Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-24


DiSton last night.
My Fellow Citizens:
A week ago today President
Eisenhower vetoed the farm bill
l want to talk to you tonight
about that bill and about the
farm problem. The President
may veto one farm bill. but he
can't veto the farm problem. 1t
is still there. 1t won't Just go
away.
know that most of the news
papers have told you that this
farm bill was bad and that Presi-
dent Eisenhower was right to
veto it. Because of what you
have read and heard on the
radio and seen on TV, I suspect
you have decided this is a black
and white iSsue-all the white
on the Presidents side and all
the black on the side of the
Democrats.
That is why l want to tell you
our side.
Many of you do not farm for
a living. You live in the big
cities and the large towns. You
have probably been saying to
yourselves that the farm prob
lem really doesn't touch you.
Too many of us think about the
farmer only when we go to the
supermarket and leave most of
our paycheck for groceries. And
then we think harsh thoughts.
Most of us do not know that the
farmer gets very few-in fact,
less and less each year-of the
dollars we pay for food.
The farm issue reaches into
the daily lives of each and every
one of you.
when the farmer begins to
hurt sooner or later the
rest Of US will be in trouble,
too"
l thought we had learned this
lesson once before. Our great
American economy is all tied to-
gether. What hurts the small
businessman in Los Angeles
eventually is bound to hurt the
farmer in Iowa. And when the
farmer in Iowa begins to hurt,
sooner or later the rest of us
will be III trouble too.
Since 1852, wages have gone
up. corporate dividends have
gone up, the entire national in
come has gone up. But all this
time, the income of the farmer
has gone down Is per cent. The
economists know that when one
part of our country is in a de-
preston, it will ultimately fan
out into the other parts and end
their prosperity, too. The worker
who is making refrigeratorS and
televiSion sets will sooner or
later be out of work if there is
no one to buy refrigerators and
television sets, But if the farmer
can't make a living, the farmer
can't buy these things. If he
can't buy them. that cuts the
market down. And that means
workers will be thrown out of
Jobs. Then they can't buy and
other workers are thrown out i
with them
Those of us who are over 40
know this from hard experience. |.
There was a Nationwide depres- ;
sion in 1929. All industry was
PROSTATE until the Democrats
came into power in 1888 and put
the country back on it's feet. But /
those of us who are old enough, {
remember that the farm depres-
sion started long before 1929. 1t !
started in 1921 and it stayed bad Y
for the next eight years when {
the rest of the country was bask- |
Ing in proSperity-a prosperity
that in many ways resembles the S
we have today. This
same thing has been happening
for the past several years. The
farmers income has been de- :
cllnlng. The cost of the things
the farmer must buy to farm and ]
to live has remained the same {
or has gone up. He is caught in ,
squeeze between costs and
prices.
The formers income must be
bolstered otherwise we
moy spin into another depres-
sion.
That is why the Democratic
Congress has worked so hard to
help the farmer, The farmers
income must be bolstered. not
only for the farmers sake. but
for your sake. Otherwise. We may |
spin into another depression.
Under the leadership of Senator
Ellender, the Senate Agriculture
Committee went all over the
United States, The House Agri. =
culture Committee, under Con-
eressmen Cooley, took testimony ,
from top farm advisers. Both