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THE PRODUCERS NEWS Published weekly at Plentywood, Montana, by The Peoples Publishing Company, Inc. Official Organ of the UNITED FARMERS LEAGUE Official paper of the City of Plentywood, Montana Subscription Sates: National Edition—In the United States; S tr year, $2.M; six months, 11.00; three months, M cents. oreign per year $2.60; six months $1.26; three months M cents. Oscesty Edition —In the United States: yaar, $2.0$; six months $1.Nl County Edition to foreign countries, year $2-50; six Mentha. $1.60. Advertising Rate« furnished upon application. ERIK BERT, Editor HANS RASMUSSEN, Business Manager Friday, January 20, 1933 The Struggle for Relief Two years ago the news flashed across the wires that the farmers around England, Arkansas, 300 strong, had demonstrated in the streets of the town for relief. (We publish, under the first installment of the story,— CAN YOU HEAR THEIR VOICES)" in this issue, » « the press report of this demonstration as it was given in the New York Times of Jan. 4, 1931.) Since that time the misery of Arkansas has spread to the far reaches of the forty eight states. The reports of the delegates to the Farmers National Relief Confer ence showed that the crisis means for the farmers not only inability to pay interest and taxes, but inability to buy the most necessary groceries, flour, etc., and cloth mg. The existence standards which are the lot of the most impoverished mean not only present privation but mean also the undermining of the health and physique of the youthful generations that are now coming into man hood and womanhood. The "flu" and pneumonia are reaping a horrible, toll of the farm population. Rotten teeth, resulting from a hunger diet and furthered by ab sence of dental care mean for the generations now grow ing up chronic disease and illness in their adult life. The farmer-delegates to the Farmers National Re lief Conference demanded of Congress the appropriation of $300,000,000 "for the relief of that section of the dis tressed farm population in need of immediate relief, re gardless of race, creed, or color." This was the first de nand in the statement to Congress because the delegates recognized as the most immediate need the raising of "all rural families to a minimum health and decent standard of living.* Congress has refused to make one step in meeting this need of the impoverished farm masses. In stead it seeks to deceive them into supporting the famine allotment" plan. By militant action and demonstrations the farmers of Sheridan county, Montana, have won substantial re lief out of the funds of the Reconstruction Finance Cor poration loaned to the state of Montana. The appro priations that have already been made and distributed have revealed the need for much greater amounts if the farmers are to exist above starvation and disease levels. The farmers of the county are making these demands backed by the mass pressure of many more farmers than backed the first demands when the possibility of getting relief was not as well recognized as it is now. The example of the farmers of Sheridan county has inspired those of Williams and Mountrail counties North Dakota, to organize for struggle for relief. The struggle in Sheridan county has forced the Red Cross to ship in additional amounts of clothing, showing, as the England, Arkansas, demonstration of two years ago did, that the Red Cross will come across with as little relief as it can and with as much as the mass pressure of the farmers forces it to. The struggle for immediate relief of the farm popu lation has only begun. The development of the struggle forjrelief for the farm population will show, as the strug gles for relief of the unemployed have shown, that the capitalist press has managed to keep the misery of the farmers hidden. In Sheridan, Williams and Mountrail counties the struggle for relief has been initiated by the United Farm ers League. It is the immediate task of the United Farm ers League and of the readers of the Producers News to initiate this struggle in every farm community in the land. is Two measures are being used by the county and the state officials to prevent the development of the demand for relief. The politicians state that they cannot obtain aid from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation because • they are up to their necks in debt. THIS IS ONLY A MISERABLE EXCUSE. Funds can be, and have been, obtained from the Corporation, without the pledging of security by the counties. When the politicians are backed away from this cuse their next move is to "survey" the misery of the farm masses as a means of postponing relief to them. The need of the farm masses is undeniable, will not clothe our kids, or supply us with groceries. The organization of the masses for relief must be developed immediately. This does not, and cannot, mean