The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-02-11
Tells or
NEEDS Of FARMER
SITUATION AS SEEN By
COMMISSION ON CCUN-
TRY LIFE.
DEFICIENCIES POINTED CUT
at Present Not CONNER
cially as Profitable as II Is En-
titled to Be-Highly Organized
Rural Society Recommended as De-
sirable step-PossibIe fer Congress
to Remove Many of the Handicaps

sirabie Step-Possible fer Congress
to Remove Many of the Handicaps
Washington.-The report Of the
commission on country life, made to
the president, was read in both houses
of congress. Substantially the re-
port was as follows:
To the President: The commission
on country life herewith presents it's
report. The commission finds that
agriculture in the United States, taken
together, is prosperous commercially.
when measured by the conditions that
have obtained in previous years, al
though there are some regions in
which this Is only partially true. The
country people are producing vast
quantities OF supplies for food. shelter,
clothing, and for use in the arts. The
country homes are improving in com
fort, attractiyeness and healthfuluess.
Not only in the material wealth that
they produce, but in the supply OF in
dependent and strong citizenship, the
agricultural people constitute the very
| foundation Of our national efficiency
AS agriculture IS the immediate basis
Of country life, so II follows that the
general affairs Of the open country,
speaking broadly. are In a condition
Of improvement:
Many institutions, organizations and
movements are actively contributing
to the increasing welfare OF the open
| country. The most important OF these
are the United States department OF
agriculture. the colleges Of agriculture
and the experiment stations in the
| states, and the national farmers or
| carnations. These institutions and
| organizations are now properly as
| Stunning leadership in country life af-
| fairs. and consequently in many of
| the public questions of national bear
| ing. With these agencies must ba
mentioned state departments Of agri-
culture, agricultural societies. and or
! CARNATIONS OF very many kinds, teach
ers in schools, workers in church and
other religious associations, travelling
libraries. and many other groups, all
| working with commendable zeal TO
| further the welfare of the people of
| the open country.
Most Prominent Deficiencies.
Yet It Is true, Notwithstanding all
| this progress as measured by his
torical standards, that agriculture is
not commercially as profitable as IT Is
entitled to be for the labor and energy
| that the farmer expends and the risks
| that he assumes, and that the social
! conditions in the open country are far
short Of their possibilities. We must
| measure our agricultural efficiency by
! the possibilities rather than by com
parison with previous conditions The
farmer is almost necessarily handi-
capped in the development Of his bust
ness, because his capital Is small and
! the volume of his transactions limited
and he usually stands practically
alone against organized interests In
! the general REIMBURSEMENT Of modern
| life due to the great changes in manu-.
! features and commerce, inequalities
and determinations have arisen, and
naturally the separate man suffers
most. The unattached man has prob
| lens that government should under
| stand.
The reasons for the lack of highly
organizer rural society are very many,
as the full report explains. The lead
! ing specific causes are:
A lack of knowledge on the part OF
| farmers Of the exact agricultural con
ditions and possibilities Of their re-
gions;
Lack of good training for country
life in the schools;
The disadvantage or handicap of the
| farmer as against the established bust
ness systems and interests, preventing
| him from securing adequate returns
| for his products, depriving him Of the
benefits that would result from unmo-
nopolized rivers and the conservation
! of forests and depriving the communi-
ty, in many cases OF the good that
would come from the use of great
tracts OF agricultural land that arc
now held for speculative purposes;
Lack Of good highway facilities:
The widespread continuing deple-
ton OF soils, with the injurious effect
on rural life;
A general need OF new and active
! leadership.
Other causes contributing to the
! general result are: Lack OF any ade-
quate system of agricultural credit,
whereby the farmer may readily Sc
cure loans on fair terms; the short
! age OF labor, a condition that is often
complicated by intemperance among
workmen; lack OF institutions and in
| centives that tie the laboring man to
! the soil the burdens and the narrow
life Of farm women; lack of adequate
supervision Of public health.
Nature of the Remedies.
Some OF the remedies lie with the ma.
! tional government, some Of them with
the states and communities in their
corporate capacities, some with vo!un-
! tary organizations, and some with in.
diyidulls acting alone. From the great
number Of suggestions that have been
made covering every phase of country
life the commission now enumcrates
those that seem to be most funda-