The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-10

problem Of the farmers alone that l am
discussing with them, but problem
which affects every city as well as every
farm in the country 1t Is q problem
which the working farmers viii have to
solve for themselves; but it is a problem
which also affects in only lesser degree ali
the rest Of u, and therefore III We car
render any help toward its solution, II Is
not only our duty but our interest 70
do so.
Hopes He Is Understood.
The foregoing will. hope. make it clear
why I appointed a commission to consider
problems of farm life which have hitherto
had far too little attention, and the neg
Iect of which has not only held back life
in the country, but also lowered the eff
cheney Of the whole nation. The welfare
of the farmer is OF vital consequence TO
the welfare Of the whole community The
strengthening Of country life, therefore, is
the strengthening of the whole nation.
Tie commission has tried to help the
farmers to see clearly their own problem
and TO see it as whole: TO distinguish
clearly between what the government can
do and what the farmers must do for
themselves; and it wishes TO bring not
only the farmers, but the nation as a
whole, to realize that the growing of
crops. though an essential part, is only a
part of country life Crop growing is the
essential foundation: but il is no less es-
sentisi that the farmer shall get an ade-
quate return for what he grows; and il
is no less sSSential-indeed, IL is literally
vitsI-that he and his wife and children
shall lead the right kind of life.
For this reason if Is of first importance
that the United States department of sg-
riculture. through which as prime agent
the ideas OF the commission stands for
must reach the people. should become
without delay in fact a department Of
country life. fitted 10 deal not only with
crops, but also with all the larger aspects
Of life in the open country.
From all that has Oeen done and learned
three great general and immediate needs
Of country life stand out:
First. effective cooperation among
farmers, to put them on level with the
organized interests with which they do
Second, new kind of schools in the
country. which shall teach children as
much outdoors as indoors and perhaps
more. so that they will prepare for coun-
try life, and not as at present, mainly for
life in town
Third. better means of communication,
including good roads and a parcels post,
which the country people are everywhere,
and rightly. unanimous in demanding.
To these may well be added better SAM
tation; for easily preventable diseases
hold several million country people in the
slavery of continuous i'll health
Concurs With Commission.
The commission points out, and con-
cur in the conclusion, that the most ini-
portsRt help that the government, wheth-
er national or state. can give is to show
the people how to go about these tasks
of organization, education and communi-
cation with the best and quickest results.
This can be done by the collection and
spread Of information. one community
can thus be informed of what other com
munities have done. and one country Of
what other countries have done. Such
help by the peoples government would
lead to q comprehensive plan of organizs-
ton. education and communication and
make the farming country better TO live
in for intellectual and social reasons as
well as for purely agricultural reasons.
The government through the department
of agriculture does not cultivate any
mans farm for him But it does put at
his service useful knowledge that he
otherwise would not get. In the same way
the national and state governments might
put into the peoples hands the new and
right knowledge Of school work. The task
of maintaining and developing the schools