the substitution of this struggle for the struggle for the security of the farm family in its home and in the pos session of its means for making a livelihood. The struggle of the farm masses against evictions, forced sales and seizures must be widened to include the demands for relief. On the demands for relief the jority of impoverished farm families can be rallied. /P 1 ® Producers News is our most effective weapon in this, as in any other struggle. Make use of this weapon by ordering bundles and getting subs for fighting organ. , ,, , F i nal k' - th< ; î? ost intense efforts must be made to build the United Farmers League in these struggles, be MM??T 0 ^ ro?.K t ri- eSe means " n »f« initiative for UNITED FRONT actions be developed. ex «« Surveys * * ma our mass ANOTHER CO-OP. FOR PRICE CUTS Dangold Plant "Sliding Scale'' Scheme Means Wage Slash Also Bellingham, Wsh., Jan, 5.— The Darigold Plant is circulating a petition among the farmers here calling upon them for support for the introduction of a "sliding wage scale." (The Darigold is a so-cal led Farmers Cooperative.) The workers here see in this move a plan to first cut the wage, then cut the price to be paid to the farmers for their products, while at the same time the Co-op. will retain its same margin of profit. / This is convincing the workers here that this Co-op. is a smoke screen for private industry thru the organization of stock holding. It is quite significant that the chairman of the Co-op. is a re tiring member of the county board of commissioners who have cut the amount of relief at every opportunity until now the workers in Whatcom county are suffering from all the misery of a starva tion program. DPT 1 !) A \7 A T AP DEi i l\/l 1 Ua Ilf TO P A DHilPDO F AKjnKKN (Continued from page One) bid on the farm, and was there fore allowed to conduct the sale. SHERIFF BETRAYS THE FARMERS Following the settlement of the agreement,, the sheriff cried the sale and received a bid of $5, and the man stepped up to show his money. The sheriff asked if there were any more bids and received none. Well" said he, "If there are no more bids, the Old Line Life Insurance company bids $8, 500, and I hereby declare the farm sold to the Old Line Life Insur ance company as the highest, bid der. This is an outright betrayal of the oWner of the farm, as well as a betrayal of every farmer in the county. It only goes to show that th sheriff are an integral part of htis rotten capitalist sys tem, and faithful servants of the bosses, the rats that have got,ten all our money, and now reach out with greedy fingers to take our homes, our means of livelihood and our very lives. FHA PRESIDENT EXCUSES THE SHERIFF Mr. Goldheimer, at the meeting following the sale, at which most of the farmers present attended in troduced a resolution protesting this action by the sheriff as illeg The resolution was accepted with enthusiasm by the farmers, as was also a proposal to prose cute the sheriff for taking illegal action in this sale. Mr. Goldheim er, however, far from censoring the sheriff for coniving in evicting this farmer, made excuses for him, telling the farmers that, it wasn't the sheriff's fault, that he was only doing his duty, not blame the sheriff, men. He is a wonderful man." al. He said "Let's As to the sheriff being derful man, here are a few facts to show what kind of a men he really i s . His name is Wm. Brad ford. Everyone knows that he is under the influence of liquor great deal of the time. He has often been in an inebriated condi tion while on duty. "Give Billy Bradford a drink and he'll be all right" is a common saying in this county. "guardians of the integrity of the law" made. a won a Of . guch stuff are our The farmers In this county know the true purpose for which sheriffs are used. They know that they will be used against, the farmers and workers here as well as they are in other states in this "land of the free." They will not be fooled by a few silly and fancy phrases by the head of the holiday association. They realize that just because the sheriff hap pens to be a friends to the Holi day Association president, that he no less the enemy of the rank and file. The sale on TWpmKo q$ the first sale of real estate held in thfs ooimtv since the o^nSnî S thTraA ^ere aJS^mem r^err l'ïïHï farmers to step the sale. FARMERS STAND BY The farmers are standing ready, m case the Old Line Life Insurance company attempts to evict the farmer whose home ihey got uinder such crooked cir cumstances. They are standing solidaly in a strong, united front against all eviction*. THE ROLE OF THE UFL At every sale that has fakein place In this county during the past three months, the United Farmers League has taken active part, not (only In assuming leadership, in organization, but also doing practically all of the organization work in stopping sales. League was wholly responsible in stopping the first sale in the county. They took the leader ship h action at the sale, and were wholly responsible for ganizing the farmers who out to stop this sale. an The United Farmers or were Nebr. Holiday Leader Seeks Governor Job Thru Farm Movement CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OFFERED GROUP $100,000 IF HE RAN FOR GOVERNOR ON HOLIDAY ASSN. TICKET •v (BY WILBER HOWARD) Dakota City, Nebr., Jan. 10.