The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-10-01

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spseuliaFlx fitted for the ,ranspoTta,
lion "a me bnlks onmodi HES shich
come RON The soil or md Ell the soil.
and no other part De our country IL
iasS triiitfnlaas IS this In such eoninod'
titles. n,
An Agricultural State.
Youth Iowa have many manufactur.
ing centers, but you remain, and i
hope you viii always remain, a great
agricultural State. hope that the
means Of transporting your eommodi.
ties to market will be steadily improvi
ed but this viii be OF no use unless
You keep producing the commodities,
and in the long run this will largely
depend Upon yours being able to keep
on the farm a high type OF citizenship.
The effort must be to make farm life
not only .remunerative but attractive,
SO that the hest young men and girls
win feel inclined to stay on the farm
and not to go to the city. Nothing is
more important to this country than
the perpetuation OF our system of me.
diminished. farms worked by their own
ers. We do not want, to see our farm.
ers sink to the condition OF the pea.
SAINTS OF the Old World. barely able
to live on their small holdings, nor do
we want to see their places taken by
wealthy men owning enormous estates
which they work psrely by tenants
and hired servants.
The American Farmer. &
At present the ordinary ! farmer
holds his own in the land as against
any possible representative OF the
landlord class Of farmer--that is, of
the men who would own vast estates
because the ordinary farmer unites
his capital. his labor. and his brains
with the making OF permanent fam
lily home, and thus can afford to hold
his land at value at which It can
not be held by the capitalist, who
would have to run It by leasing 1t or
by cultivatlng 1t ut arms length with
hired labor. In other words, the typi.
cal American farmer OF today gets
his remuneration in part in the shape
OF an independent home for his fam.
i.y, and this gives him an advantage
oYe.- an absentee landlord. Now, from
the standpoint Of the nation as d
whole It Is prominently desirable to
keep as one Of our chief American
t"pcs the farmer, the farm home max.
err, Of The medium.sized farm. y This
tybc .. farm home is one OF our
strongest political and social bulwarks.
S;"!i farm worked by the owner has
prove" by experience the best place
In which to breed vigorous leaders
alike for country AMI city. It Is n
n,";ter Of prime economic and civic
Importance to encos rage this type OF
homecoming farmer.
Agricultural Colleges.
Therefor, we should strive In, every
way To aid In the education Of the
farmer for the farm, and should shape
Dir school system with this end in
view. a nd SO vitality important is this
lliat in my opinion, the federal gov.
eminent should cooperate with the
State governments to secure the need.
ed change and improvement In orr
schools. 1t Is significant that both.
troin Minnesota and Georgia there
have come proposals in this direction
III the appearance OF bills introduced
into the National Congress. The Con,
gresslonal land grant act Of 1852 nc.
complished much in establishing the
agricultural colleges in the several
States. and therefore in preparing to
turn the system of educational train
e., l.. n