The Rural Rebellion
THE COMMONWEAL A Weekly Review of Literature, The...
...Remember that the rate of progress which cannot easily be main"ined by last thirty years were devoted to a vast, successful 228 THE COMMONWEAL July 7, 1926 effort to gain for America the financial mastery of of this campaign for relief is closely akin to the the world, and you will see that the farmer's position theory upon which commerce has operated...
...One of their not easily interested...
...The vortex of business has swalblinking this now well-established social fact...
...We may not all a government commission empowered to market crop agree literally with Mr...
...The cost of living may be considerably enhanced while the cost of manufactured articles remains nearly and may lead to a wide circle of demands for increased stable, owing to agreements established by vast com- wages...
...A country so weather are taking delight in President Coolidge's completely industrialized as England, for instance, was discomfiture over the ' eagerness with which western obliged to face the gradual dessication of its farm farmers are experimenting with the self-help recom- districts...
...But even this argument, ironical characteristic of the discussion is the fact that for all its value as advertising copy, failed to bring one of the most earnest and effective speeches for about any noticeable change in the Englishman's atradical farm-relief was made by Senator Cummins, on titude toward life on the land...
...It is possible also that the Apparently, therefore, the capitalization of agricul- scheme might have international reactions...
...These might easily be found, but generally speaking, a dissenting vein...
...It is only natural that their version smith may be imaginatively colorful in some details, of this self-help should differ in several important par- but it remains a natural and normal situation...
...In so far as tive tariff are, as a consequence, brought to the sup- entrenched industry is the natural destructive enemy port of a protected export...
...The fact remains, howTheir sponsors believe, with most professed...
...Such a movement would set up many new whether the yield is a poor one of twenty bushels to political forces...
...and it is very difficult to...
...Dependent as it always a considerable amount of feeling on the quesis upon the market, it cannot take advantage of for- tion of dumping and it might be alleged that, in effect, tunate unate circumstances in that market...
...It has become clear that try...
...There is no ment of farm life...
...kets as a means to success...
...The Senate, however, of barriers to imports has really been to the advantage had been considering at the same time an amended of the average struggling citizen...
...If the political barometer is keting in all its phases will be the saving solution...
...the ultimate outcome...
...Year after year the Of necessity the growth of industrialism implies the census figures have indicated a comparative abandonretrogression of agrarian prosperity...
...If this should be so, all costs of production binations of capital and labor, the prices which agri- will ultimately tend to rise slightly and there would cultural produce can command are almost directly de- follow, probably after many struggles or at least propendent upon supply and demand...
...Volume Iv New York, Wednesday, July 7, 1926 Number 9 CONTENTS The Rural Rebellion 227 Artist and Woman Katherine Bregy 241 Week by Week 229 Crashaw the Mystic Sister M. Eleanore 243 Cases of Conscience 233 The American Flag (verse) Christ in America Michael Williams 234 Charles Constantine Pise (18o1-1866) 244 The Eucharistic Victory Communications 244 Thomas M. Schwertner 237 The Play R. Dana Skinner 247 Chicago and Sceptical America Books...
...To this two American economists, George need of rural living is an aristocracy, a group of ac- N. Peck and Chester C. Davis, replied in what was, credited leaders...
...and in general the whole of that population, it is the foe of us all...
...After ticulars from his, believing as they do that federal the war Lloyd George and others believed they had legislation of a distinctly novel sort can be pushed discovered an effective argument for agrarian reform through by a summary use of ballot power...
...Thereby the tariff is brought once government can do to aid the unionizing of a popula- again into the foreground of political thought...
...is to go up considerably in the United States then The present demand for farm relief is dictated, of there seems a fair possibility that it will have recourse, by circumstances which seem more immediate actions on the whole economic conditions of the counand positive in character...
...No matter to what the eve of his defeat at the Iowa primaries...
...For in the truth that the nation had been seriously handiweeks the debate about this legislation has distracted, capped, in its hour of martial need, by inability to frightened, and educated Congress ; and not the least produce sufficient food-stuffs...
