GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 849 



But to fight the good fight for the maintenance of American liberty 

 need not result in personal oblivion. Let those who are resolved to 

 be statesmen rather than political lackeys go out among their con- 

 stituents and tell them the plain, unvarnished truth about what this 

 and similar plans mean. The one fact that many political "experts" 

 leave out of their calculations is, that farmers are Americans first 

 and farmers second. The}' can understand these issues when they 

 are placed squarely before them, and can be counted upon to see that 

 their own interest, as well as the interest of America, will not be 

 served by legislation which sells them into serfdom. 



Never foreget, gentlemen of this committee, that it was a group of 

 farmers who fu"st felt the impact of physical tyranny at Lexington. 

 It was an embattled farmer-army that blunted the spearhead of 

 tyranny at Concord, and sent the King's soldiery routed back on the 

 bloody road to Boston. Don't think low of the farmer — -of his intel- 

 ligence or his patriotism. He is a better man than the collectivists 

 think he is. Take your case to him, show him the deceit of these 

 plans, theu' inevitable economic legacy of ruin, their threat to freedom. 

 Then ask him his decision. He is an American. He will justify 

 your faith in him. 



Mr. Pace. Dr. Griffith, tell us who comprise the National Economic 

 Council? 



Dr. Griffith. It was established in 1930. It is a cross-section of 

 American people. We have among our members farmers, workers, 

 business people, housewives — almost every segment of the American 

 economy. 



I, myself, was personally raised upon a farm and engaged in farming 

 at one time, so I am not without sympathy for the farmers. 



Mr. Pace. Thank you very much, Dr. Griffith, for your excellent 

 statement. 



Wlio are the officers of the National Economic Council? 



Dr. Griffith. Mr. Merwin K. Hart is the president. We number 

 among our directors one former Vice President of the United States. 



(The officers and directors are-listed below:) 



Officers: Merwin K. Hart, president; Constance G. Dall, assistant to the 

 president; Ora A. Taylor, vice president; A. Margaret Schmid, vice president and 

 assistant treasurer; McKay Twombly, secretary; Sibylla Schilling, assistant 

 secretary; Glenn G. Munn, treasurer; Helen M. O'Connor, assistant treasurer. 



Directors: Ira L. Anderson, Reginald Boote, Charles J. Brand, James C. 

 Bronner, S. i\I. Brown, Walter O. Caldwell, Jr., George H. Cless, Jr., Dr. George 

 B. Cutten, Constance G. Dall, Charles G. Dawes, D. Boyd Devendorf, Robert 

 B. Dresser, Clarence L. Fisher, Rudolph B. Flershem, J. H. Gipson, Dr. H. M. 

 Griffith, Earl Harding, Merwin K. Hart, Edward A. Kracke, Ivan Lebedeflf, 

 Nicholas F. Lenssen, V. S. Makaroff, Edwin S. Morgan, Glenn G. Munn, Roscoe 

 Peacock, Isaac A. Pennypacker, J. Howard Rhoades, Sibylla Schilling, A. Mar- 

 garet Schmid, Ora A. Taylor, McKay Twombly, Dr. Harrison J. Weaver. 



Mr. Pace. The committee will recess until 2 o'clock this afternoon, 

 when we will hear those who cannot staj^ over until tomorrow" and 

 anj^ others we may have time to hear. 



(Thereupon at 12:30 p. m., a recess was taken until 2 p. m.) 



