Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 March 1943 — Page 23
dus Administration in Battle Against Inflation - ;
Unlike Other Rural Groups: Has Remained
Friendly
to Labor. -
(Fourth of a Series)
By THOMAS L. STOKES : Times Special Writer : WASHINGTON, March 12.—The tonal pill with which the new deal once crusaded for low income groups on farm and in factory still burns in the six-foot-two frame of “Big Jim” Patton, president of the National Farmers union. ". James G. Patton, at 41, is the youngest head of a major - farm organization, and the most aggressive.
He came up the hard way out of the furrows of a Colo-
“rado farm, left by his father’s :
“death with the usual mortgage burden. He took ‘over, supported his mother, three sisters, a wife and baby, and, at the same ' time, worked his way through col- . lege. It left him \a rather thinly drawn young man, weighing 150 .... pounds, but with energy and ambi-
. He knew first and of the trib-
r, and he grew p in a commu‘nity where the farmers union had SMES a thriving co-op-erative movement. » Mr. Stokes go it was natural that he directed his qualities of leadership into that organization. ‘He became secretary of the Colo_rado farmers union in 1934, its president in 1938, and national president in 1940,
Backs Anti-Inflation
The union, unlike other major organizations, still has a distinctly new deal complexion. It alone is backing the administration generally "in its anti-inflation program, against which the other organizations have taken the warpath.’ Unlike the rest, it is friendly fo organized labor and maintains close relationship with the C. I. O, and the A. F. of L. In its present rejuvenated stage it is virtually a new deal baby. Although second oldest of the big farm organizations, having been organized in 1902—the year Jim Patton was born inh Bazar, Kas.—it has had an up and down career. If went into somewhat of a decline because of its association with the radical farm holiday movement in A Jowa and other midwestern states “in the dark days of the Hoover administration. The come-back process sponsored by the new deal started three or four years ago in the Dakotas. The * farmers union and agriculture department ‘agencies worked hand in hand. Farm union organizers would go out -ahead, enlist new members and organize co-operatives, and the administration would advance money to finance them.
Admits Support
No secret was made of this open encouragement by its chief agent, ‘Benham Baldwin, farm security ad~_ministrator. “We feel” he said at the time, “ “that strengthening the co-operative movement is one of the hest meth- ~ ods of rehabilitating’ farmers and indeed’ a whole farm area. People are co-operative minded in the northwest, and we don’t feel they “ ‘should be discouraged.” "The co-operative movement in the northwest, he said, “union movement.” ‘He praised .the union’s leadership in a speech at its 1941 convention at Topeka, Kas. At that same convention the un“derstanding between the farmers union and labor was formalized. \ Hear C. I. O. Chief President Patton, at Topeka, adressed the C. I. O. convention at #Petroit over a radio hook-up, saying, “The interest of the working farmer and the industrial worker is a common one.” James Carey, C. 1. O. secretary, replied in an . address to the farmers union. : At that convention, also, Gard“ner Jackson, then special assistant to the undersecretary of agriculture, ¢ announced that the Marshall foun"dation, of which he was a trustee, had alldcated $30,000 “to make real the collaboration between farmers and labor.” This, he added, was “the first time in history that any farm organization has attempted lo “collaborate with Ila Mr. Patton emphasized that the farmers union was approaching the C. I. 0. “with no thought of seeking aid for selfish, factional or organiZational purposes.” He has resisted any formal association.
Evy. in 1040, he rejected|selecting a year’s supply of shoes,|
+n offer by John L. Lewis of C. 1.0
* financing for an intensive. members-
ship drive, and he ‘also’ “spurned ‘a, "local southern political ‘leader who
~ offered to: deliver 30,000 farmers enlg
£ bloc—for a consideration. 7 SR No ‘Company Union’ On some, ssueg the farmers union |" le ey ivaried position than the new deal, and it is now making the Femre, at least, . of
“fs a farmers
| stock. Shoes. now J: {he ‘picked up. ‘by JN
“company union.” In an address a few weeks ago he said: | “The new deal remnants in administrative agencies and in the ramshackle Democratic parly can-
not fight off reaction.
