Montana labor news., 1945-01-25
GORDON ROTH GIVES
RADIO ADDRESS ON
FOOD FOR FREEDOM

Good evening-from O. /. a.
Today we want to talk to you about
three things-about economics-and pol
itics-and propaganda. Economics is the
study of how YOU make living. Poll
tics Theoretically is the art of advanc-
ing the public welfare through legisla-
ton. Propaganda is the art of swaying
public opinion for definite purpose.
First, we begin with little economics.
The prices that you farmers are getting
today for the products you sell at the
local market are the highest that they
have been in the past twenty-five years.
That means that you and your neigh
bors and all other farmers are getting
the best prices since 1920. The Depart
ment of Agriculture keeps a price index
Of farm products. The purpose of the
index is to show what farm prices are
from year to year Today the price in
dex Of your farm products is twice what
it was in the base period from 1909 TO
1914. That, however, is only one-haf
of the story It also is costing you more
to operate your farm today. The cost is
higher than it has been at any time in
the last twenty-five years It is this re-
lationship, between the prices you get
for what you have to sell and the prices
you pay for what you must buy, that
decides farm income. That decides
whether you are actually better off or
not. What is important to you is the
point at which the prices level off, the
prices you get for your products, and
the prices you pay for what you buy.
Another war crop year is about to be-
gin. The present favorable position Of
farm prices is important Production on
farms must be kept at wartime levels
for another year. But right now the big
danger is that the cost Of running your
farm will continue to increase, that is
unless price controls and wage stabiliza-
ton are controlled right across the line
Now, there are many ways that we can
have initiation. one Of the easiest is to
pile all the expenses of the war on peo-
pie who are least able to pay. That is
not to say that everyone should not pay
his just share. When a nation has a
debt, the people always pay it. What
happens when YOU pay a debt is that you
take it out Of your income. You have
that much less on which to live. It is
taken ont as taxes.
That brings us to politics and propa-
ganda. Right now there is an organized
campaign underway to shift most Of the
cost Of this war over to you It is care
fully planned and wen thought out. II
is well financed into the millions Of
dollars. one Of the first steps will be
to attack government regulation anc
control Another step will be to raist
aloft the ragged banner Of rugged indi-
vidualisn. the same banner that flutterec
over America through the darkest days
OF the depression. The attack will bt
directed at coOperatives and progressive
farm organizations and labor groups
The attack will seek to divide them anc
then to pick them off singly, one by one
This is a campaign that will be car
ried on over the radio and in the news
papers and the magazines and by paic
speakers stumping the land. The cam
paign will be carried on in the Congress
1t already is being carried on in the
Congress. The campaign is to sock the
farmers through their cooperatives.
Printers Ink" is a trade paper Of ad'
vertising management and sales people
M its article on the battle between co.
operatives and private profit business, il
says. "spearheading the fight for busi.
nessmen is the National Tax Equality
Association. 1t was organized in 194'
and is said to represent a million indi
viduals through company and trade as
sociation affiliations The NTBA say
that government in business and cooper
ative business threaten free enterpris
and the entire private business stru
ture.'
NTEA is working on Congress. 1t tell
/ part Of the story Of how in bulletin t
S its own members, "NTEA is officiall
/ filing its research reports and studies Q
S various aspects Of tax inequality" wit
:. Congress. Anyone has a perfect righ
r to do that but the sentence that 20
S farmers and city people should pay par
e ticular attention to is this one, "Ther
e are three vacancies on the House way
y and means committee The filling {
. these vacancies is most important. An
e businessmen will find it to their intere'
- to register their choice" II it is i'm
q portant to any group, it certainly is jus
as important that all the people have
+ right to register their choice. one {
n the advantages which well organize
- pressure groups have is they know no
# Congress works and WHO to work on I
e Congress. You help to elect the men
e bers of Congress and then call it a da
k because you figure that your work
3 done. But the pressure groups kno
e better; they know their work is new
y done
One of the most important COMMITTEE
in the House Of Representatives is u
Ways and Means committee. A memb'
Of Congress cannot Just stand up ar
introduce bill. There are 4S5 membe
in the House If they all tried tina
10 there would be mad house; nothir
il would ever be done. For as a matter
F. efficiency, when a member of the Hou
Is has a bill to introduce it is referred
ID committee Sometimes the commit
e, kills the bill orspigeonholes OF it, but mo
N Of the time the committee reports it OF
That means that the House (the men
le bers of the House) vote ON it. VIII
j. makes the House Ways and Means Con
ne mittee so important is this. All laws al
p legislation that have anything to do wi
IN revenue and appropriations must orig
ee nate in the House The House holds Il
nations purse strings. Money matte
s. originate there. And the committee tn