added you will receive S125 of this in payments
In the south the membership padded with many
tenants whose dues paid by their landlords deducted
from their settlements but who take part the organza
ton The Southern Tenant Farmers Union has many
afdas from such negroes that their dues paid out OF
their settlement money regardless of their wishes
Jim Grow Again
But course negroes participate in
meetings in the south These Farm Bureaus by the
big planters for their selfish ends They have become
strong political machines Candidates for public office must
be indorsed by the Farm Bureau % stand chance
Edward ONeal president of the AFBF is the spokes-
for this cotton bloc He operates big cotton farm at
Florence Ala He thinks and talks like typical southern
planter.
But ONeal is really only the for the second
powerful the AFBFEar Smith, president of the
Illinois Agricultural Assn the biggest and most powerful farm
organization in the country.
Smith represents the corn-hog bloc in the AFBF He
1O00acre corn-hog farm in Pike County, Ill., and is
president of three big companies run by the Illinois association
deal and labor.
Smith could take oNeals job any time he wanted to-
and the dominant policy The Illinois Agrlcul
tra Assn has $4,000 members who dues of SIS
chiefly checkof from the patronage checks their bust
ness with the associations co-operaves.
Naturally with such dues, it represents only the big
landed farmers like Smith himself It long has been
Illinois politics. which for the lastdch fight Rep
Everett Dirksen G m made in the house against FSA and
for parity prices for grain.
Must Keep Advancing
With these factions, the chief problem Of
the AFBF its national policies to keep the big cotton and
corn-hog farmers happy.
With farm prices around parity, has to trump up
of its issues The recent battle prevent the
from selling grain below parity in point
Parity really involved in the fight because the
ment guarantees parity to the farmer anyway But made
good issue
The fight against FsA real Not only is Smith,
the conservative naturally inclined against this kind of social
program but the big farmers of the AFBF would rather have
the little farmers working for them than independent with the
FSA's help
Even deeper than that the issue of control and
The AFBF controls the county agents. But it doesn't control
The FSA representatives who deal with the small farmers and
who friendly with the rival farm organization the
National Farmers Union.
Representing the bigger farmers who business
employing labor themselves the AFBF naturally is hostile to
abor 1t joined in the camor last spring against labor and
n 1888 ronted for the Associated Farmers OF California IN
he wagehour battle It's platforms similar in many
pec to those of the National Manufacturers Assn and the u
). Chamber of Commerce
And the national organization with its powerful propa
anda machine presumably speaking for the farmers in
ng vehicle for big business senate investigation few
disclosed that had sold out to business interests
Posing spokesman for the farmer appealed for veto
the Muscle Shoals BILL designed to provide cheap fertilizer
farmers Senate Investigators found that the fertilizer
companies opposing Muscle Shoals paid for the AFBF prop
Uganda.
There been other episodes of the kind in AFB
history But the organization continues to dictate
lot only spokesman for farmers but small farmers It'll
couldn't get with except for the fact that when farm
from city districts like New York
decide is something they have interest in and leave the
decision to the farm who follow the AFBF