The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1909-02-13
NEEDS OF FARMER
SHOWN BY COUNTRY LIFE. COM.
MISSION REPORT.
Obstacles to Be Overcome Are Point.
ed Out, Together with Sueees-
tions for Guidance Of the Ma
tionaI Government.

sion on country HE, OF especial inter-
est to the farmers, was read in both
houses of congress. A summary fol-
lows.
To the President: The commission
on country life herewith presents its
report The commi ssion 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 some regions in
which this is only partially true. The
country people are producing vast
quantities of supplies for food. shelter.
clothing. and for in the arts. The
country homes are improving in COM
fort attractiveness and healthfulness.
Not only in the material wealth that
they produce. but in the supply OF in
dependent and strong citizenship. the ag
ricultural people constitute the very
foundation of our national efficiency.
AS agriculture is the immediate basis
of country life. it follows that the
general affairs of the open country
speaking broadly. are in condition
OF improvement.
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 il 10
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 posi- bilities 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 readjustment OF modern
life due to the great changes in manu-
factures 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 a highly
organized rural society very many.
as the full report explains. The lead
ing specific causes are:
Lack of good training for country
life in the schools
Lack of good highway facilities;
The widespread continuing deple-
ton of soils with the injurious effect
rural life;
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
age Of labor. 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.
Congress can remove some Of tho
handcaps of the farmer. and it can
also set some kinds of work in motion
such as;
The encouragement of a system Of
thorough going surveys of all agricul-
tural regions in order to take stock
and to develop scientifically and
economically sound country life;
The establishing of nationalized
system of extension work in rural
communities through all the land
grant colleges with the people at their
homes and on their farms:
A thorough going investigation by
experts of the mddleman system of
handling farm products. coupled with
a general inquiry into the farmers
disadvantages in respect to taxation.
transportation rates. cooperation or
ganizations and credit and the gem
eral business system;
An inquiry into the control and use
of the streams of the United States
with the object of protecting the peo-
pie in their ownership and of saving
to agricultural uses such benefits as
SnoIlu De reserved loT lntSt puTpOStSs
The establishing of highway en-
gineering service, or equivalent orEa mi
zation. to be at the call of the states
in working out effective and econom-
ical highway systems:
The establishing of a system of
parcels post and postal savings
banks.
And providing some means or
agency for the guidance of public
opinion toward the development of a
Moi SJ1tlI IA
rec,ly the land.
Other remedies recommended for
consideration by congress are;
The enlargement of the United
States bureau of education. to able
it to stimulate and coordinate ahe ed
uca tional work of the nation:
Careful attention TO the farmers
interests in legislation on the tariff.
regulation of railroads. control or
regulation of corporations and of spec
ulation. legislation in respect of riv-
ers forests. and the utilization OF
swamp lands:
Increasing the powers Of the fed
eral government in respect to the
supervision and control of the public
health:
Providing such regulations will
enable the states that do not permit
the sale of liquors to protect them
selves from traffic from adjoining
states.
In setting all these forces in motion.
the cooperation of the states will be
necessary; and in many cases definite
state laws may greatly aid the work.
Remedies of more general nature
are: A broad campaign of publicity.
that must be undertaken until all the
people are informed on the whole sub
ject OF rural life. and until there is an
awakened appreciation of the neces-
sty of giving this phase of our ma
tional development as much attention
has been given to other phases
interests: a quickened sense of re-
sponsibilty in all the country people.
to the community and the state in the
conserving of soil fertility. and in the
necessity for diversifying farming in
order to conserve this fertility and to
iofx md