Evening star., 1942-03-08
War Climaxes Rags>to>Riches
Decade for American Farmers
Agriculture Leaders Fear Return to Low Prices
and Depression Unless Crop Controls
Are Used Properly Now
BY Ovid A. Martin,
Wide World News.

American agriculture Is drawing near
the end Of an eventful decade that
opened with rags and closes with riches.
Ten years ago agriculture was on the
brink Of insolvency. Today 1t looks for
ward to Its most prosperous year since
the boom years Of World War I. Last
year was its best in two decades.
But rosy as immediate prospects may
be, some farm leaders analyze current
fight over agricultural prices and express
fear that the next decade may reduce
farmers to tatters again.
These leaders, among whom Vice Presi-
dent Wallace and Secretary of Agricul-
ture Wickard are representative, are
afraid that agriculture will take advan-
tage of the present war demand for food
and use governmental powers which
others helped it get to boost prices to
levels which would put farmers in bad
with city consumers.
The payoff in the form of rags might
come, these leaders warn, in the post
war years Of readjusting agricultural
production to q smaller market. Could
city consumers, holding a balance of
power, be blamed, it is asked, If they
should refuse to support Government
crop control, price-supporting loans and
cash subsidy programs designed to make
the farm readjustment as painless as
possible?
Today, as in 1882. agriculture is in
conflict with the city.
Blamed Industrial East.
Ten years ago the farm lands were
seething with spirit of revolt against
what many farm leaders called the in
dustrial East" From the early days Of
the Republic farmers had laid blame for
their recurring economic troubles at the
doors of capital and industry.
Farm products were selling at prices
which did not give producers sufficient
income to pay their bills and meet pay
ments on their debts. Thousands Of
farmers, through no fault of their own,
were swept into bankruptcy. Forced
from the land, many moved to the city in
vain search for work. Many eventually
joined long, weary breadlines started
long before by urban unemployed.
Little help came from Government,
however. as presidential vetoes struck
down measures passed by Congress
Finally the Hoover administration set
up farm board with authority to buy
agricultural surpluses. 1t was hoped
that such purchases would result in i'm
| proved prices.
But the farm board activities did not
| bring about sufficient improvement tc
| satisfy agriculture. With anger born ot
| Illustration, radical farm leaders, typifed
by Milo Reno of the Midwestern Farm
erS Holiday Movement, promoted food
production strikes in an effort to force
urban recognition of agricultures plight
The climax came in the bitterly fought
presidential campaign of 1882 That
campaign swept Republican Herbert
Hoover out of Office and put Democratic
Franklin D. Roosevelt in the White
House. Mr.. Roosevelt, who had promised
agricultural relief, got a landslide vote
| In traditionally Republican farm belt
States.
Wallace Appointed.
One OF Mr.. Roosevelts first acts was
to call young Iowa farm magazine
| editor to his cabinet as Secretary OF
Agriculture and put him to work on the
farm problem
Then Henry A. Wallace called con-
ference of agricultural leaders. Out of il
grew what became known as the A. A. A
agricultural Adjustment Act. Under
this act the Government took emergency
steps to reduce the price-depressing sur
pluses. 1t paid farmers cash benefits to
plow up part of cotton crop and to kill
part of their pigs and sows 1t also paid
benefits to farmers for taking wheat and
corn land out Of production. Funds to
pay these benefits were secured from
taxes imposed on professors of farm
products.
These emergency programs. coupled
with droughts in 1884 and 1885. quickly
reduced most of the surpluses. Prices
improved and farm income increased.
But in 1886 along came a historic
Supreme Court decision killing the
A. A. A. on the ground that it granted the
Federal Government unconstitutional
authority to control farm production.