Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1908-12-11
WHATFARMERS need.
COUNTRY LIFE COMMISSION
In SESSION AT SPOKANE.
President Roosevelt's Questioners Have
Much Praise for the Work in Hand
and Tell of Result of Their Trip Over
the States-Articles of Interest to All
Many Subjects Are Discussed.

In an address at Spokane Saturday |
by Professor L. H. Bailey, chairman of
the country life commission, said:
"In no place that we have visited
have 1 found so much interest among |
the business men in agriculture and in
the building up of the country as in
Spokane.
"In the hearings and inquiries which
we are conducting we find that there
are four interests which stand out most
prominently in the peoples minds, and
on which we are asked most frequently
for information and assistance.
Educational Needs.
t'First comes education. On this sub
iect we have found uniformity of
ideas in. every state from the east to
the west So closely are ideas allied
in the different sections that we find
almost exactly the same expressions
used. There are certain phrases which
we find cropping out to express the
same ideas in all parts of the coun-
try.
"There is a general feeling that the
rural school needs recognizing and re-
directing; that more domestic science,
manual training and the practical side
of life should be taught. This has been
true in all our hearings, and we found
the same expressions in the replies to
the questions sent out by the commits
sion to farmers.
"Second in interest after education
are good roads. We find two express
sions in this common desire for better
promote social intercourse in the coun-
try and the other, particularly in the
south, is that the government should
build roads for the communities We
do not hear this SO much in the west,
where the communities seem to feel that
they can take care of themselves.
"Third in frequency among questions
we hear is the emphasis placed on or
ganization among farmers; there is no
unanimity of opinion as to the kind of
organizations, but they all feel the same
way about the need of them; that the
agriculturist does not present solid
front and can not therefore compete
with the organizations of commerce.
"Opinions among farmers on or
ganization are not uniform enough to
enable the commission to make any
recommendations ON the subject. There
are principally two kinds of sugges-
tions: One is that these organiZa-
tions take the form of a combination
or trust to set the price on products,
and the other is for cooperation of in
LteTests, to study and understand the
laws Of trade and farm management
in similar manner to the California
Fruitgrowers exchange, which en-
deavors to find the best markets, study
transportation, the laws Of trade and
acquire other useful knowledge. /
leave it to you as to which of these
organizations is the better, and think
there will be no difference of opinion
on the subject.
Liquor Question BObs Up.
"The fourth question which we hear
raisedss most frequently is- the liquor
problem. We are confronted with the
whole subject of liquor suppression
especially in the south, where it be-
comes a race problem. 1t is one of the
things in the south which is driving the
; white people to the towns, where they
feel sure of protection, and it compli
Gates the farm labor problem in the
. south and the north. If the farm labor
er feels that he has not been treated
' we'll and is not having an ysocial pas
!. time he is apt to be driven to the sa
| loon, which then becomes a menace. W.
/. have been impOrtuned--pathetically i'm
: portuned-again and again to recon
mend to the president that he ask con
gress to help check the saloon.
! "Another important question whicl
confrOnts us hut which you doubles
do not feel here is the depletion of tn
! virgin soil.
"An over the country the soil is be
ing depleted; not exhausted, but de
pleted. Hitherto this depletion ha
! brought about three results: Whe
9 the soil begins to fail the persons till
y ing it move to new land. But ther
. are no longer great areas of new Ian
a to which people can go. AS result W
4 are coming to do some real farming
e In the eastern part of the country, an
= say this here with some hesitation
Il we are beginning to bring sieence an
9. skill and knowledge into our farmin
'e and our land is growing richer. W
u never can have scientific agricultuI
until the land constantly produces NOR
This condition is just beginning to /
brought about.
IL "The second result of soil depletio
se is, as have just mentioned, the takin
Id up of more scientific farming method
er 1t is no longer necessary to go we
w to get new land. Every man has ne
D. land who has new ideas to put I'M
e, operation.
or Poverty After Soil Depletion.
re "The third result of soil depletion,
we do not have scientific farming,
poverty and degradation, and this
coming in some communities. There