Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-09
Farmers UpIift Discussed
in Message of President

The special message is as follows:
To the Senate and House of Representa-
tives:
! transmit herewith the report of the
commission on country life. At the outset
] desire to point out that not a dollar of
the public money has been paid to any
commissioner for his work on the COM
mission.
The report shows the general condition
OF farming life In the open country, and
points out its larger problems: it indi
Gates ways in which the government ma
tional and state, may show the people
how to solve some of these problems; and
it suggests a continuance of the work
which the commission began.
Judging by thirty public hearings. to
which farmers and farmers wives from
forty states and territories came, and
from 10,OO answers to printed questions
sent out by the Department of Agricul-
ture. the commission finds that the gen
eral level of country life is high COM
pared with any preceding time or with
any other land. II 1t has in recent years
slipped down in some places, 1t has risen
in more places. It's progress has been
general. IL not uniform.
Yet farming does not yield either the
profit or the satisfaction that it ought to
yield and may be made to yield. There
is discomfort in the country and in
places encouragement. Farmers as q
class do not magnify their calling, and the
movement to the towns. though, / am
happy TO say. less than formerly, is still
strong.
How Farmer May Help Himself.
Under our system it is helpful to pro-
mote discussion of ways in which the
people can help themselves There are
three main directions in which the farm
ers can help themselves. namely. better
farming, better business and better living
on the farm
The national Department of Asricul-
ture. which has rendered services equaled
by no similar department in any other
time or place, the state departments of
agriculture: the state colleges of agri-
culture and the mechanic arts especially
through their extension work the state
agricultural experiment station, the Farm
ers Union: the Grange; the agricul-
tural press and other similar agencies
have all combined to place within the
reach of the American farmer an amount
and quality of agricultural informa ton
which. If applied, would enable him over
large areas, to double the production of
the farm.
The object OF the commission on coun-
Try life. therefore. is not to help the farm
er raise better crops but to call his
attention to the opportunities for better
business and better living on the farm If
country life is to become what ii should
bs-one of the most disnified desira bic
and sought-after ways OF earning liv-
lng-the farmer must take advantage not
only OF the agricultural knowledge which
is at his disposal, but of the methods
which have raised and continue 10 raise
the standards of living and of intelligence
in other callings.
Those engaged in all other industrial
and commercial callings have found IL
necessary, under modern economic condi-
uons, TO organize themselves for mutual
advantage and for the protection OF their.
own particular interests in relation to
otLer interests. The farmers of every
progressive European country have real
lied this essential fact and have found
in the cooperative system exactly the
form of business combination they need
What Can Be Done to Help.
Now whatever the state may do toward
improving the practice of agriculture ii
is not within the sphere OF any govern
ment 20 reorganZe the farmers business
or reconstruct the social life of farming
communities. 1t is, however quite within
It's power To use its influence and the
machinery OF publicity which it can CON
troll for calling public attention TO the
needs and the facts
For example. ii is the obvious duty of
the government to call The attention of
farmers 10 the growing monopo'ization of
water power The farmers above ALI
should have that power. on reasona bic
terms. for cheap transportation. for light
ing their homes. and for innumera bic uses
In the daily tasks on the farm
1t would he idle TO assert that life on
the farm occupies good position in
dignity. desirability and business results
as the farmers might easily give il If
they chose. One of the chief difficulties
is the failure of country life as il ex-
lists at present. TO satisfy the higher So
cial and intellectual aspirations of coun-
try people,
Whether the constant draining away OF
so much of the best elements in the rural
population into the towns is due chiefly
10 this cause to the superior business
opportunities of city life may be open to
question. But no one at all familiar with
farm life throughout the United States
can fall to recognize the necessity for
building up the life Of the farm upon Its
social as well as upon its productive side
Ii is true that country life has improved
greatly In attractiveness. health anC
comfort and that the farmers earnings
are higher than they were But city life
is advancing even more rapidly. because
(Continued on Fourth Pase.)