—I attended a meeting of the Farm Holiday Association on December 30 at Norfolk, Nebr,, which proved to me that the leaders of this state organiza tion have other interests than those of the farmers at heart. Owing to some misunderstanding or other these who came for the meeting were divided into two groups. A lawyer-farm er, W. S. Renne of Washington county, who claimed to be or ganizing three counties in the Holiday movement, took the group I was with to one place. There were about forty farm ers present. Another lawyer-farmer, Mr. dark, was elected chairman and Renne was elected secretary. The other group met, elsewhere until the afternoon when we met together. ORGANIZED BUT BEING FORECLOSED Renne made the opening talk. He told that he had three counties organized almost, one hundred per cent and that the farmers were being dosed out by the score. At this point somebody asked him Why he could not stop these foreclosures and evictions if he had the counties so well organized. Renne replied that he didn't dare to call out the farmers because they didn't "have the guts." These farmers have no reason to come out, when Mr. Renne calls them because he talks continually about "legality" and what farmers want is mass action. He then told of the plans that had been made to get the Holiday movement into the political campaign for Parmenter, the state president. A committee consisting of Renne, Par menter and (I think) Clark called on Governor Bryan and had been given the cold shoulder. This inspired them to find out the possibilities of running Parmenter for governor. DEAL WITH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE They proceeded to the Chamber of Commerce to find out, what support they would give to Parmenter running as Holi day president for governor. The Chamber of Commerce which represents the railroads, loan companies and insurance com panies seemed interested but told the committee to wait until after lunch for the answer. The answer was that the Chamber of Commerce would put one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) behind Parmenter 's campaign if the committee would run him as Holiday associa tion candidate for Governor. The committee went back to Bryan, and told the governor about the offer of one hundred thousand dollars. Renne stated that the committee found Bryan ready to "eat, out of our hand." Since Parmenter's chances of victory would be very poor without Bryan's open opposition the committee decided not to run Parmenter in '32 but to groom him for '34. "FARMER-GOVERNOR" POLITICIAN That this is the plan of the Holiday Association leaders is proved by the fact that Parmenter allowed Renne and Clark to adjourn the meeting by introducing him as the Holiday Asso ciation candidate for 1934 and as the farmer-governor of Ne braska in 1935. This shows that the Parmenter group is doing its best, to make a political football out of the farmers' movement and of the Holiday Association, Mr. Renne hqs his own political ambitions. He is priming himself for the job of attorney-general. The farmers in his parts probably understand that he has no interest, in their wel fare, but only in his own political ambitions. No wonder he has no success in stopping foreclosures and evictions. Steve Mulner Will Remain; Neighbors Prevent Eviction (Continued from page One) made no payments on it, the court foreclosed on him. They ordered him fo appear in court, but he re membered what they did to him the last time, and he refused. They came and got him. This happened in 1920. ner about the mortgage, he said, "I know nothing about it. I never signed any paper. SIGNED NO MORTGAGE When the court asked Steve Mul He told the court this through an interpreter as he cannot speak very much English. Then the court told him that they had foreclosed on his farm, that, it didn't belong to him . - T " " As far as the writer himself has been able to ascertain, the dent of the FHA has done ac tually no organizational work hav ing to do with stopping sales. He has not notified the heads of the Town Units of the FHA, he has done nothing to organize action committees of the farmers in each town has done nothing to teach the fanners how to resist sales when he is unable to attend them, and has insisted that when a sale l d ' v Go ]? h< r lm T should be the man to handle it. He has insisted on investigating sales himself, and taken charge at every sale. RESIST SALES Besides being active in ping foreclosures and other