The producers news. [volume], May 31, 1934, Image 1

About The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
0**/q
THE PRODUCERS NEWS ^
»
aa Yo«r Nst^jor to
|bUibe to Y*» Paper
cleat
The Paper mf the Oppressed and Exploited
c «
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
PLENTYWOOD, SHERIDAN COUNTY, MONTANA, THURSDAY, MAY 31, 1934
XVII. Number 10
tOL
Communist Party Launches Ticket
I
n n
Farmers Restore Property
to Farm Worker in N.Dak.
1I.F.L, Holiday and Other
?00 Respond to Last Minute Call, Proceed With Evic
tion of Shoberg After Meeting, Put Rightful
Owner Back; Movies Taken
By a Farmer Correspondent
SANISH, N. D., May 20.—About 200 farmers and work
er», members of the United Farmers League and the Holi
day Association, and unorganized farmers gathered here in
answer to a call for help to protect the human rights of a
fellow worker, Benjamin Bemtson, of Sanish, Tuesday after
noon, May 15. After hearing the details of the case the
meeting unanimously decided to put Berntson back in pos
session of his property from which he had been forcibly
evicted by a Mr. Shoberg, of Sanish. Shoberg had bought
the property for taxes and had received title. The decision
carried out immediately.
The call was put out the evening before and the re
sponse of the farmers and workers was splendid. They real
ized that the present social order and its laws were not pro
tecting the human rights of workers and farmers, and that
it was necessary to establish a law of their own.
Sent
gred LaRocque, a farmer of
ÄK :
Secretary of the UFL, was ap- ;
pointed secretary.
SS3
ing so that the farmers could talk
to him. Shoberg refused to come.
He stated that he was not inter
ested and that the committee
see
ers instead.
One commissioner, Crosby, who
Was in town, was seen by the
committee with the same result. !
He refused to come, stating that j
there wa s going to be a day after <
.
Ml
After the committee had re
ported, the meeting decided to re- ;
tom the property to Bemtson. :
Shoberg had forcibly taken poses- :
■o n of Bemtson 's home while he
was working on a farm. He had
broken the lock, moved in with !
or and tools, etc., and had new.
locks put on he doors. Farmers i
and workers got busy at once,
moving Shoberg's stuff out of the;
house and Bemtson in again. !
Ingerson Speaks
This task accomplished, a reso
lotion committee consisting of
Ashbel Irgerson, A. A. Hukkanen,
Barrett, A. D. LaBrant, and
A*o Husa was elected.
Ash Ingerson, member of
U.F.L. State Committee, then ex
plained the action that had been
taken. He shoVed how the master
stasis was exploiting farmers and
woikws, their wives and children
maintain their ease and lux
taies. He explained how the cap
Halist state with its courts and
Uws and prisons was always used
against the interests of the farm
«8 and workers. These laws make
as starve in the midst of plenty,
Intrerson said, they help to evict
as from our homes and dispossess
ttfrom our farms. He concluded,
(Ci. itlnued on last page)
WASH. U.F.L LEADS 800
IN FORECLOSURE FIGHT
By a Fanner Correspondent
ABERDEEN, Wash. May 10.— 1
hundred workers and farm- i
** from four counties rallied at '
ontesano county court house at
® a - m. Saturday, May 5, under
®e leadership of the United Farm
League, to fight against fore
, 0sure of the Ben Nieman dairy
tarm of Brady, Washington.
A committee of 16 was elected
the demand of the league
the sheriff accept the bid j
Nieman's son of $50—to the i
•®pff. the committee reported !
**** that Sheriff Bartel, who had
' Pevi( msly pose< i
_
forced themlo Aut up. The
Started sinrinv "Solidarity,i
Jta'ver,'* drowning out any bids,
bul finally made the mistake of
down, allowing the sher
Sr£v Ckim thathe heard a bid
ta.Coo and that the sale was thus
r^ed at that amount. No move,
was made to turn over
deed.
