The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1944-01-07
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F.U.C.T.A..,
Dark Interlude.
Appeal to Saturn.
A Hair Divides.
Complacent Congress.
From Feast to Famine.

Complacent congress.
From Feast to Famine.
That part of the year between De
cember 90 and January 3, when tn
sun is making its curve around thu
bend and seems uncertain that it will
remain on its ration of long nights
and short days, has become by ma
tional custom a period when the
mighty engine of human effort idles
and seems throttled down. 1t is g
sort of dark interlude between the
ordinary activities of busy world
In ancient Rome it was the period
known as the "Saturnalia" when the
pagans of that time celebrated the
feast of Saturn, the god of seed SOW
| ing. To take their minds off the hor'
rid possibility that the sun would not
would be reduced to a wintry desert,
the more ignorant drowned their fears
in wine and other intoxicants and the
solemn feast degenerated into an oc-
casion for general license, vice and
crime.
Despite that descent, the feast of
the god of seed sowing showed that
the ancients, in the great populous
centers, were we'll aware of the food
problem. Else, why, in the dead of
winter would they appeal to Saturn
to grant the boon of planting and the
subsequent harvest? Food, for them,
was an ever-present anxiety. They
were without the mammoth storage
towers, such as the GTAA terminal
elevator at Superior, Wis. Theirs
was a hand-to-mouth existence and
famine swept the nations when Sa-
turn seemed to deny their petition
and withheld the fruits of the soil
and when there was no transporta-
ton available. Note that Jacob and
his sons, at such time, went down
to Egypt to get food, instead of hav-
ing the grain shipped in from the
south. Later in Roman history, am
bilious candidates for public office
ran on a platform Of free grain for
the needy, which was put into effect
with grain shipped from North Africa.
That should have given Saturn some
thing to think about!
Smile as we must at the antics OF
the ancients, it could be wished that
the town folk of this nation would
show as much concern over the pro-
duction of the food, which they now
seem to think comes as easily to them
as mama descending from the sky.
Modern systems of supply, of trans
portation and of industry have made,
for them, the petition: "Give us this
lay our daily bread" an empty phrase.
It is not so in Greece where our Amer
can Red Cross is landing food for
he ADMINISTRATION people. 1t is not
80 in India, where vultures feast on
he emaciated bodies of hundreds of |
thousands of famine victims. 1t is
,nly little less so in Norway, Po-
and, France and Denmark where
lair divides hungar from starvation.
Yet our city people remain compla-
.ent and unconcerned. They have so
ong been able to rely on the farmer
hat they feel no need to call upon
Saturn or the God of our Fathers for
assurance of food. That attitude is
effected in congress, which adjourned
December 81 for its Saturnalia 1T
meets again January 10 when the
natter of securing the food of this
nd other nations was the issue be-
ore it. Under the pressure of the
arm bloc, it slashed out the crop in
urance appropriation and told the
armer to take his own chances; 1t
ook the $37,500,OOO appropriation for
pans to farmers and cut it to $7,500,-
90 thus gripping farm production;
took the Conservation appropria-
on of $2,800,000 and slashed it to
1 100000, to limit irrigation and cut
own food production. All that and
lore, in face of fast diminishing
heat crop and extreme shortage Of
led for live stock.
AS If to show complete indepen-
ence of the nation for its food, Con-
ress adjourned with law in process
: passage which, if it be enacted,
ill deprive the farmer of any sub
dy, either as an incentive to further
nd greater production or to keep the
rice of food and feed within the
zach of the consumer. If Saturn
ill haunts the seat of the gods on
gh Olympus, he must smile as he
1tes that the only subsidies prohib-
ed by the bill are those granted to
yricultural products. 1t may be
sathenish to propose it, but Congress
light do worse than return to the
lgan era and give the god of seed
wing little attention-that is, If /
e people of the world are to eat
it'll any regularity during this grand
orious 1914, which we have just
tered. Otherwise, it is going to be