poisoned bran available for farmers to scatter in their fields to kill the grasshoppers. Then if carelessly handled, and livestock got to it, they would lose cattle. Joe Paulson living south of Battle Creek, lost five or six of his milk cows one day when they broke into the storage place where he had left the poisoned bran. A farmer southwest of Tilden set a wheat field afire when grasshoppers moved into the field. He said he would try to get rid of the hoppers to keep them out of his other fields and those of his neighbors.

The severe drought further deepened the economic depression. Industry could not employ men to manufacture goods when the consumer was unable to buy it no matter how much he needed it. Millions of workers were unemployed and on Government relief. Farmers were discouraged and some were dispossessed. Such conditions create fertile ground for Communist, Fascist and Socialistic infiltration.

By 1932, the Farm Holiday Association movement was brought into Nebraska by organizers, presumable from North Dakota, but in reality by communist workers sent out by the "Daily Worker" in New York and the Communist Party in the United States.

Madison County seemed to be the focal point for this organization. At least our county soon had the somewhat dubious distinction of laying the foundation for the Farm Holiday Association (Madison County Plan).

While Madison County may have furnished the "cradle" for the movement, we were spared the intensity of ill will and violence which followed and was more noticeable in other parts of the State especially in Sherman County.

The stated purpose of the Farm Holiday Association (Madison County Plan) was as follows: "to establish a solid organization and militant fight against eviction and foreclosure." By the time the "Madison County Plan" was explained to the Sherman County organization, it had grown to: "to organize militant farmers of Nebraska in their fight to hold their land and homes and to lead farmers struggling for a decent standard of living against the moneyed interests and their local agents who threaten us (them) with immediate ruin."

We have no instance to report of interferences in the orderly process of foreclosure in Madison County, there were however incidents in an adjoining county in which non-violent but none the less militant action was taken.

A bank had foreclosed on a widow on mortgaged personal property. A large crowd had gathered at the farm on the day of the sale. The auctioneer and clerk sensed trouble and notified the county sheriff. The sheriff came and was met at the lane entrance by a committee of farmers. They promised there would be no violence if he would only go back to town, that his presence and interference might be the spark to set off violence.

The auction was started, a binder was offered, a bidder bid 50¢ and another bid 25¢ more, and then no more bids, the article

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