I »nrv 8 y posed as a of the
I farmer3 > had an *
■ • "«need that "the *ale would take
I •t''* w? highest oid accept- j
J Wr Kieman'g^sn bidVTc^h.
j *>>«„ .«in*, of f«mers be
I ■ *5 to .b«,, ta unison, "Sell »1
I ftty dollar* " A group of the
I *wiffs paid thugs attempted to
I ** tough, but tk? farmers' mili
The
:
pTTHIfr I1T /l|*r\T 111 in
MRlht IN CITY WAS
Iiri I) I M fCTTIMr
liLLT ill ut 1 I IWu
SEED-FEED LOANS
By a Farmer Correspondent
SCOBEY—Farmers of Daniels
the fact that they are getting their
seed loans
—
county believe that the militant
truck drivers strike in Minneapo
lis has been quite influential for
now.
The seed loan applications of a
number of farmers here had been
turned down flatly and repeatedly
When no satisfactory reasons
given the farmers called a meet
ng at t h e court house here which 1
was attended by the local investi
gators, by the state agent of the ;
see( i loa n office and by a great
number of farmers.
. .
Agaan , the r ^°^ 3 given for
down seed loan applica
tions were quite unsatisfactory to
t fe la ^ erS Q n ^ Uy ^ e ^
dSy b^STthe £.
trict fmL at Mii^^is He
ws mse if one 0 f tu« local inveatiira
fmm I sheri?
"" a
,• . d ^ t
there
As soon as these men returned
even those farmers who had been
turned down twice were now re
ceiving their seed loans. It is be
lieved here that our meeting is re
sponsible for this but that at the
same time the determination and
militancy of the Minneapolis strik
ers must have made a strong im
pression upon those agents and the
officials at Minneapolis and are
thus at least partly responsible for
our seed loans.
were
The chairman of the meeting
proposed that the committee should
go to the sheriff and find out who
had purchased the farm, and
whether the bid of $50 had taken
the farm. A deputy sheriff took
out a blackjack and moved toVard
the committee, but he was told by
the workers to put it away or he
would have his gutg tom out. He
put it away.
Upon question, the sheriff an
n0 unced that he had sold the farm
to a Mr. Glenn for $9000, by check.
Asked if the check was certified,
Declare Farm Sold
the protest and hear the evidence.
The International Labor Defense
has been called in to aid m this
fight.
i Mass pressure and organization
of'can carry this fight through tea
successful conclusion and lay the
basis for successful fights against
other foreclosures and eviction« of
small farmers.
he replied,
chance on it.
^ waa P hoaey ' a " d ^d^the
' t tbe
shenff "" th * m JJ'. 1 Brot
sale to Judge Campbell.
Campbell declared, with a buirs
of demagogy, that he would aBow
the protest and hear the evidence.
No, but I'll take a
a
>>
Force Protest Hearing
The committee declared that the
DROUGHT PLIGHT OF
FARMERS IS OF NO
interest to aaa
Concern Is Market for Meat
Packers While Ruin
Faces Millions
WASHINGTON.—In the midst
of widespread ruin and destitution,
the Roosevelt, administration moves
to "protect the agricultural price
structure" instead of arranging im
mediate relief for the hundreds of
thousands of drouth-stricken small
farmers.
The administra' ion, according to
an official statement, is preparing
action "against the imminent de
struction of the agricultural price
structure due to glu ted livestock
markets." What troubles the offi
cials of the AAA is, in their own
words, that "farmer's without feed
for their livestock may throw
them on the market in sacrifice
sales," as a result of the drouth.
Foreclosures Rise
The announcement of the AAA
confirms the (reports from Iowa
and other states that the price of
feed has risen to prohibitive fig
ures. A Chicago house says that
feed com is being sold in Iowa at
prices which, with freight added,
would equal 59 cents a bushel. The
result is that small farmers, who
have neither com nor credit, are
selling their cattle at a pittance
rather than see them drop dead
from starvation. In a majority of
cases, it is the mori gage-holders
who are forcing the Bale of the
cattle on which they have a lien,
buying in the cattle themselves.
Federal aid in the fonrm of cash
relief or distribution of com which
would allow the farmers 1o hold
their cattle is not even mentioned
by the government. The huge bins
of federal com, held as security
government loans remain closed
to the farmers, except where they
have broken the locks and helped
themselves.
