49 2 AGRICULTURAL DISCONTENT 



Likewise, it seems that rivalry between farm organizations broke out 

 anew because of the launching of the A.A.A. In the states in which the 

 rivalry was keen, "it was generally assumed that the county agent was at 

 least morally supporting the side of the active county farm bureau." Some 

 idea of the extent of the influence of the farm organizations may be 

 gathered from the fact that in states like Iowa, Illinois, and New York 

 about 85 per cent of the township and county committeemen were mem- 

 bers of the Farm Bureau. The large-scale farm bureau representation was 

 attributed to the claim that the more capable members belonged to the 

 organization. Where the influence of the Farm Bureau was great, it was 

 usual for it to claim "considerable credit for the enactment of the A.A.A. 

 In these states nonfarm bureau members often felt a moral obligation to 

 become members and promoters of the county farm-bureau organiza- 

 tion." 40 



During the summer of 1934 the Christian Science Monitor carried a 

 series of articles based on interviews with undesignated representatives 

 presumably professors and extension workers from agricultural colleges 

 in the Middle West. These academicians tended to substantiate and 

 amplify the findings of the newspapermen. Marked differences were 

 noted on the matter of restricting the output and taking land out of 

 cultivation. Those who upheld production controls felt that they were 

 needed to give the farmers security and also to make the necessary adjust- 

 ments to the shrinking foreign demand for our products. Others were 

 skeptical, and presented these objections: such controls involved too much 

 compulsion, the danger inherent in political direction, too much depend- 

 ence on government, introduction of bureaucracy into farming, a danger 

 of food shortage, and the denial of necessities to millions; the program 

 was futile; it made for national isolation and was too expensive; and 

 in addition the idea of the artificial creation of scarcity was a fallacy. 

 One professor hastened to remind the interviewing reporter that nothing 

 in the past had hastened the reduction of output as much as did low 

 prices ; they were a slow but an effective way of bringing it about. 



The proposal for a national land-use program found much support; 

 but, as in other matters, there were differences over how this was to be 



40. Baker, The County Agent, p. 73. 



