Farmers saw an economic boon during World War I. They bought more acreage and invested in farm machinery. In the aftermath of the war, crop prices collapsed when the sudden decrease in demand resulted in oversupply. Farmers needing government assistance subsequently became an important voting bloc in the 1928 presidential election. Presidential contenders Herbert Hoover and Al Smith both courted the farmer vote. Government aid to farmers become a central issue involving crop supports and the regulation of railroads.
As July heated up in 1928, so did the presidential campaign, and farmers were at the center of it. Farm Life editor William Johnson painted a rosy picture of life on the farm in an address to a convention of world advertisers. He said the demands of farmers for relief were based more on the desire for added luxuries than a demand for necessities. He said conveniences like cars, farm machinery, radios, and electricity made farm life easier for modern farmers. He said farmers “simply are out for incomes large enough to pay for the standard of living they have tasted in towns and cities since automobiles and hard roads took them there.”
Later in July, the Bismarck Tribune printed a rebuttal to Johnson. In an editorial titled “An Unfortunate Statement,” the newspaper said farm life was not nearly as idealistic as Johnson seemed to think. The editorial stated, “Farming may have no breadlines, but if Mr. Johnson will investigate the bread lines, perhaps he will be surprised at the number of former farmers he finds in them, forced there by reverses over which they had no control.” In the opinion of the newspaper, “The demand of the farmer today is not for relief, but for equality.” Throughout the summer, the focus remained on farm relief.
Indeed, the economic conditions for North Dakota farmers in 1928 were not as rosy as the picture painted by Johnson. As an agricultural state, North Dakota suffered when crop prices plunged. As farmers suffered from economic depression, the urban areas enjoyed relative prosperity. Despite no widespread economic failure, North Dakota farmers struggled with heavy debts, high costs, and low crop prices. And it was only going to get worse. No one knew in 1928 that the Great Depression and the Dustbowl were right around the corner.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Bismarck Tribune. “Farm Life’s Editor Says Pleas of Farmers for Relief Are Needless.” Bismarck ND. 7/11/1928. Page 1.
- Bismarck Tribune. “An Unfortunate Statement.” Bismarck ND. 7/12/1928. Page 4.
- Bismarck Tribune. “Hoover Pledges Three-Fold Program to Restore Rural Prosperity.” Bismarck ND. 8/13/1928. Page 1.
- Calvin Coolidge Foundation. “Coolidge and the Battle Over McNary Haugen.” https://coolidgefoundation.org/blog/coolidge-and-the-battle-over-mcnary-haugen/ Accessed 1-/29/2024.
- Gilbert C. Fite. “The Agricultural Issue in the Presidential Campaign of 1928.” The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, V. 37, No. 4 (March, 1951), pp. 653-672.
- State Historical Society of North Dakota. “Summary of North Dakota History: The Great Depression.” https://www.history.nd.gov/ndhistory/depression.html Accessed 5/29/2024.