forced sales, the UFL has been very successful in organizing ac tion committees cf farmers to investigate all sales in their re-, spective townships and to orga- | *nize for resistance and for fur ther struggles. This action com mittee idea has been greeted with enthusiasm by all farmers in whose vicinity they have been organized. We have nothing but praise for the way hi which the j action committees have been T , . .. , In t he meeting m the Court house foUowmg the sale both Har ISsaLZ EelWtoYhiS"™ had been delegate, w. told f tht talent whïh hYd J» Ô h h h d ac ' corded us when we were with the Wnno-pr MnrpViorc Wot g , Y® ex P lained W ^ hC conference what 5? by * "1 the setting up of the National Committee for Action. rrf^r ^ ~ ^ ' ' 0US . } , C ^ 1011 ,^ e , ^ are ' ^ oppers 0 lab am a who had been ! epresente f d th€ conference the /TVl' ^ * t «-ä ** county Farm Holiday Associations, stop functioning. Jany longer and what was he going to do about it. He told them in a very few words that he was going back there and live, as it, was his place and he had signed no mort gage—which was true. At this trial two doctors and the jury found him sane. So Steve Mulner went, back to the home that was no longer his. ; They had a sheriff's sale on it and William Lege, lawyer in Belling ham, was the highest bidder. He ! got the property for $451.61. They ' must, have come to an agreement 1 for Steve remained on his place When William Lege died, Attor ney Bixby bought the mortgage on Steve Mulneris place and has held it ever since. He says he will not foreclose, but poor Steve, who is presi-|now 66 years old, had trouble In store for him again. Here is how it happened j Steve was old. He hired a man, another farmer, to do his spring work for him. The man worked seven days with a team and he charged $6 a day—a total of $42 Steve didn't have the money at the time and planned to pay him out of the proceeds of the crop But the crop didn't yield much and P ric ®s went way down. Steve, like thousands of us farmers, was un able to pay his debts at. this time, FILES A LIEN The other farmer wouldn't wait. He filed a lien Property, and Mr. Gaston, who is constable of Sumas, served out what it was all about, he went jin the house and got, his shotgun 3n( i ran Gaston off the place. He was able to hold the county depu ties off the place for two Weeks hut was finally captured and taken to the county seat and jailed, * * * around here have realized the dan ger of losing their places and have been forming committees of ac tion. They decided to come to the rescue of oW stev e Mulner. The saIe waB set for 24 ' 1932 ' The sala ^ awTle< ! co ^ an d rainy, but that dWn,t the farmers - They came out 80« strong from all parts Whatcom county to stop the sale which was to take place at, 10 0 $ cl0ck . Somehow the officials ««ned to know better than to show up , so there was no sale. A committee went to see the sheriff to make him go through with the sale, but he was sick, The committee then went to the C0UIlty att omey and demanded he cancel he sale. He said he would z „fter farmer talked it ever and papers on Steve. As soon as Steve found In the meantime the farmers POSTPONEMENT OF WIS. SALE (Continued from pace one) of the Clark County FHA had known about this case for some time. He had notified the sher iff that the FHA would hot per mit the moving of this man in the middle of the winter. The sheriff then appointed Mr. Gold heimer to look for another place for Mr. Teenier, and take care of the details of moving him, ao that the sheriff would not have to bother to come up and evict him. Mr. Goldheimer accepted the task. « Now, we of the United Farm ers League regard such action as rank strike breaking on the part of the Holiday leadership. In as much as the FHA has bee« organized and has reached its present strength in this county mainly because it has told the farmers that it stood primarily for the saving of the Américain farm, and keeping the American farmer on it. .... .. . _ _ a *. ....When h se ac the farm of Mr. fesmer there wa talk of tar and feathers for Mr. Goldheimer. His policy of insists mg that he is e on y 0 county possessmg the P r0 P^ au thonty and knowledge for stoppmg a sale is losmg for him the con fidence of the farmers m this county. It is only natural that they should feel this way. We of this county have been be trayed by so many fake form or I ganizations, so many fake farm leaders and so many fake politic ians that we distrust any man who shows the least tendency to re strict any form of democracy in ;our organization. The farmers j are not content to follow leaders unquestionably any more. They lare exhibiting the very healthy tendency of insisting on having a finger in the pie themselves. They are beginning to see that if they want a thing well done they must do it themselves. When all the farmers in this country learn