Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1909-02-11
NEEDS OF FARMER
SHOWN " COUNTRY L,Fe COW.
MISSION REPORT.

oestaesss - d Overcome Are psint.
ed Out Together with oussss-
tions Tor oviaanes o. the Ne.
tionai Government.
Washington.-Report Of the commits.
sion on country life. 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 it's
report. The commission finds that
agriculture in the United states. taken
when measured by the conditions that
have obtained In previous years. al
though there are some regions il
which this liz 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. attractiveness and healthfulness.
Not only in the material wealth that
they produce. but In the supply Of in.
dependent and strong citizenship. the ax-
ricultural people constitute the very
foundation OF our national efficiency.
As agriculture is the immediate basis
u
general AFFAIRS OF the open country,
speaking broadly are in q condition
OF Improvement
Most Prominent Deficiencies.
Yet 1T is true. Notwithstanding all
this progress ~ measured by his.
torical standards. that agriculture 10
not commercially as profitable az 1t 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 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 ts 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
organized rural society are very many,
~ 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.
ti0n of soils. with the injurious effect
on rural life;
general need OF new and active
leadership.
Other causes contributing to the
general result are: Lack OF any ade.
whereby the farmer may readily We.
cure loans on fair terms: the short.
age of labor. a condition that Is often
complicated by intemperance among
workmsn; lack of institutions and i'm
centtves 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 o. the Remedies.
Congress can remove some of the
handicaps of the farmer, and 1t can
also set some kinds of work in motion
such as:
The encouragement Of system Of
thorough-Eoing surveys of all agricul-
tural regions in order to take stock
and to develop q scientifically and
economically sound country life;
The establishing OF natiOnalixed
system of extension work in rural
grant colleges with the people At their
homes and ON their farms.
thorough going investigation by
experts of the middleman system OF
handling farm products. coupled with
a general inquiry into the farmers
disadvantages in respect to taxation,
transportation rates. cooperation or.
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 dement's AZ
should be reserved for these purposes:
The establishing of highway en-
gineering service. or equivalent organt-
cation. to be at the call Of the states
In working out effective and ecOnom.
ical highway systems:
The establishing Of system OF
parcels post and postal savings
banks:
And providing some means or
agency for the guidance of public
opinion toward the development of Q
real rural society that shall rest dt.
rcctly ON the land.
Other remedies recommended for
consideration by congress are:
The enlargement OF the United
States bureau of education. to enable
II to stimulate and CO. ordinate the ed.
ucational work of the nation;
Careful attention to the farmers
interests In legislation on the tariff.
on regulation of railroads. control or
regulation of corporations and of spec
ulatiun. Regulation in respect of riv.
ers. forests. aud 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 as will
the sale of liquors to protect them
selves from trafiic from adjoining
states.
In setting all these forces In motion.
the cooperation of the states viii 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-
xity OF giving this phase OF our ma
ttonal development AN much attention
Az has been given To other phases or
interests: a quickened sense OF re.
HpOnsibility, in all the country people,
TO the community and the state i'm the
conserving of soil fertility, and In the
necessity for diversifyinG farming In
order to conserve this fertility and to
develop better rural society and
also In the better safe guarding OF the
strength and happiness OF the farm
women: more widespread conviction
OF the necessity Of organization, not only
for economic but for social pur-
poses this organization to be more or
less cooperative. 40 that all the people
may share equally in the benefits and
have voice In the essential affairs Of
the community; a realization on the
part OF the farmer that he has "A dis
tinct natural responsibility toward the
iaborer in providing him with good
living facilities. and in helping him in
every way to be y man among men:
and realization on the part of ali
tue people of the obligation to protect
and develop the natural scenery anl
ettractiveness OF the open country.
Mighty Educated Turkish Women.
New light is being thrown upon