The people's voice., 1942-02-27
M ..:o+
)u'Up fM
E.U.C.T.A..

10 Million Voteless.
Nazi "Herrenvolk".
Two Rehabilitations.
Agency of Democracy.
AS this colum has sagely observed
before, and now repeats: Things
happen oddly in Washington" Take
the case of the fight now being waged
by big corporation farms and share
cropper landlords to destroy the Farm
Security administration and end its
effort to make farm family homes
out of tenant shacks. At his press
conference ON Feb. 10, the news
hounds put the question up to Presi.
dent Roosevelt: 'Is it right for the
F.S.A. to lend farmers money to pay
their poll tax?" The president
81 do not think this should
be done and" he continued, another
thing that should not be done is for
the American Farm Bureau FEEDER
alton to collect dues from share
croppers under check-off system. y
But the president also stated: "The
F.S.A. is extremely essential to the
whole food situation for the duration
of the war" The report of that press
conference appeared in the Twin City
dailies.
A few days later in the same week
the president held another press con-
ference, (not reported in the Twin
City dailies) on the very day, in fact,
that e. A. O'Neal, president and Dom
aid Kirkpatrick, general counsel of
the Farm Bureau were attacking the
F.S.A before the joint committee on
expenditures for lend
Ing money OF farmers to pay their
poll tax so they could vote at the
general election this year. This time
he did not denounce the F.S.A. for
ending money to farmers from which
hey could pay their poll tax. Instead
ne denounced the poll tax, which in
eight states, is used to prevent those
who are poor or "broke" from casting
heir votes at an election. By barring
he nonpayer of the tax from voting,
more than 10 million citizens are dis
ranchised in the states of Virginia,
Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Missis-
iippi, South Carolina, Texas and Ten
lessee. Thus democracy becomes
IDENTICAL with the Nazi idea of
'ew-Hitler's "Herrenvolk" or mis-
er people"-who take over and con-
rol the government and the many
ire governed by the few. An instance
If this is seen in the first congress
ional district of Alabama, where, ac-
;ording to the figures given in the
Congressional Directory" of 1941,
he population lin 1930) was 272,633
nd the total vote cast in November
938 was 1883. That is why the poll
ak is so dear to the hearts Of the
andlords and Farm Bureau leaders in
hose states.
Of course the F.S.A. does not pay
hat poll tax-and the president made
his very clear in his later press con-
erence When a down-and-out farm
amily is taken on for rehabilitation,
Is debts are listed, as are its pos
ible assets. If the loan is made to
ct it on it's feet, 1t includes money
D pay his debts. The family pays its
oil taxa small matter of $3.50 to
500 for each member of voting age
so they can become American Gilt
ems again with the right to vote at
ne polls. The Farm Bureau says that
all wrong-and President Roosevelt |
ays it is all right. The farm family |
orrows the money and pays it back |
yer period of years, so it has the |
ght to do as it pleases with its own
loney There is rehabilitation of |
lrms and there is rehabilitation of |
le spirit, and the former, which is
zen is temporal and the latter which
not seen is eternal.
AS to the Farm Bureau "check-off
ystem" to which President Roosevelt
,ferred, H. L. Mitchell, secretary of
10 Southern Tenant Farmers Union, 4
stified of the tenant farmers of
rkansas, who had never signed an
oplication for membership in the
arm Bureau: Their landlords had
IMPLY turned in their names to the
unty agent and they were informed
at their Farm Bureau dues would
paid when their government money
me-" That is, they were made in
,luntary members of the Farm
ireau and the county agent de-
Icted the money from their A.A.A.
soil conservation checks! And this
.tion is supposed to be fighting die
Imagine the recoil of a
orth Dakota farmer to that sort Of
ing-or for that matter, of any
rmer in the northwest. Amy county
ent who tried that would have to
ave town between suns. But the
Irm Bureau, wise to the poll tax
at bars voters from the ballot, can
)rk that on sharecroppers and ten
is in states where these have no
ice in government - and even in
me states where they have a voice,
t not to such an extent. That's why |
e F.S.A. is real agent for de-
ocracy and why the Farmers
lion and the president back it.
3 Cliveden Set, spoken of by Mr..
oseyelt in his press conference 10
VS. ago. This set used to meet at
lncv Aator's house Cliveden There |