this one little fact, then they will be ready to unite to take back that which is theirs by right. FARMERS AND DELEGATES TO COUNTY SEAT Farmers elected two men as delegates to go to the county seat with Mr. Goldheimer the follow ing day to settle once and for all the fact that this farmer stays on his farm nî the sheriff and his laws. The delegates were John Hetts and Lester Wilhite. They interviewed the district at torney, and were severely censored by that officr for interfering with "due process of laiw," and accused of being unfair to the "poor" Farme Sales and Heading Com pany who had legal right to their property. The district attorney flatly refused to do anyhting to delay the eviction of the farmer. SHERIFF WARNED The sreriff was then warned by the delegates and the officers, of the FHA not to start any shoot ing when attempting a forced sale or eviction. It developed that he had received orders from the dis trict attorney to evict Mr. Tesmer from his farm at all costs. JUDGE PROMISES NO MORE FORECLOSURES, EVICTIONS Finally the Circuit Judge, Mr. Crosby was interviewed. After a long talk with the delegates, he consented to call off the sheriff, promised that there would be no more forced sales, or mortgage proceedings or eviction proceed ings going through his court until the Democrats had an opportunity to show what they will Or will not do for the farmers. This concession was not gotten from the circuit, judge because of the kindness of his heart. It was gotten because the people of this county showed unmistakeably that they would not stand for this wholesale robbery any longer. On , the last, day of December, 1932, \ the farmers in this county staged ; a demonstration in which they took j possession of the courthouse and j held a mass meeting in the court | room. Even the town chairmen j are beginning to line up behind i this movement. This is the signal! for all petty politicians to ride ! into power on the wings of hot air ! and radical phrases. Let the peo- j pie beware. Fakirs in politics in this movement is one of the surest indications that the organizations : will be shortlived. Guard against ; this danger by sending the fight-j ers of the rank and file into office. I In the organization itself, guard ; against any attempt at autocracy ; by snuffing it out at the very be- ! ginning. Don't ever let it get a start., because then it will be too | late. they settled for $30. The other farmer saw the solidarity of the other farmers and so he accepted the money. Steve sold one of his ._, 1110 cows and a few chickens to the debt. So Steve lives in his farm again and the neighbors do™ bofher him * once. pay any more. After the sale was settled the farmers met in a hall and drew up a resolution to present to the county commissioners demanding no more sheriff's sales. A collec tion of $6.35 was taken up to help the work along. All the farm ers present pledged to continue to protest all sales and voted to sup port, a state farmers relief confer Doings of the Advance Guard Getting relief to the farmers is smother thing the United Farmers League is taking up and getting resuka. Millions of dollars were appropriated by the federal gov ernment and turned over to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Are you getting any of it? This money was intended to be distributed among the hungry people in order to keep them from raising hell and probably breaking into stores and help them selves. Many people do not know that this money is avail able. They sit quietly at home and starve. They don't know that in order to get in on this relief they must or ganize and demand it. The politicians eure not going to hand out this money willingly, no matter how much you need it. Saving the country by starving the people is the attitude they are taking. If you want to get in on this relief you must hoflw for it. The Producers News is telling what farmers doing in that line. Get make them are our paper to the farmers and it. DOINGS OF LAST WEEK John O'Neil, Billings, Mont., sends stamps for balance on sub. < <wm t ^ ^ a mh JVJW * Aug Wanha]a> Kimball, Minn., sends us three more subs, Mrg r^^I, Cooke, Mont., renewg for an0ther ^ Kavanaugh, Carlton, Minn., renews fop gix m ' onths g Mutana Hurley, Wis., sends one more sub R A Woofon, Bladen, Ohio sub sino HUI, Gackle, N. D., wants a rece j p t book so he can take sub ! scr i p tions. pred A Wagner, Ray, N. D., ex tends his sub another dollars' j wor th. Harry Lux, Julesburg, Colo., or ders a bundle of papers and sub cards. Frank Walters, Sioux City, Iowa; sends another dollar for bundle. Fred Anderson, Billings, Mont., wants 26 copies of back numbers. Frank Murtland, Bemidji, Minn., sends dollar for bundle of ten per week. Hungarian Daily, Cleveland, O. subscribes. Frank Brown, San Jose, Calif., wants ten copies of the paper. 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