The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-07-31
{ CCo.optigg'aIs:f
!, F.U.C.T.A..,
His Legless Heroes.
Those Farmers Friends.
Is Agriculture Hurt?
Prices Stay Put.
Safe From Initiation.

Livestock producers of the north
west and wheat producers, sorely
pressed for storage room for the big
crop that is now coming up, are likely
to pause a moment from their labor
to ask each other: What's the matter
with that man, Trovatten?" That is
if they have had time to read the
papers and discover that Minnesota
commissioner of agriculture has writ
ten a fulsome tribute to chose illus
trious congressman" from this neck
of the woods who voted against sell
ing 125 million bushels of wheat for
use in feeding livestock and poultry
and increasing the supply of meat,
milk and eggs, so urgently demanded
by the war needs Of the Allied Ma
tions He is enthusiastic for the three
congressman from innesota-August
Andersen, H. Carl Andersen and Jos.
p. OHara and Karl E. Mundt of
South Dakota, who like "Widdring
ton" inthe battle of Chevy Chase:
was in the doleful dumps for when
his legs, they were cut off, he fought
upon the stumps." These four friends
of Trovatten are his legless heroes.
But in placing the laurel on the
brows of these four, Trovatten re-
fleets severely on the five Minnesota
congressman Buckler, (F.L.) and
Pittenger, Knutson, Gale and Young
dahl-for, if the three he selects are
friends of the farmer" then those
who voted for the sale of wheat for
feed are enemies of the farmer. He
also thus classifies the two North Da-
kota congressman, Burdick and Rob-
ertson, both Nonpartisan Leaguers:
Miss Jeanette Rankin, republican, of
Montana, and Francis Case, republi-
can, of South Dakota Trovatten is
so lost in wonder, love and praise"
of the Minnesota trio, that he forgets
all about the real progressive con-
gressmen from the northwest who de-
clined to be led around by the nose
at the order of Earl Smith and his
Charley Mccarthy Ed O'Neal.
Trovatten's political position may
be proper but the arguments with
which he seeks to support his adula-
ton of the legless three are pitiful.
He declares, for instance, that the
sale of 1875 million blu. of wheat at
sec bushel'"is already showing its
disastrous effect on many other |
branches of agriculture as well as on
rrrha nd
or eighteen cheese factories have been |
closed in the state in the last three
weeks. Large stocks of eggs, meat, |
poultry and dairy products are al
ready apparently Cutting the market"
How does he get that way? Does he
never read the market pages any
more?
He knows but doesn't say = that
the first purpose was to get the stor-
age space for the new crop that is !
on the way. He knows-but will not |
tell-that the second purpose of the
sale of 1875 million bu. of wheat was |
to get needed feed for raising live
stock, poultry and dairy products. He
knows = but omits to mention - that
the wheat to be sold is now the prop |
erty of the Commodity Credit Corpor-
alton. 1t is out of the producers
hands and it's sale at 83c has no more
effect on the price and loan value of
the 1912 crop than so much water
over the dam.
Prices, says he, are shot, agricul-
ture is ruined He puts up wall
over reported closing down of II or
Is cheese factories when it may well
be that the COWS are not giving as
much milk now as they did in a sea-
son more favorable to milk produc-
ton. Wheat dropped one cent when
the bill was passed and Immediately
recovered. Cash wheat is bringing
$1.10 at Minneapolis year ago it
was bringing $101. If that be ruin
give us more it of! Corn, a year ago
in Chicago, was 75c Now it is soc.
The price of butterfat is up and will
stay there The commissioner says
there's a surplus of eggs, meat and
poultry that is "glutting the market"
nobody told him about
those meat markets that are without
meat to sell to their customers, or
that eggs bring the farmer about soc ,
in ST. Paul, or that cattle and hog
prices stick up around IA to Is cents
in So. st. Paul If the markets are [
glutted - why do prices stay put? {