“Have our people’s organizations, farmers, labor unions, civil welfare and religious groupg slipped into the habit ‘of expecting ‘the new deal’ or ‘the administration’ to do our jobs for us? Were we, perhaps, in danger of contracting a ‘company union’ attitude? If so, that’s over; from here on, we're on our own.”
The keynote of farm union policy is “security of the farm family on the land in an economy of abundance brought about by a free exchange of goods and services.” It emphasizes the “family type” farm; rather than the ‘corporate farm.” Mr. Patton criticizes the administration’s AAA program, -saying’ it now “tends to encourage farm ‘oper-
the other hand, to increase’ farm’ tenancy.” He accuses the’ other general farm organizations of ‘pur-
a philosophy of scarcity: and limitation of crops.
Want 100% Parity
His organization is for subsidies, rather than price increases—the opposite of the other major farm organizations. It stands for 100 per cent parity prices, rather than the 110 per cent sought by the other or= ganizations. Two of its present major objectives are an appropriation of two and one-third billion dollars for an agricultural food production expansion program to be conducted by the secretary of .agriculture as food administrator, and an increase beyond normal of farm security administration funds, which were reduced in the last congress with the support of other farm organizations. The union is very aggressive on behalf of FSA, undertakes to help the small and marginal farmers, In its campaign to prevent a reduction’ in the last congress, it had the help not only of C. I. O: and A. F. of L: and railway labor organizations, but also of the federal council of churches, the: national Catholic rural life conference, the national child labor committee, and the Ohio farm bureau federation, which often disagrees with the American farm bureau federation, the national organization, as in this case. The national farmers union now has a membership of 300,000 in 100,000 farm families, according to Paul Sifton, in eharge of its office hers. "He said membership had increased 20 per cent in’ the last year. It is strongest in the northwest and the Rocky mpunfain states, gad recently has invaded Oklahoma and Arkansas. It does not, however, extend into the old south, where the american farm bureau federation is strong. It has member-owned co-opera-tives in 26 states, with assets of $100,000,000. They handle oil, insurance, crops and farm supplies, and are organized along Rochdale plan lines — one stockholder, one vote. . Headquarters of the farmers union is in Denver. ;
TOMORROW: The National Grange. .
EASE RATION RULES ON LADIES’ SHOES
The ladies are going to have a little more leeway in’ their choice of non-rationed shoes. The OPA: office here announced today that sueded kidskin and sueded sheepskin open-back platform type play shoes with heels of not more than one and’ five-eighth inches are released from the rationing list. PF. L. Hogan, state rationing officer, said that shoes placed in layaway and will-call must be picked
‘they were bought. ‘Some people, he said, have been
expecting to pick them up in future ration periods. That cannot be done, ‘he said, inasmuch as dealers must account for every pair of shoes with corresponding ration stamps, or Put ‘the shoes back in Jayoway Must ie 5.
i WARREN HI-Y ELECTS Richard Hamilton recently was elected nt of the Warren ‘Central high’ school, Hi-Y club for
_"|the 1943-44 school year. Others
[chosen were Jacob Vanderfleet, vice| president; Robert Kelly, treasurer; | recording secretary; |
Earl Click, Ernest Sanders, sergeant-at-amms.
ation’ of the corporate type, and, on}:
suing this philosophy, along with{-
up during the ration period when|
taming clr eh eo 1 sto he ev
“developed by North ‘Ametiean at Dallas.
‘wheel landings.
It's a Sc Roomd
Job for Congress
WASHINGTON, Maich 12 (U. P.)—The members of congress ‘who want to give the new social
security and post-war economy reports a thorough study have 8, job on. their hands. The national resources planning board, after months of research and conferences, placed the two reports in the hands of President Roosevelt, who transmitted them to congress yesterday. Their phy sical characteristics: . Weight—Six pounds. . Wordage—450,000, with part 2 of the post-war report to come.
Pages—731, exclusive of part 2,. |B. Manhattan st.
with statistics, tables, ‘ete.
Shin * po hr
(ELMER E ROSE 18 [PROMOTED AT STOUT
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the Shortridge high school basket ball team in. 1930 and. later on the indianapolis Flashes. ‘He is married. and lives “at 450
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