The President's Farm Address 



1+ Put the Enemies of the Recovery Program On the Defensive 



PKESIDKM HOOSKVF.LTS ,,.i- 

 dress ;it t'lrn'.mo Dec. f w.i^ .. 

 frank, stniluliifurwntd r\;|i'i~;itiiM, 

 of the fotulitiuns nf >';iil\ ]'X','.', 'h t 

 made a furni innyr.-itr, iMii>^ar\ i 



the results thus f.ir iilii;imi'(l A- , f- 

 the speech ni;iik<cl ! \ il-- -.mii ii> 

 and directness ^killfiill\ piil 'ii- nsn-. 

 of tlie farm recover\ pinmani mi '.\i' 

 defensive. Then w^^ lutli- iT iv ilniv,: 

 in the stnlenum •h.-it cuiil'l !"■ ai 

 tacked. 



To the critic^ wli • .-ii\ tliat a farii' 

 program i? necesiarv hul 'he AAA i-- 

 the wronR \vn\ \<< U" al">ut • 'hi 

 President's reply i-. "Tlie measures to 

 which we turned lo --top the decline 

 and rout of American auriciillure 

 orisin«led in the aspirations of lh«' 

 farmers themselves expressed Ihrouuli 

 the several or«ani/a(ions. I turned to 

 these or!:ani/atinns and look their 

 counsel ani\ souulil !'• h.'lp them to 

 get these purposes emhodied in tlw 

 law of the land." 



That is a l)nnianl and triilhfu! ati- 

 swer. Il indicates what Mpp.win-J i)r>li- 

 licians are up aeniii-i m atlai-kitm th< 

 principles, at Ica.st. ^f iir.wciit arr'<ul- 

 tural prnhlcMis. It pi'1~ 'Inn! i;-. \\\< 

 light of pn yuinin'^ t.. kiKiw v.i'T' alioir 

 agriculluT' iliaii farm, r- 'ii' ni^'-l\r^ 



Presideiil IJooxvih yiM-- v..ii ill.' 

 impression that lu' ptM-onall.v l^imw^ 

 more about farmers' pr. ibli nis than an\ 

 president since his llliHtrious ciusin 

 He was porfi-ctly nt home lalkinc asi- 

 ricvdture at Chicap.i Ilr \va< amonc 

 friends, of course, hn' the address re- 

 veals his awnreni'.s^ t!ial his farju pro- 

 gram reqardless >'f what thf -^upr.'me 

 court may deeid.- i~ ^'nd.iuhliillv fh. 

 trump card iii ih. N.'w Deal. Cei - 

 fainl.v farm recovery is hirijely re- 

 sponsible f. ir «uch ^inernl busines> 

 recovery and r'"iipl..\ m. tit as -.ve ha\-'- 

 had thus far 



Specificnllv. the I'resid.i;: •■mi. 

 these points' 



1. "The ceononuc life of the United 

 States is a srandess weh." Tin 



counlr\'s \ar;i'!i- units .,;■,. ..i- 

 terdep)endeii' 



2. "Justice and old-fasliioned com- 

 mon sense demand thai in the 

 huildins of purchasing power ue 

 had to start with agriculture." 



3. "How can it he health v for a 

 countrv to have the ]»rice of crops 

 vary nOO and r>(>(l and 70(1 p<i cent.. 

 all in less than a i^eneralion" 



I'll, i'lisul.-nt- ilta.k ..!i tin .a d- 

 • l' sp.'ciilalioii. his loiTlHiTi .>f th. ter- 

 !i(u Vs.' and fail it; specific farm 

 •arici s were hr.'iiuhi in. allhoiiuh 

 tii'iilu T was nani.'d t.. ^iiiw ihr lusti- 

 fieatiMn .if. iirsi. \\\f ■.;.il.l nv ahiatioii 



ind i-iirri'tu-y ~taliilj/atii.n prouram. 



iiiil si'chikIK'. .t.'P .idiusiment, 



I. "Korl.x -ei:;ht separate sovereign 

 stales, ailing cadi as a separate 

 unit. ni'\er were altle and never 

 will lie aide to legislate or lo 

 adminisler individual laws ade- 

 i|Uat<-l.\ lo lialaiii (■ the aur'ciillural 

 life of a nation ' 



