Fight Against Farm 



Program Grows Intense 



(Continued from page 3) 



everybody to remember) that the supply 

 of pork is limited by the supply of feed. 

 With a given supply of feed, farmers can 

 market just so many pounds of pork, and 

 no more. They may vary the number 

 of pigs, but the total weight, whatever 

 the number, is absolutely limited by the 

 feed supply. 



"Fifth, that in 1934, when the little 

 pigs and the sows and their litters would 

 have been marketed if there had been no 

 Government buying program, the mar- 

 kets were already glutted by supplies 

 forced on the market by lack of feed 

 caused by the drought. That unprece- 

 dented drought reduced the 1934 corn 

 crop by nearly a billion bushels and con- 

 fronted farmers with the alternative of 

 cutting down their hog herds or letting 

 large numbers starve to death. 



"Sixth, that hog products are not 

 usually held in storage for more than 



six months after slaughter 



'The more corn ^ farmers were forced 

 to feed their hogs in 1934, when hogs 

 glutted the market and prices were low, 

 the less they had left to feed hogs in 

 1935 when hogs are scarce and pork 

 prices are high. 



"So the real effect of slaughtering 

 sows and pigs in 1933 under the Govern- 

 ment program, in advance of the 

 tremendous 1934 drought shortage of 

 feed, was to save feed available for 

 maintaining supplies of hogs in 1934. 



"The pigs killed in 1933 would, if fed 

 out, have consumed 60 to 70 million 

 bushels of corn in 1934. 



"Consumers this year are paying high- 

 er prices, but not quite so high as they 

 would have paid if the hog-buying opera- 

 tions two years ago had not conserved 

 feed last year when it was acutely 

 needed." 



While injunctions to restrain collec- 

 tions of processing taxes have sharply 

 reduced federal income from this source, 

 adjustment payments to farmers are be- 

 ing continued. The first 1935 corn-hog 

 payments are on the way, the AAA re- 

 ports. In the majority of cases injunc- 

 tions have been granted. But federal dis- 

 trict judges differ sharply as to the 

 propriety of processing taxes. Some 

 judges have held that it is illegal to col- 

 lect taxes from one group for distribu- 

 tion among another. But other judges 

 point out that the principle has long been 

 established in the protective tariff, under 

 which citizens of the United States are 

 forced to pay higher prices for the 

 things they buy to benefit protected in- 

 dusti-ies. 



On August 15 the U. S. Circuit Court 

 of Appeals at San Francisco having juris- 



diction in seven western states denied 

 an injunction sought by milling com- 

 panies to prevent collection of processing 

 taxes. 



At New York on August 17 Judge Mur- 

 ray Hulbert dismissed injunction suits 

 holding that the proper remedy for proc- 

 essors was a suit for the return of the 

 taxes after their payment if it was shown 

 the taxes had been improperly assessed. 



The decision of the United States Su- 

 preme Court on the AAA is expected to 

 be forthcoming sometime this winter. It 

 will clear the air and determine farm- 

 ers' future course of action. 



In the meantime the AAA amend- 

 _ments as approved by the House and 

 Senate conference committee have been 

 concurred in by both houses and have 

 gone to the White House. Reports in- 

 dicate that they carry substantially the 

 provisions wanted by the AAA and the 

 American Farm Bureau Federation. 



Passage of the AAA amendments in 

 the Senate by a vote of 64 to 15 was the 

 spark that set off an attack by the Chi- 

 cago Tribune on Farm Bureau leaders 

 who met in Chicago July 22. Disap- 

 pointed at the repeated evidence of sup- 

 port of the AAA by farmers, this paper 

 jumped on a resolution passed at the 

 Farm Bureau conference in support of 

 the AAA amendments. Referring to the 

 meeting, the Editorial entitled "Political 

 Farming" said, "Any claims of anyone 

 to express the farmers' views at this 

 time are fraudulent. The third week in 

 July is among the busiest weeks on farms 

 in this section. The time is coming 

 within the next six months when it 

 should be possible to test out opinion 

 in the agricultural regions." 



The fact is that farmers have found 

 it necessary to have their spokesmen on 

 the job full time for their own protec- 

 tion. When farm leaders misrepresent 

 their members they don't stay in office. 



The Tribune apparently didn't find it 

 convenient to remember that the corn- 

 hog program was approved in a national 

 referendum by an overwhelming major- 

 ity. The cotton program was supported 

 by farmers about seven to one and the 

 tobacco program nearly 10 to one. 



More recently a new propaganda agen- 

 cy, "The Farmers' Independent Council of 

 America," has been set up with an office 

 on LaSalle street in Chicago to fight the 

 AAA. Stanley F. Morse, "consulting ag- 

 riculturalist and South Carolina farmer," 

 is executive vice-president. Dr. E. V. Wil- 

 cox, special writer for the Country 

 Gentleman controlled by the Curtis Pub- 

 lishing Company of Philadelphia, is sec- 

 retary-treasurer. Dan Casement who is 

 reported to have inherited several thou- 

 sand acres of rich land around Manhat- 

 tan, Kansas in addition to stocks and 

 bonds from his father, a wealthy railroad 



builder, is president of the organization. 

 Whether this agency was created for 

 political reasons or is "fronting" for 

 processors and grain trade interests has 

 not yet been determined. But it indicates 

 the broad line of attack to undermine 

 an effective farm program. 



Cong:ressman Clarence Cannon of Mis- 

 souri recently charged that the strike for 

 lower meat prices by Detroit housewives 

 was organized by packers "as a part of 

 their campaign against the processing 

 tax." He denied that meat was selling 

 at exorbitant prices. 



At the state meeting of county corn- 

 hog committeemen in Springfield August 

 8, more than 500 Illinois farmers agreed 

 that the corn-hog program or something 

 similar should be made permanent. In 

 addressing that gathering President Earl 

 C. Smith of the I. A. A. said: "No in- 

 formed person can be optimistic about 

 the possibilities of revived foreign trade 

 as an immediate solution for the prob- 

 lems of American agriculture. Sn long 

 as this is true adjustment of domestic 

 production 'is the chief solution to the 

 problem." He pointed out that corn-belt 

 farmers have demonstrated their ability 

 through the corn-hog program to get 

 together and solve their common prob- 

 lems. 



The question facing farmers is "Shall 

 enemies of agriculture be allowed to have 

 their way or shall farmers unite through 

 organization under the banner of the 

 Farm Bureau to defend their rights?" 



The situation calls for enlistment of 

 every farmer in the ranks of organiza- 

 tion. It demands that the influence of 

 each individual be united toward main- 

 taining a sound, national farm policy. 

 The problem has no relation to politics. 

 It is an economic fight. In organization 

 and persistent effort lies the farmer's 

 only assurance that policies to give agri- 

 culture price equality will be continued. 

 —Editor. 



Tune in WLS 



A series of three radio talks on im- 

 portant issues now facing Illinois farm- 

 ers will be delivered by I. A. A. repre- 

 sentatives over station WLS Chicago on 

 Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Sept. 

 9-11-13 at 12:15 PM central standard 

 time. Speakers are expected to be Presi- 

 dent Earl C. Smith, Donald Kirkpatrick, 

 counsel, and Geo. E. Metzger, field 

 secretary. 



"The 60 members of ours, working on 

 membership have signed 125 new mem- 

 bers since January 1, 1935," reports M. 

 C. Weber, Will county organization di- 

 rector. 



I. A. A. RECORD 



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