Bolster Market j
The action of the government, ;
the contrary will consist pri- .
i
on
manly of steps to bolster up the
beef market. "To meet this danger
(of glutted markets)" the govern
ment press agent says "the admi
nistration is planning to enter the
livestock market i'self. One pro-,
posai is to buy beef and other meat
for cann j ng w jth Federal Emecg-'
0 Relief Fui.ds." A conference
^ state extension agents from the
i drouth area has been called in
Washington to work this plan out,
This type ° f rehcf . WÜ1 glV ®
handsome aid to the rich farmers
who are seizing the cattle of the
nuined cattle raisers, and will save
the day for the big packers and the
cattle buyers who have thousands
of head already on hand. But the
ruin of the smaller farms goes un*
checked.
Chester Davis, AAA administra
toI . f outlined the narrow program
0 f "relief" which the administra
t ion has in mind. This consists
0 f a modification of the AAA rule
to a n 0 w farmers to plant forage
orops ^ drouth districts; of pro
posals f or buying cattle in areas
w here feed supplies are en
dangered, and speeding up benefit
payments.
on
.
Davis admitted that Benefit ;
payments alone Will not be enough
in all drouth areas.
ru t « 79 i Ann LicrViuran
JSUf ipt on Mav24 hï tbs
bSWoL£.
, * 0 n Lhh „„ ;
sion only a . part will go to
ClSfto in.000 of 'this fund will
be used to give Plentywood's First
Avenue gravel surface a mix oil
treatment The oiling is to extend
distance of 0 874 imles to
The con
PLENTYWOOD FIRST
AYE. TO BE OILED
over a
the west city limits,
tract has been awarded to the Hair
Cons truction Co., of Cedar
groves
Rapids, la., for $16,951.
Other projects in the eastern
part of the State include:
Grading, surfacing with gravel
and construction of small drainage
1.533 miles of the
structures on . ,
Sidney-Culbertson highway in Rich
land county to the new bridge oyer
the Missouri river south of Cul
W+*nn The contract went to S.
sL, Minneapolis,
for $37 396 49.
Construction
bridges on the Sidney-Culbertson
road in Richland county;
Four-panel 76-foot treated tim
ber pile bridge over Day Creek, a
five-panel 95-foot treated timber
pUe bridge over the highwater
channel of the Missouri river. Lon
tractor Walter Maddn, Brockway,
$6,848.66.
A similar oil treatment as win,
be given to the Pb* avenue here
will also be given to Sixth Ave.
Mein street. Anaconda street and
first Ave. in the town of Wolf
Pohrt*
of the following
JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE
• £
v' ; :<
f
*
Vj
At
ms
c t
rag
Ü
■51
g|
mm r:
i*.
%•
■f
mm
■sillJP
a*
A > v
mm
A-'
4
im
i.»!
iSätM
f
: ■
*
v.
W
4 • ••
•v '
.
m
m
. > . *
■7 Vfc
mam
M
s*
<• *
f. -i
"
WmSm
:■
t
4*0
;
mm
i, i ■&'.
mm
ÎM,
%
V*
pm
m
mm.
i .
A moment before this picturq was snapped in the Minneapolis
mar ket place, the businessmen and underworld hugs who had been
swiodn in as special police and who are shown getting out of a car
with clubs attacked the unarmed striking pickets (in background). A
few minutes later some of the special police were on the "way o the
hospital, one died. Trucking stopped.
SHERIDAN COUNTY DESIGNATED
AS SECONDARY DROUTH AREA
_
.
r aimers L/Issatisf'ecl, De
mand Full Benefit C-f
P~J Prrm-m, !
red. Keilet Program
1
After the farmers of Sheridan j
county have been using the is mass
pressure, after they have passed
resolutions at theiir meetings, and
sent telegrams, gave a good lec
ture to the government représenta
tive J. Krall, who was investigat
ing drought conditions in the coun
ty last week C. C Davis admim
the J ,,nally J
consented U> include Sheridan and
19 other Montana counties in
secondary drought area.
