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<br />DON C. McCAIN <br /> <br />The harrassment of the green-carder from Mexico, not Canada or Puerto Rico's, reminds me of <br />what Angel said recently. (Angel is an irrigation foreman who started out during World War II as a <br />"National", went through the bracero program, and is now a reliable hardworking green-carder.) <br />When asked why he seemed so said, he said: "Pretty soon no green-carder." We said, "No, the immi- <br />gration laws would not be changed,", But he continued, "Years ago there was mucho'mojados' and it <br />was said pretty soon no more majados and everyone laughed and pretty soon, there was no mojados." <br />Then there was mucho braceros and someone said, "Pretty soon no more braceros and everyone <br />laughed and pretty soon, no more braceros and now they say, "Pretty soon, no more green-carders <br />and mebbe pretty soon no more green-carders." Angel is a good immigrant and in time will be a good <br />citizen and should not be subjected to Cesar Chavez and Walter Ruether harrassment. <br /> <br />The American farmer is also worried - - the American farmer is at the Crossroads. Arizona and <br />other U.S. farmers have become so efficient that the very abundance of their production has caused <br />the prices they receive to be ruinously low. <br /> <br />Agricultural prices received by farmers in the market place recently dropped to the lowest lev- <br />el in 33 years, in relation to the rest of the economy. Secretary Freeman admitted that they fell <br />10% between August 1966 and April 1967. <br /> <br />This is the sharpest decline in farm prices since the late 1920's and the early 1930's. This left <br />parity at 74. <br /> <br />Farmer's profits for 1967 are expected to total $15.5 billion - compared to $17.1 billion in <br />1947. During this 20 year period, total U.S. income has more than doubled while farm income is <br />down 9%. <br /> <br />Secretary of Agriculture, Orville Freeman, culminated our Farm-City Week last week in Yuma, <br />and as the Chamber of Commerce's banquet speaker, Mr. Freeman wood and won the audience and <br />in the question and answer session he was a manifestation of political brilliance. <br /> <br />The last 450 tickets were sold to troubled people after it was announced that he would answer <br />written questions from the audience. <br /> <br />Never get yourself into such an offer by a politician, especially a brilliant one, as his answers <br />don't answer - - not fully. Three questions referred to his $.40/lb. port statement but he danced <br />around the fringes of that one, and in general he answered only that - - I. The 160 acre suit limitation <br />on reclamation lands would be pressed. 2. That the 5% mandatory cut of cotton acreage would stand <br />to justify the costs of the program. 3. There would be no peanut acreage available to Yuma out of the <br />National reserve. 4. That meat would continue to be imported into the U.S. 5. That Nassar would con- <br />tinue to send long staple cotton into this country. <br /> <br />He offered no solutions to the problems of the desert farmer. He did suggest developing mar- <br />keting power for the 60% of crops grown out of his program - - he will take care of the basic crops un- <br />der U.S.D.A. farm programs. <br /> <br />I have with me his complete speech and if anyone wants to see it I will be happy to show it to <br />them later. <br /> <br />He said, quote, "In 1966 gross farm income set an all-time record, as did net income per U.S. <br />farm. Total net farm income climbed to $16.4 billion, the second highest in the history of the United <br />States, a 40 percent rise over 1960 and 18 percent higher than a year before. <br /> <br />Then came 1967 when, despite every effort at our command, we experienced the set-back of a <br />10 percent drop in net farm income. <br /> <br />-23- <br /> <br />