The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-02-06
Voicing Jobs Wish.
Letter Gives Clue.
Calls EN- Cuckoos.
Why So Bitter?
Forced to Reform.

Farmers, struggling to keep Jne1T
farms and homes under adverse eco
nomic conditions, and other farmers
who have seen their farms and homes
foreclosed upon, often wonder why
they must be so afflicted and what
is behind it all. They would doubt
| less like to have some one tell them
why the group that feeds and clothes
the nation is so initiated against, as
though they were offenders against
some unknown law or power. These
could echo the cry of that other farm
err, who lost his farm, his livestock
and his family and sat by the road
side, scraping his boils with broken
bit of pottery. That was Job, who
in his failure to understand why he
should be stricken cried out: 20 that
mine adversary had written book"
He felt that, perhaps, if he got the
inside view of his enemy's attitude
it would be of more good to him than
the counsel of his friends.
Well, the farmer today cannot hope
to get a clue from a book. The ad-
versary is too cute to print the real
low-down Of his opinion Of the farmer.
Sometimes letter gives clue. Take
that market letter issued by Atwood
Larson grain commission house OF
Minneapolis, on December 9, when
the farmer stockholders Of the Farm
ers Union Grain Terminal Association
were in annual meeting in st. Paul.
1t lets in considerable light on a dark
subject. The farmers, that letter
says, who came to visit the Chamber
of Commerce, Minneapolis, are just
bunch of cuckoosi The private grain
trade owns the nest and the farmers
are just parasites who come there to
lay their eggs! You think that's too
strong - they couldn't possibly have
put that in black and white? O, no?
Read the letter and decide for your
self the amiable attitude of these pri-
vate enterprises who make their prof
its and their money from the very
farmers they secretly despise.
Here's the very note-this is what
they wrote:
"There were a lot of the Farmers
Union boys down on Change today,
but we presume after all they have
heard that they judiciously left their
wallets in care of the hotel clerks.
Think everybody will grant that the
Chamber of Commerce is at least
great hatchery. Ever since the writer
can remember there have always been
factions that were sort of anti-Cham-
ber-even our own Minnesota legis-
ature in the old days.
Like the Cuckoo, however, those
in grain come to the Cham
Der of Commerce to lay their eggs,
md we want it known they are roy
lilly welcome The Chamber of Com
nerce has built extra nests for
cuckoo eggs for years, even before
he Farm Board days and its subsid-
aries and off-shoots. The G. G. G. is
)ne of our best layers at present.
rhe Chamber of Commerce is ready
o sacrifice and cooperate with the
government during this crisis, but
When it's over the best interests of
he producer will be served through
he handling of his grain by private
and business competition"
If that does not reveal the venom
nd malice that dwells in the heart
f the Atwood-Larson type of private
Enterprise against the farmer, and
articularly the organized farmer, it
ill at least help the grain producer
D understand the secret hate that
urns against him and part of the
eason why the farmer has to struggle
} keep even and hang onto his farm.
Why should Atwood-Larson be SO bit
pr? 1t is plain enough. When the
armers market their grain through
leir own marketing organization the
rivate enterprise gets less business.
ow, that private enterprise Is under
le mistaken impression that it is the
hole show. The farmer, in it's lofty
ewpoint, is merely the fifth wheel
the wagon and any time he dares
invade the monopoly granted to
'ivate enterprise by an old Mime
TIA legislature, that farmer instantly
,comes a cuckoo invading the prem
es of the owner!
That is only part of the reason.
he Farmers Union, under the leader
lip of M. w. Thatcher, forced pri-
tie enterprise to pay the farmer the
otein premium that private enter
Use previously pocketed 1t forced
e enactment of a law making 1t a
lony to sell stored grain and charge
e owner interest and insurance.
10 same Farmers Union, with Mr..
hatcher pressing the issue, caused
e enactment of the Commodity Ex-
ange law, under which the govern
9nt supervises private enterprise
d has ended abuses and trickery by
itch the grain producer has been
bbed for more than 70 years. That
why Atwood-Larson calls the or
nized farmer Cuckoo" and sneers
him for watching his wallet when
is in the same building with At
cd arson-particular now when
, same farmers wallets are fatter
IN they have been, what with a fair
n value on grain, honest grades,
lights and dockage, forced by the
npetition of the Farmers Union
ain Terminal Association.