This decision comes rather late
and is certainly not at all satisfac
i tory to the farmer».
i Secondary drought counties do
1 not the fall benefit of the fed
eral drought relief program but
are freed according to J. C. Taylor,
director of the Montana Extension
Service, only of the restrictions as
to the planting of feed crops on
all except the contracted acres.
With the planting restrictions
removed, says Taylor, farmers
may plant corn for forage and any
other feed drop they may choose
"on of their farms
i
1
çept the areas designated as con- 1
tracted acres." ,
p Arbitrariness
* armors are wondering over the
arbitrariness of the designation as ■
to which counties are "secondary"
or "emergency" drought counties,
F 3 ™ 61 " 8 hare believe that Sheri
*** count y * Mt ^ M hard "!
Willis c r ty, and they a ? ^ |
tain that the drought did not stop
^ ^ ^
•«"? f^? dan C °^ 7 is ,
^re developing into a desert they
can see o reason why it should not
J® designated the same as Wil
liam ? coun ty, an Emergency drouth
cmmty -
Tlie farmers of Sheridan county
certainly are in need of all the
drought relief they can get. They
have a right to the full benefits
of the federal drought program.
And if the county authorities are
not going to do anything, or "don't
know what to do" to get this re
lief, the farmers will have to get
it themselves.
The Montana counties designated
as secondary drought counties are:
Valley, Daniels, Sheridan. Roose
velt * McCone * Richland, Dawson,
a meeting of the United Farm
^ League, Dagmar Local, will
ulte pj^ at the Dagmar stotte,,
Saturday, June 2, at 8 p. «.
i Delegates to the State and
National U.F.L. conventions will
^ elected. The meeting will
concern feel# wit« drought
situations, and with the relief
question in general. All farmers
are invited.
DAGMAR U.F.L. MEETS
SATURDAY, 8 P. M.
■
.___
Prairie Custer, Philips, Petroleum,
Musselshell, Golden Valley, Treas
urer . Rosebud, Garfield, Fallon,
Wibaux. Powder River and Carter.
"Hoppers May Starve"
* armors from .he Dagmar coun
i e P°rt that the mercury last
Tuesday soared up to 105 degrees,
Livestock is in a serious condition
and the land looks like waste land,
a desert.
From a u pa^s of the county it
!is Kported that the ^hoppers
are doing fine. Not only are they
hatching in undreamed of numbers I
^ w sU rted feeding and |
are leaving no blade untouched. If
(he number increases and drought
continues, farmers say, there is a
chance that we may starve them
because as it is they haven't
^ ot any too much to feed on.
(
| . „ ,
* 11 over the county. Everywhere
| f 8,16 bUs ^ dis nbuting the
? ait * complain Uiat tAe'Sturt
ls . not we l . ai )° t ". at , ump ^
'r a / semc are fon j lnd - rf ^ nd
l-JZ
' p aces ' 4 ^
WIlfn s P reaclin ^ tn e poison.
Although farmers are very
Hopper poison is being spread
much discouraged and have
hope that their work wiU ^ much
successful they are spreading the
,
°ait nevertheless,
Many farmers are regarding the
hoppers thi s year as even a greater
danger* than the drought—but what
the difference as long as both
these («tors WoA to the effect
no
that the farmer receives nothing
bf his crops.
DAGMAR FARMER IS
SLUGGED AND ROBBED
OF $50 IN N. D. FRIDAY
DAGMAR, May 25.—Nel s (Da
kota) Christensen, farmer from
here, was knocked unconscious
with a blunt instrument and rob
bed of about $50 when he stepped
out of a beer parlor in Grenora,
N. D. yesterday.
When he came to again he found
himself behind the American hotel
where he apparently had been
dragged. All he knows, he says,
is that he was hit from behind and
was knocked out. He had around
$60 with him which were gone
when he recovered.
Christensen immediately in
formed the sheriff at Grenora who
told him that he should stay in
town for a day or two for identi
fication in case somebody gets
picked up.
Christensen's assailants were dis
covered shortly in he persons of
Doliver Roberts, 25, and Oscar
Stenerson, 28, both of Grenon-a.
Both were charged with robbery in
the first degree, pleaded guilty and
Were sentenced to from one to 20
year s in the state penitentiary.