...The fact that he has failed to gain is de- advance of trial...
...But it is pertinent form of the Haugen bill, which provides for that to remark that neither protection nor free trade can elaborate scheme of surplus marketing which has been ever guarantee agricultural life against the onslaughts so bitterly criticized as "class legislation...
...Naturally enough, the scheme constitutes the dumping of wheat on a the thoughtful among the farmers have concluded very large scale...
...It is not of industrialism...
...thus : we need to introduce the methods by which in- And, indeed, it is difficult to concede that even so dustry has profited, and we ought to gain for ourselves important and desirable a betterment as is that of the same social rights as the industrials enjoy...
...THE COMMONWEAL A Weekly Review of Literature, The Arts, and Public Affairs...
...bill-or any of the bills similar in character-provides What is the practical guarantee for which we are a standard round which a dissatisfied rural population looking...
...And not totally deceptive, it will be tried out in one form doubtless the speedy enactment of such a measure to or another...
...There is ture is relatively a bad investment...
...The situation described poetically by Goldmended to them...
...Britain difficult to account for this criticism...
...We ourselves have the one...
...All the old arguments for a protec- reasonably prosperous rural population...
...They are the same men who arguments reads as follows : "If the price of wheat have developed manufacturing, banking, and commerce...
...just now is more than a simple mistake in the choice Whether the plan is workable cannot be known in of a site...
...By proposing to operate through eagerly coveted as the years go on...
...The Haugen has the other...
...Bryan's statement, "Destroy surpluses abroad, thus stabilizing the domestic price, the country and grass will grow in the streets of your the sponsors of the bill hope to leave in the farmer's cities," but we do know that the health and continued hands those prizes of seasonal prosperity which now well-being of the nation depend upon a sturdy and elude his grasp...
...formulate the acre or a good one of forty bushels to the acre...
...We shall begin the national defense of aid cooperation as that recently before the Senate, is agriculture with the same weapons which have safecalculated to begin whatever effective work the federal guarded industry...
...Amerition which, to its detriment, has been temperamentally cans will be asked, as they have been asked so many opposed to any concept of economics excepting that times in the past, to decide whether or not the system of the small individual owner...
...agricultural life in the United States justifies the danSome of the bills presented to Congress are there- gerous step of using government trade in foreign marfore intended to effect combination of farm interests...
...intensifying industrialization...
...Obvi- strains the working population may be put in the effort ously, the struggle is important enough to concern the to make an insufficient wage cover the rising cost of average citizen...
...Because lowed up and redistributed energies which might otherit absorbs most of the available brains, capital, and wise have sufficed to dispose of the more important man-power of a nation, modern business initiates a problems of agricultural society...
...The average re- tracted negotiations, a new division of the product of turn of the farm industry is the same, no matter industry...
...authori- ever, that of all plans proposed this is the most plausties on agricultural economics, that cooperative mar- sible and practicable...
...The sensational invitation sent by pendent upon the fact that he has lost-lost the great Vice-President Dawes to Sir Josiah Stamp, the British amount of effective human force that has built up economist, brought a reply which analyzed the theothe business machine of the twentieth century...
...Edwin Clark, George N. Shuster, Forrest Davis 238 Paul Crowley, George D. Meadows, The Church and the World, III Frederick H. Martens, Louise Howlanid 248 Gonzague de Reynold 24o The Quiet Corner 253 THE RURAL REBELLION POLITICIANS who profit by stormy congressional groups outside its sphere of action...
...We retical details of the proposed measure and concluded have said before, in these columns, that the supreme favorably...
...The answer to this question will be moreq can really rally...
...But quite as obviously, its signifi- living, it keeps right on being an industrial population cance lies primarily, not in what modifications of of- Here in the United States we have been passing, ficial Republicanism may result from the agitation, like the English before us, through a period of steadily but in what benefits to agriculture can be conferred...
Vol. 4 • July 1926 • No. 9
