Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-11-26
COUNTRY LIFE COMMISSION
The Farmers And Others Should
Have an interest i'm it's Work.

AT the suggestion OF President R0uSe
velt, the Country Life Commission
has asked the farmers of the country
to meet in their respective commune
ties some time before Saturday, De,
cember 5, to discuss the questions
which the Commission is studying
and to indicate their own ideas OF
what are the most important subjects
for the Commission to consider.
In letter to the members of the
Country Life Commission the Presi-
dent says the.farmers should feel ga
sense of ownership in the Commits
siOn." and that he believes that the
Commission should get in the closest
posi- Die touch with the farmers He
urges the Importance of holding the
meeting before Congress adjourns
prior to the Christmas holidays, so
that at the time Congress reasSembles,
early in January, the Commission
may have reports of the meeting in
hand and may be Sin position to ad-
wise definitely what should be done. +"
At the same time President Roose-
velt adds two members to the Com
misSiol-one member from the South
and one member from the far West
Mr.. Charles S. Barrett, of Union City,
Ga, and Mr.. William A. Beard, of
Sacramento, Cal.
The letter of the President to Chair
man Bailey follows:
The White House. Washington.
November 9, 1905
My dear Professor Bailey:
| wish at the outset cordially to
thank you for the way in which you
have taken hold of the work you are
doing. No more valuable work for
the people of.this country can be done,
because no more valuable work for the
farmers of this country can be done.
Now of course the whole success of
the work depends upon the attitude
of the people in the open country, of
the farming people of the United
States. If they feel an awakening
interest in what you are doing. they
should manifest it. Moreover. il is
essential that the farmers, the men
who actually live on the soil should
feel sense of ownership in this Com
mission, should feel that you gentle
men in very truth represent them and
are responsive to their desires and
wishes, no less than to their needs.
1t seems to me therefore that it
would be wise to try to get into the
closest possible touch with the farmers
of the country and to find out from
them, so far as you are able, just what
they regard as being the subjects
with which it is most Important that
you should deal. This you are already
doing by sending out circular of
questions and by holding meetings in
different parts of the United States.
But perhaps something more can be
DONE
/ accordingly suggest that you ask
the farmers to come together in the
several school districts of the country
so that they may meet and consider
hese matters. Isuggest the school
districts because the school house
would be the natural and proper place
for such a meeting: or they could
meet al other customary or convenient
places. 1t would be well if the meet
ings could be hell within the next
three or four weeks; that is. before
Congress adjourns prior to the Christ
mas holidays, SO chat at the time of
the re-assembling of Congress early in
January you will have the reports of
the meetings and so will be in position
to advise definitely what should be
done. ] suggest that you ask them to
meet not later than Saturday, Dec. s.,
and you will of course use your own
Judgment whether to summon the
meeting by circular or otherwise.
Throughout this letter where | use
the word FARMERS" ] mean also to in
clude all those who live in the open
country and are intimately connected
with those who do the farm work
ministers, school teachers, physicians,
editors of country papers, in short all
men or women whose life work is done
either on the farm or in connection
with the life work of those who are on
the farm.
You know better than | what topics
you will suggest. How would lido to
include such topics as: The efficiency
of the rural schools; farmers organiza-
tions; the need of good roads: i'm
proved postal facilities: sanitary con-
ditions on the farm.
Your purpose is neither to investi-
gate the farmer, nor to inquire into
technical methods of farming. You
are simply trying to ascertain what
are the general economic, social, edu-
cational, and sanitary conditions OF
the open country, and what, if any
thing, the farmers themselves can dc
to help themselves. and how the
government can help them. To this
end your especial desire is 10 get in
touch with and represent the farmers
themselves. The commission now
consists of five members. | shall ask
two more gentlemen to serve upon it,
so that the full membership will be as
follows:
Prof L. Ell. Bailey, New York State
College of Agriculture, Ithaca, n. Y.
chairman: Henry Wallace. Wallace Is
Farmer, Des Moines, Iowa: Kenyon L.
Butterfeld. president Massachusetts,
Agricultural College, Amherst, Mass.
Clifford Pinchot, q. S. Forest Service.
Washington, D. c.; Walter FL. Page,
of North Carolina, editor of the
! M