76

AGRICULTURAL RELIEF

Mr. Fort. Fundamentally, your plan, as you present it, Mr.
Maher, embraces the theory that the farmer will not organize unless
the Government backs the formation of his organization?
Mr. Manger. No, sir; I do not think it can be done otherwise.
Mr. Fort. Do you feel very strongly that he will join an organiza-‘ion
 that has Uncle Sam back of it?
Mr. Mauer. I do; yes.
Mr. Fort. And that, therefore, any plan that we evolve here must
contain the elements of voluntary joining by the farmer, with the
invitation coming from ‘Uncle Sam”?
Mr. Mauer. 1 do not say this will help out on the jump like
maybe the plan that your tried to pass last year would. But for us
that are in it and must stay in it, we want the long-time one, that
will do it for good and with the equipment that the Government now
has in the Agriculture Department, which is doing wonders in every
respect and in every way it will in time function. The Agricultural
Department is not getting it to the farmer; they can not get it to
him, because he is not organized so that it can be distributed to
him by those who will understand. -
If we had a township organization, a county organization and
all those farmers organized to work together, there would be someone
like Mr. Johnson in the township who could give the information
to his neighbors when it would come out. And I claim that they
would work and stand by it.
Mr. CLARKE. You now have the farm bureau and home bureau?
Mr. MAHER. Yes, we have.
Mr. CLaRxE. Do. you not find them effective organizations?
Mr. Mauger. Very good, splendid. We have an excellent county
agent. I belong to the farm bureau. Our county agent is doing
very good work.
With the farmer organized and enthused by an organization,
as every person is who is in an organization. it would work altegether
etter.
Mr. CLArRkE. And you think they would be amenable to being
told by the Federal Government how much land they should plant
each year?
Mr. Maugr. I think the ones who would not would be so lonely
that inside of two or three years they would be very glad to.
Mr. Apkins. Suppose you start your scheme in operation and
the farmers do not respond as you anticipate they would. Then
would the Government depend on or would vou depend on public
sentiment?
Mr. Magner. I would compel them to.
Mr. Apkins. By the Government?
Mr. Manger. By the act.
Mr. AbkiNs. In other words, the man who would not cooperate
you would do, like our mothers with paregoric, hold his nose and put
i down him? Lat would be the effect of it. How long do you
os a system ike that would last in this country?
Mr. ManER. I think it would last forever, and forever settle this
question,
Ie  Shimae, I Jo not think the Government could compel him,
br Amt Bice of he peighbors might.”
Tos Tal 11 te ator bs In our community but it fell down
? aclze him but he would not be ostracized.