Connecticut western news., 1908-08-13
EFFORT TO EASE
 FARMERS LOT.
President Seeks Means of
 Doing So.
APPOINTS A COMMISSION

Four Men Named Are to Report on
 Country Life, With View to Secur-
 ing Legislation From Congress.
 "There Is Too Much Belief Among
 All Our People That the Prizes of
 Life Lie Away From the Farm"
 Says Mir. Roosevelt.
 Oyster Bay, N Y, Aug 12.-With a view to bringing about better social, sanitary and economic conditions on American farms President Roosevelt has requested five experts on country life to make an investigation into the whole matter and to report to him with recommendations for improvements. The report and recommendations which the president himself may desire to make will be incorporated in a mes sage which he will send to congress probably early next year:
 In a letter to one of these experts Professor L. H. Bailey of the New York College of Agriculture, MT. Roosevelt says:
 | No nation has even achieved permanent | greatness unless this greatness was based on the wellbeing of the great farmer class, the men who live on the soil, for | 1t is upon their welfare, material or nor al that the welfare of the rest of the na- tion ultimately rests. In the United States, disregarding certain sections and taking the nation as a whole, I beiiev" 1t to be true that the farmers In general are better off today than they ever were before.
 | Much Needless Loss.
 While the condition of the farmers in some of our best farming regions leaveF little to be desired, we are far from hay ing reached so high level in all parts of the country. In portions of the south, for example, where the department of az. riculture, through the farmers co-opera~ tive demonstration work of Dr. Knapp. is directly instructing more than 30 00O farmers in better methods of farming. there is nevertheless much unnecessary suffering and needless loss of efficiency on the farm. t. ...as. E~ l I doubt if any other nation can bear comparison with our own in the amount of attention given by the government, both federal and state, to agricultural matters. But practically the whole of this effort has hitherto been directed to- ward increasing the production of crops. In the beginning this was unquestionably the right thing to do But when this has been secured the effort for better farm ing should cease to stand alone and should be accompanied by the effort for better business and better living on the 1 farm. .Tsas"-s. HH
 Farming Not All of Country Life.
 It Is at least as important that the | farmer should get the largest possible re- turn in money, comfort and social ad- vantages from the crops he grows as thar he should get the largest possible return l in crops from the land he farms. Agri- >culture is not the whole of country life. The great rural interests are human in- l terests, and good crops are of little value fr,. a good kind of life on the farm.
 The president quotes from an ad- dress delivered last May and contin- ues:
 It is especially important that what ever will serve to prepare country chill dren for life on the farm and whatever will brighten home life in the country and make it richer and more attractive for the mothers, wives and daughters Of farmers should be done promptly, thor oughly and gladly. There is no more i'm portant person, measured in influence upon the life of the nation, than the farmers wife, no more important than the country home, and it is of national importance to do the best we can for both
 The farmers have hitherto had less than their full share of public attention along the lines of business and social life. There is too much belief among all our people that the prizes of life lie away from the farm. I shall be very glad in deed if you will consent to serve upon a commission on country life, upon which I am asking the following gentlemen to act:
 Professor L. H. Bailey, New York State College of Agriculture, Ithaca, N. Y, chairman.
 Henry Wallace, Wallace's Farmer, Des Moines Ia.
 President Keyon l.. Butterffeld Massa- chusetts Agricultural college, Amherst. Mass.
 Clifford Pinchot. United States forest service
 Walter H. Page, editor of the World S Work, New York.
 Will Recommend Legislation. My immediate purpose in appointing this commission is to secure from it such information and advice as will enable me to make recommendat tions to congress upon this extremely important matter. shall be glad if the commission will re- port to me upon the present condition of country life, upon what means are now available for supplying the deficiencies which exist and upon the best methods of organized permanent effort in investiga- , tion and actual work along the lines have indicated
 You will doubtless also find it neces- sary to suggest means of bringing about the redirection or better adaptation of rural schools to the training of children for life on the farm The national and f state agricultural departments must ulti- mately join with the various farmers I. and agricultural organizations in the eff fort to secure greater efficiency and at tractiVeness in country life.
 In view of the pressing importance ot this subject I should be glad to have your report before the end of next December For that reason the commission will doubtless find it impracticable to under take extensive investigations, but will rather confine itself to a summary ot what is already known, a statement oi the problem and the recommendation o1 measures tending toward it's solution.
 Less Money For Evelyn Thaw.
 New York. Aug. 12.-Lawyer Danie O'Reilly, who was one of Harry K 1ri1n InI