Fight Roosevelt Starvation
Program, His Mainstreet
Support, Communists Call
*
COMERTOWN U.F.L
ELECTS DELEGATES!
FOR CONVENTIONS!
Telegrams to Wheeler and
Ayres Demand Drought
Relief
COMERTOWN, May 24.—At the
regular meeting of the local of the
United Farmers League here to
day delega' es for the U.F.L. Mon
tana State Convention and a dele
gate for the UFL National Con
vention were elected.
Bert Putman and Florence E.
Corcoran will attend the sta^e con
vention at Dagmar; Joe McCall
will be the Comertown delegate
for the Minneapolis Convention.
The drought situation was dis
cussed at the meeting. When the
farmers learned that Sheridan
county was not included in the
regular drought area they became
very much irritated. It was moved
that telegrams be sent to Senator
Wheeler and to Representative
Ayres to protest this fact and to
demand that farmers in Sheridan
county receive immediately the
benefit of drought relief.
The meeting also discussed the
Farm School on Wheels and elected
Joe McCall to attend the training
school of the U.F.L. as student dur
ing the four weeks course in July.
A special finance committee of
five was elected to raise the nec
essary money for the delegates to
both conventions,
-
S. D. FARMERS
WIN VICTORY IN
RELIEF STRIKE
Demands Granted They
Organize for Greater
Struggles
By a Farmer Correspondent
SISSETON, S. D., May 21.—Un
der the rank and file leadership of
the United Farmers League 40
farmers of Grant township (Rob
erts county) went on strike pro
testing the unbearable conditions
at relief jobs.
Workers and farmers of Roberts
county were working 13 hours on
those jobs and received pay for
eight and a half hours. They were
forced to travel their horses up to
42 miles per day. When they got
sufficiently disgusted with these
conditions they struck, demanding
shorter hours and less mileage.
A meeting of the township sup
ervisors was called immet»iatei.>
and a strike committee presented j
the demands of the striking farm
ers. The supervisors were forced |
to agree to io hours working time}
and 24 miles of travel for relief
workers.
This cannot be considered as a
splendid victory but it shows that
through mass pressure we can gain
our demands. We are now orga
nisme for eight hours pay for
eight hours work and for higher
wages, and we are confident to win
4 hes© demands within a short time.
.
'
I
We WiU Picket With
Longshoremen, Say
Farmers in Oregon
SHERWOOD, Oregon, May
11.—(by mail)—At a special
meeting of the Sherwood-Tig
ard Local of the United Farm
ers League held on May 10, a
commit* ee of farmers was elect
ed to call on the shipowners and
the headquarters of the strik
ing longshorement in Portland
and tell them that the farmers
herre are 100 per cent wi'h the
longshoremen in their strike.
The fight of the longshore
for a decent living wage
it
men
is our fight," said a statement
issued by the farmers commit
tee. "We will rush food to the
s 4 riker s and, if necessary, go on
duty with them on the picket
line.
**
Campaign to Start With Fight for Full Immediate Bene
fits of Government Relief for All Drought
Stricken Families
SIX POINT DROUGHT PROGRAM
Party Urges Impoverished Farmers and Workers to
Support Communist Candidates in Fight
Class Against Class
i
ARCHER, Mont.— The membership meeting of the
Plentywood Section of District 11 of the Communist Party
of the United Statesi held here recently, unanimously en
dorsed the following slate of candidates to run for office on
the Communist ticket:
For Senator of the State of Montana. Melvin Evenson,
Raymond; for Representatives, August Westphal, Raymond,
and Gonius Laursen, Reserve ; for Sheriff of Sheridan county
Chris Heiberg, Dagmar; for Clerk and Recorder, Magnus
Danielson, Medicine Lake; for County Treasurer, Sehner
Espeland, McElroy; for County Commissioners, Hans Har
dersen, Archer, and Oden Lutnes, McElroy; for County
I Assessor, Otto Grantham, Raymond; for County Superin
tendent of Schools, Elna Swanson, Plentywood; for County
Surveyor, Hans Rasmussen, Plentywood; for County Cor
«7 îii;«w» « ü _'_ y rTy,. . , . . .
p, , ,3 ^ eserve ' Public Administrator,
Alma Herron - Plentywood.
as
Last summer it was
SHEEP WAR LOOMS
ON MONT. RANGES
LIM A, Mont.—Bloody sheep
in which human blood as well
sheep's may flow, are about to
break out on the range because of
the long drought and the scarcity
of fodder,
very dry and last winter there was
hardly any snow.