.). °il is (lifTicidl to explain v\ li.\ ui 

 many cases if the farnu-r yets an 

 increase for his food crop over 

 what he sot three years aijo. the 

 consumer in the city has lo pay 

 two and Ihrt'e and four times the 

 amount of that Increase." 



ti. "'.\ lelatixe ( auricullural ) pnr- 

 cliasinu power of liclow .")ll per 

 cent has moxcd up loda> to hel- 

 ler than !t'i per cent. This liuvinu 

 power ha- been felt in mam lines 

 of h- 



7 ".Xyricultiuc far trion lieiiii; cruci- 

 lied by this (Canadran Trade) 

 airrec-ment. as some lia\e lold you. 

 actually u'ains from it. . . If the 

 <'alamily howlers shotdd happen 

 to be riybl. you ba\e every as- 

 surano' that Canaila and the 

 I'niled Slates will ioin in (•oire<l- 

 inir inequalities. " 



S. "<<r<'at«-r trade is inei'cly ai-olbei 

 word for more production an<l 

 more empbc. •ne:;* 



!l. "IJut Ihe success thai has attended 

 and is allcndin!: our cITorls lo 

 stem the depression and set Ihe 

 tide runnini: Ihe olhei' way can- 

 not liliiul Us to the ne«'essity of 

 lookinu ahead to the permanent 

 ini-asures which are n«'«-essary lo 

 a more stabb' economic life." 



Ill "Tbe tbin^ we all are seekin;; is 

 iuslicc in Ihe connnon sense in- 

 terpretation that means. "Do un- 

 to your neighbor as \<iu woubl bi' 

 ilone b\ .' " 



I )ni by ..n. tin Pr.sidi'ni Uiatsh.ileii 

 i"..rih 'h. vil- ihat eveiy ..n.' know- 

 :).r>- .-Ni-l.d. ami c.intinue t.. .-xi-i. a. 

 "iir (e..ni.i!iic lif. . He sweeps the op- 

 |i. .-"ifiriT-; aside b\- .-'-s. i-linc that these 



Candid camera shot showing the President 

 Col. Vvatson, the President's aide, Henry Wal 

 lace and Earl Srriith. 



are the tbiniis we are tryin.u to rem- 

 edy. "It was a iireat cmerjjency and it 

 ri'<iuired swift action. Mistakes wer<' 

 inevitable because it was a new field ' 

 he said. 



A complete answel '<. charges that 

 ihe AAA represents a b^deral invasion 

 of state's rights at. i urowim: bu- 

 reaucracy :s the r'lcsK.enl's stateineni 

 that d.S sove-t ii;n -.tales actiuK ui- 

 dividuallv caiuiol soK • a national eco- 

 nomic problem. Thmkinu pople know 

 this tc: be 'rue 



The President .spoke .if usmg "the 

 ..tijanized power of the nation." tn 

 stop tbe "rule of tootb and claw that 

 threw fanners info bankruptcy o? 

 turned th<-m virtually into serfs, 

 forced them to let their buildings. 

 fences and niacluner\ deteriorate. 

 made them rob their soil of its God- 

 uix'im fertility, deprived their sons and 

 <iaus:hlers .if a decent opp.irtvmil.v on 

 the farm. T.. ih.isc days. I trust, the 

 'luaiii/ed p.iwei .if 'he nation has 

 put an end fori ver ' 



Theri was nnieb .n 'h. President's 

 address that teit.rat.i! what farmers 

 themselves ha\i bet n sayms; and 

 ihinkinu After sn nuieb misleafiins; and 

 malicious pri.pauanda inisiepresentinc 

 the iffects .if the farm recovery pro- 

 gram. It wa- II fresh im; to have the 

 chief exeiiiliv.' '.;ivi utterance and 

 ( tnphasis t.i iiiilbs which in the.s.e days 

 of bias(-d. p..iiticai tuv.spapers. oidy a 

 President can yet printed 'i; the pub- 

 lie nress- Ediior 



I A \ KFtuRIi 



