The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-09-14

Chicago. Sept. 14.-In his address
before the American Bankers assO-
citation this afternoon James J. Hlll
said in part;
The public Is now to some extent
awake 10 the relative value OF the
different occupations as sources OF
wealth The farm is our main re-
lance. Every other activity depends
upon that The farms OF this ooun-
try are now adding annually over
eight billion dollars 10 the total Of
our assets. a total which. unlike that
OF manufacturing and other indus
tries. represents not value conferred
by human labor upon some material
already existing hut value actually
created out OF elemental things. This
is the annual miracle Of the earth
quite rs wonderful az n new planet
should appear In space each twelve
month. V is the mother OF every
other form OF human industry. Our
tlllable area may be made to support
millions OF people greatly multiplied
after the last bit OF mineral has been
extracted from the earth. and mans
ingenuity In fashloning tools and
fabrics has passed it, limit There Is
no comparison, in volume. In value
and in relation to human enterprise
aud the very continuance OF human
lifc between the cultivation OF the
soil and any other occupation.
So far the majority OF people will
agree. what they fail to realize
practically Is the declining status of
agriculture In this country. They are
misled by tho statistics OF farm
values and products. mounting an
nually by great leaps. into thinking
that this absolute increase implies a
relative advance Of this industry as
compared with others. Exactly the
opposite is the case. refer not
merely to the quality and results OF
our tillagv, concerning which some
thing may be Pald little later on,
but to the setting OF the human tide
away from the cultivated field and
toward the factory gate or the city
Stun. This is something whose con-
sequences for evil are as certain as II
the aggregate deposits in all the
banks OF this country were decreas-
ing by a fixed percentage every ten
years. while their loans were increas-
ing by another percentage Just as
stable. You would know what catas-
fHnpha Tint h. nj hts 10
means the same thing. In kind and
consequences. when the agricultural
population. the producers and de-
positors In the great national treas
ury OF wealth, Is declining year by
year, while the city population. which
thrives only by drawing drafts upon
the land and cannot live a year after
these cease TO be honored. rises at its
expense. Yet not only is such a crisis
approaching. but II Is being fastened
by legislative stimulation in favor OF
other industries while overlooking
this.
In 1890 only about q per cent of
the American people lived In towns.
AT the time Of the Civil war the per-
oentage had risen to i6. In 1900
more than 81 per cent OF our popu-
lation was urban. The change is por-
tentious; and there is no doubt that
the coming census will show II TO
have proceeded in the last ten years
with accelerated speed. In spite OF
the warnings of economists, the
amelloratlon OF farm life, the open
ing of new and attractive employ
ment on the land through the spread
OF irrigation and the growth of the
fruit industry. the encouragement OF
public men aud the wider dissemina-
ton OF agricultural education, the
percentage OF our population who
work on the farm constantly declines.
II that proceeds too far, II is as II
dry-rot had eaten through the tim
bers supporting some great structure.