Every sheep outfit is trying to
monopolize what little feed there
is in the foot hills. They have be
gun crowding each other or "buck
ing range," which means that a
sheepherder who sees another herd
coming his way throws his own
herd into them. The herds get
mixed up and the sheep war is on.
Sometimes the law is asked to set
tle rights over the open range but
often the six-shooters deal out
quick justice.
Now cow outfits are also i n the
fighting. A cowpuncher ran a
sheepherder off a section of range
the other day and today the sheep
herder turned the tables, armed
with a rifle. Neither the sheep
owners nor cattle owners do any
fighting, letting their hired men
take the risks, just as in real war.
war
U.F.L. STOPS EVICTION
FREES JAILED FARMER
125 Farmer» From ihree
Counties Respond to
Leaflet
By a Farmer Correspondent
HILMAR, Calif., May 19.—Mass
action by the United Farmers
League stopped the eviction of L.
E. Mount from big home here this
week when, at their call 125 farm
ers and workers from Merced.
Stanislaus and Madera counties
came here to help him. When the
UFL leaflet call was issued, the
Bank of America who were fore
closing, feared the demonstration.
Mount was arrested, and when the
farmers assembled in front of his
home and found he was in jail,
they sent a committee, demanding
his release and brought him trium
phantly home.
The League is now demanding
the bank withhold eviction proceed
ings pending another appeal to the
Home Owners Loan Association,
and is determined to keep up the
fight and prevent eviction. Al
ready Mount has appealed to
Roosevelt, and an investigating
committee was promised. But the
investigator is employed by the lo
cal bank and is a close friend of
Austorland, the forecloses So he
did exactly nothing whatever.
Mount has alrea dy paid $4,000
the loan of $2700 made in 1924
on his home. Interest was at 7
per cent, and Austerland claims he
has kept no account of the month
on
These men and women, the candi
dates of the Communist Party,
unalterably opposed to the Roose
velt starvation program. They
recognize that Roosevelt and his
administration have been unwilling
to fulfill any of the loud campaign
promises made to workers and
farmers two years ago.
The Communist candidates state,
that it i s the object of the Roose
velt government to deliberately de
ceive the people in order to assure
the continuation of the harvest of
profits by the Wall Street com
panies. Roosevelt's first act in
office Was to close the banks and
rob hundreds of thousands of the
small depositors of their life sav
ings.
an
This line of activity he has con
tinued throughout his administra
tion, saving the profits of Wall
Stireet and the big monopolies.
NRA and AAA are created for
that single purpose: To deceive
and surpress the toiling masses of
workers and farmers to assure the
profits.
During this year, 810 of the
biggest Wall Street corporations
showed the fattest profits since
the crisis broke in 1929, profits of
$410,000,000,
The democratic and republican
officials in Sheridan county are
doing their damdest to support
(L&ntifiued on page 2)
ly payments. He has two forged
notes alleged by him to have been
signed by Mount's wife, who is
Mount is one of the very few
farmers in the district who have
been able to withstand the lauft*
grabbing policies of the local bank
ers and holding companies, so they
are particularly anxious to get his
property. Not content with try
ing to steal his house, the com
pany this season put its own fence
around his farm, cut his hay, har
vested all his crops and would not
allow him to set foot on his own
land.
Paul Our, state secretary of the
United Farmers League, Gene
Rhyne, Merced organizer of the
Communist Party and several
other speakers at the meeting
stressed the importance of build
ing the League to fight against
all foreclosures and evictions.
ARMOUR CREAMERY
STATION TO OPEN IN
PLENTYWOOD SOON
PLENTYWOOD.—Last week the
representative of the Armour
Creameries was in town to make
arrangements for the opening of »
cream station.
The stalion will be located in the
back part of West's Cafe and will
be ready for business immediately.
Merle Ketterman is in charge.