Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-09-02
THE COUNTRY'S NEEDS
More Farms, Fewer Fighting Ma
chimes, Says B. F. Yoakum.
TELLS OF MONEY SQUANDERED

Chairman of Rock Island Frisco Rail-
road System Declares Money Vast
cd by Government Would Reclaim
Much Land and Build Many Homes.
Expressing the opinion that the Unit
ed States government would do better
to encourage the development of more
| farms instead of more battleships. b.
J f. Yoakum, chairman of the executive
committee of the Rock Island-Frisco
railroad system. recently delivered at
Shawnee. Okla. before the Farmers
union of Oklahoma a notable address
on the partnership between the rail-
roads and the farmers. He said III
part:
THE farmers and the railroads are
natural partners The first thing in
quired about by an investor in new
railroad securities is the character OF
the country which the road will serve.
! If it can be shown that the territory 10
be served by the new railroad is good
farming country the greatest trouble
in finding the money TO build has been
overcome. On the other hand, the first
question a farmer seeking a location
| in a new country asks is. What are
its railroad facilities?
The things most needed by the
farmer and the railroad. but which are
neglected. to the detriment of both. are
better acquaintance and closer WORK
ing relations. These mutual benefits
i 81, =
the Farmers union. representing the
producers. and the officers of the rail
roads, representing the carriers. deal
ing directly with each other.
This country now needs what our
forefathers used In laying its founda
tion-a lot of old fashioned common
sense.
Farmer Has Good Judgment.
Good judgment and fair dealing are
found more generally among farmers
than in persons In other occupations,
and when they earnestly take hold OF
public questions they will occupy
place in our political structure that will
make their good judgment and tsl
conclusions felt more and more in soIv
lUR lDe IOldllODS VI lbG EONNi hiAiS az
and its Institutions.
THE United States government nine
teen years ago commenced the con
struction of the Illinois and Mississippi
canal. Its length is seventy-fve miles
and il has cost to date. with intereSl
at per cent. over S9,000,000. or S12O
900 per mile. To maintain this cana
in its present useless condition costs
the country's taxpayers 100000 a year
exclusive of interest on the investment
A freight boat has never passed
through it.
81 mention this to illustrate one un-
dertakng of the many which, through
the lack of system or intelligent plan
ming in advance of the construction OF
our inland waterways make up the
$S0000,000 which is referred TO hy
! Commissioner Herbert Knox Smith as
wasted.
The government has expended ap.
! proximately S225, 100000 on the i'm
! provement of the Mississippi river and
its tributaries. The tonnage handled
over the waters of the Mississippi last
year was one-third less than il was
twenty years ago.
Should Make More Farms.
THE story of government exuava-
gance of this kind is being told 50
broadly through the newspapers that
/ the masses are beginning to realizr
/ that something is wrong.
The same disregard of the value o.
money would send the strongest pri
vate business in this country into bank
ruptcy. A proper use of the prunlu-
knife in a downward revision of eX
penses would bring surprising results
''It is not practicable to itemize wherr
reductions should be made. but they
must come. The deficit should bee
cared for by reducing expenditures and
not by raising taxes to increase rev.
enues.
THE European nations are teachin-
US lesson. The controversies in Eng
land. the recent troubles in Spain, the
unrest in Russia, the quarreling over
! military taxes In Germany and The
+ struggle against new taxes in France
should strengthen our faith in the
| proposition that 1t is better TO grow
/ more farm products and make pros.
porous the man who sows and har-
vests than to build more battleship~
and new guns
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson re-
Gently said that the most pressing
needs of the United States are a great
er proportion of farmers and more
farming land in cultivation.
I'VE would better spend more of the
money we burn up in powder in max
ing new farms.
Guns Price Would Make 1856 Homes.
"A forty acre farm of irrigated land
VIII comfortably support a family OF
five. 1t costs $4,000 to make a twelve
inch gun. The money that goes to pay
for this gun would reclaim 1.5T1 acres
OF land, providing homes for 1876 peo
pie. When all the guns on all the bat
teships are shot one time the govern
ment blows off in noise and smoke
$15o,0O0. This would reclaim more
than 1000 acres of land. giving homes
to more than 500 farmers and their
families. The money consumed in pow
uer is lost to all the future. The farmer
who buys the reclaimed land must pay
the government back in ten years. SO
1t does not cost the government any
thing to build I'm the country NV haIn