| Show GENERAL HUGH S s. s JOHNSON J calud FU taws w v U se ce w WHAT FARMERS NEED Tom Deweys Dewey's farm speech wa was lifted largely from Glenn Franks Frank's background for a Republican platform plat plat- form Both were temperately beautifully beautifully beau beau- written In their critical aspects both were wen masterpieces of understatement The net result of all that Mr Wallace Wailace Wallace Wal- Wal lace has done for agriculture is absolutely absolutely absolutely ab ab- ab- ab zero zero which which is considerably less than 32 degrees below freezing So Mr Dewey and Mr Frank made mad maden madea a n fairly spectacular and unanswerable unanswerable able case on that point All authorities agree that the problem problem problem lem is largely surplus production Mr Wallace started out to reduce the surplus He has not decreased it He has greatly increased it anc anchis and his and other administration policies policies policies poli poli- cies have vastly decreased the possibility possibility possibility pos pos- of consuming it In doing I what he has done Mr Wallace has I spent billions I hate to criticize him because he knows more about aboul I farming than anybody who attempts to discuss the subject He is as sincere sincere sincere sin sin- cere and intellectually honest a maras manas manas man mar I as there is in this administration 1 I iam I Iam am so convinced of this that if 1 I j j qi s TOM DEWEY GLENN FRANK FRANKI I Beautiful but but Old Old Confucius he helay toy say bohee were a Democrat President on the theory of the best brains and experience experience experience ex ex- for the job Mr l Wallace would be my candidate for the job he now holds But I wouldn't let him have his way and I would tactfully tactfully tactfully tact tact- fully suggest that we find other places for many of his associates or advisers possibly poking smoke through holes in doughnuts Both Glenn Frank and Tom Dewey Dewey Dewey Dew Dew- ey disclosed that they dont don't know anything about the farm problem After careful study of their offerings offerings offerings offer offer- ings I am inclined to believe that they dont don't even suspect anything about it What they have given out could have been said by Herbert Hoover and much of it was said by him in 1932 and earlier with earlier with disastrous disastrous disastrous dis dis- dis- dis results They suggest to the farmer that he ought to return to the fostering care that the Republicans gave him in the seven years before 1933 They might have added since the Civil war If they knew the workings of farmers farmers' minds they would know that their stuff is like cheese offered a mouse imprisoned in a cheese baited trap That mouse didn't want any more cheese The burden of both their songs is that all that is needed to help the farmer is to help industry and that what he needs most is a high tariff We have got to help industry industry or or go gothe gothe gothe the way of Hitler and Mussolini But tariffs do not and can not protect the farmer on his surplus crops They are a subsidy paid to industry by an impoverished agriculture which simply cannot and will not stand it any more without countervailing countervailing countervailing counter counter- subsidy i Why a man who is considered atall at atall atall all solely because he is a New York gang-busting gang district attorney has hasto hasto hasto to try to sell himself in Nebraska as a hired farmhand is beyond me Both Confucius and regular farmers farmers farmers farm farm- ers say bohee What farmers need is free and unrestricted unrestricted unrestricted un un- un- un restricted production and sale of their products and an outright subsidy subsidy subsidy sub sub- sidy to bring their prices for what we consume in this country up to absolute parity I have no brief in logic for the parity formula although I invented it in 1921 for sheer lack of anything better But if the whole country accepts the justice and fairness of it it-as it as seems to be the case why sho should ld there be so much obfuscating conversation conversation conversa conversa- tion and so little direct and forthright forthright forthright forth forth- right promise or action C I SHARING POVERTY WASHINGTON Suppose Suppose it were true as this administration says that as all aU governmental debt has gone up by an indefinite amount amount- I above 20 billions private billions private debt has gone down by an equal amount It isn't true but if it were true what It means a more equal distribution distribution distribution tion of poverty a sharing of our debits rather than our credits a greater burden on the nots have-nots and anda a restriction of abundance in everybody's everybody's everybody's ev ev- life The whole nation rich and poor alike is responsible for the public debt every debt every wage income pension and piece of property of any kind is in hock for it It can be retired only by taxes o or r default The former is a burden on every family budget in the nation including the unfortunates on relief relief relief re re- re- re lief or on the dole The latter i is s catastrophe bearing with equal disaster disaster disaster dis dis- aster on the whole population The poisonous doctrine that only y the rich pay has been exposed over ove yr r and over again |
