



Who Gets the Money 



TODAY producers in the United States — fanners and 

 workers engaged in productive enterprise representing 

 half the population — get only one-third of the national 

 income according to Walter Rautenstrauch, professor of in- 

 dustrial engineering at Columbia University and author of a 

 recent book, "Who Gets The Money." 



"While in 1932 each producer took in $900 yearly on an 

 average, 15 years ago he was $70 better off," he concludes. 

 '•But this broad average is not enough for we find that the 

 pitifully small earnings of less than half the production group 

 accounts for the lowered average of all. 



'The farmer is the goat. For while earnings of all other 

 production workers rose from $925 yearly in 1917 to $1,212 in 

 1932, the farmer dropped from $1,020 in 1917 to only $475 

 fifteen years later. And this despite the fact that in 1932 

 there were 1,500,000 fewer farmers." 



No Doubt About it Now! 



WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT US 



I5.9S» To One .- j; 



Sixteen thousand farmers from all over the state came to 

 town yesterday. Some estimates made it several thousand 

 more. They came to hear United States Secretary of Agri- 

 culture Henry A. Wallace discuss the AAA branch of the new 

 deal. They overflowed the state armory, which seats 8,000. 

 They overflowed a huge tent set up in Jackson street adjacent 

 where loud speakers were installed. They even climbed to the 

 roof of the armory to listen through the skylights. Else- 

 where in this issue of The Star are the addresses of the chief 

 speaker and others. The significance of the great assembly 

 climaxed in the vote adopting a resolution endorsing the AAA. 

 President Earl C. Smith of the Illinois Agricultural Associa- 

 tion, who presided, announced it as "15,999 to One" taking 

 cognizance of a single voice that voted "No." It was a great 

 day for the AAA and for Secretary Wallace. If it hadn't 

 rained there would have been two or three times as many 

 here. — Peoria Star. •;....■ 



Illinois Farmers In Conclave 



It is estimated that 10.000 Illinois and midwestern farmers, 

 assembled in and about the local state armory yesterday to 

 listen to Secretary of Agriculture Wallace, President Smith of 

 the Illinois Agricultural association, and President O'Neal of 

 the American Farm Bureau federation. 



The farmers had come, not to protest against farm legisla- 

 tion pending in Washington, but to indorse pending amend- 

 ments to the agricultural adjustment law, and to voice their 

 approval of the processing tax which Secretary Wallace de- 

 clared bore the same relation to agriculture that the tariff' 

 bore to industry. 



The local demonstration was a second and midwestern edi- 

 tion of the farm conclave held in Washington a week ago. On 

 May 14, nearly 4,500 farmers came from all parts of the 

 country to the national capital. They met in Constitution hall. 

 W. H. Robertson of Loachapoka, Ala., their chairman, said, 

 'This is undoubtedly the first occasion of this kind in history. 

 It probably is the first time in history when a group has vis- 

 ited this city merely for the sake of thanking a great Presi- 

 dent and his administration for their helpfulness. * * • We 

 have come to say that the processing tax and the manner in 

 which it is now used to carry out the various adjustment pro- 

 grams must not be disturbed. The principle underlying the 

 processing tax is exactly the same as that underlying the tariff 

 to which the nation has been committed for so many genera- 

 tions." 



•Mthough critics of pending W\ amendments charge that 





these amendments confer upon the secretarj' of agriculture 

 the power to license all businesses handling, processing or 

 manufacturing any kind of agricultural product, or competing 

 with any, farmers gathered in Peoria yesterday manifested 

 complete agreement with the pending measure. Instead of 

 resenting federal dictation, they seemed to welcome a central- 

 ization of power in agriculture as a means of establishing 

 economic parity with capital and industrial labor 



Yesterday's demonstration will indicate to the authorities 

 at Washington that Illinois farmers favor checks financed by 

 the processing tax and that they are not disturbed over alleged 

 dictatorial provisions of pending AAA amendments. Locally, 

 it indicates that the farmers of Illinois, at least, are rapidly 

 becoming class-conscious and that for the first time, in a con- 

 spicuous way, they are taking an active and effective interest 

 in their government. 



They make clear their purpose to become equal partners 

 with management and industry in production and government. 

 This is an objective which they have long sought, and which 

 they are tardily achieving. — Peoria Transcript. 



An Authentic Gathering 



The Peoria mass meeting staged by the Illinois Agricultural 

 association in support of the pending AAA amendments and 

 attended by around 15,000 IlUnois farmers will make a much 

 more solid impact on Washington and on the nation generally 

 than the farmers' march to the national capital last week. 

 The spontaneousness which the Washing^ton march lacked was 

 very much present at Peoria and the number of authentic 

 farmers present was impressive. State mass meetings are 

 the obviously proper way to impress the country with farm 

 opinion rather than to dispatch handpicked hegiras to Wash- 

 ington. This is not to say that the farmers or any other 

 group don't have the right to storm Washington personally. 

 But if the flavor of authenticity is desired it is better to have 

 15,000 fresh from the grass roots than 2,000 lea%'ing their 

 spring planting for a week's %-isit in the capital. — Rockford 

 Star. ■ 



RD 



JINE. 1935 



II 



