Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-02-10
President Tells Of
Country Needs.
COMMISSIONS REPORT.

Farmers Should Result
From rs Wort.
Washington. Feb. 8. - President
Roosevelt sent to congress today q
special message transmitting the re-
port Of the country life commission.
appointed by him to investigate the
conditions Of life on the farms Of the
country and to make recommendations
Of ways and means whereby farm life
may be made more remuneratfve and
attractive.
In the message the president lays
stress upon the fact that the farmers
and their families are the stay and
strength of the country and that what
ever tends to make their lives less
burdensome or unattractive is neces-
sary to the interests Of the nation.
He praises the work Of the members
OF the commission, who, as he says,
have labored without pay and do not
now ask compensation for their work.
The only recommendation in the mes
sage is the request for an appropria-
ton Of $4,000 to enable the commits
sion to digest the material it has col
lected and put 1t in such shape that
It viii be available for the nation.
In an appendix to the message, pre-
ceding the report Of the commission,
the president comments on the replies
made by q Missouri farmer to the ques-
lions asked by the commission. ITO
the question. Is the supply Of farm Ia
boz I'm your neighborhood satisfacto-
ryr the answer IN! No, because the
people have gone OFT Of the baby bust
ness and when asked AZ to the RENE
dy he answers, Give 4 pention to
every mother who gives birth to seven
living boys on American SOIL"
The presidents message is as fol-
lows:
TO the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentatives: ksss 81 & a:s $ @o 3,2 ss
Itransmit herewith the report OF the
commission on. country life. At; the
outset I, desire to point out that not
a dollar OF the public money has been.
paid to any commissioner for his work
on the commission.% IT $
The report shows the general condi-
ton Of farming life in the open coun-
try and points out its larger problems.
1t Indicates ways In which the govern
ment, national and state, may show:
thepeople how to solve some Of these
problems, and 1t suggests q continus
a1sce Of the work which the commits
sion began. :?
ss' Methods q the Commission. ::
.iJpdging by thirty public hearings, to
which farmers and. farmers. wives
from forty states and territories came,
and from 10000 answers to printed
questions sent out by the department
Of agriculture, the commission finds
that the general level Of country life
1s high compared with any preceding
time or with any other land. If 1t has
Ii recent years slipped down In some
places. it has risen in more places.
Its progress has been general, IL not
Uniform.
Yet farming does not yield either the
profit or the satisfaction that thought
to yield and may be made to yield.
There is discomfort in the country and
in places encouragement. Farmers as
a class do not magnify their calling,
and the movement to the towns,
though, + am happy to say, less than
formerly. y still strong. z =.
How Fafmsrs Can Help Themselves.
Under our system it is helpful to
promote discussion Of ways in which
the people can help themselves. There
are three main directions In which
the farmers can help themselves
namely, better farming, better bust
ness and better living on the farm.
The national department Of agricul-
ture, which has. rendered services
equaled by mo other similar depart
ment in any other time or place; the
state departments OF agriculture the
state colleges Of agriculture and the
mechanic arts, especially through their
extension work; the state agricultural
experiment stations, the Farmers' nm
ION the grange. the agricultural press
end other similar agencies have IS all
combined to place within the reach
Of the American farmer an amount
nnd quality Of agricultural informa-
~. ia -