Washington telegraph., 1909-02-05
Nature of the Remedies.

Congress can remove some of the
haadicaps of the farmer. and it can
also set some kinds of work in motion
such as:
The announcement 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 a 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 middleman 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
should be reserved for these purposes;
The establishing of system of
parcels post and postal savings
banks;
And providing some means or
opinion toward the development of
real rural society that shall rest di
rectly on the land.
Other remedies recommended for
consideration by congress are:
The enlargement of the United
States bureau of education, to enable
1t to stimulate and coordinate 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
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 as 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-
sity of giving this phase of our ma
tional development as much attention
as has been given to other phases or
interests; a quickened sense of re-
sponsibility, 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
develop a better rural society, and
also in the better 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, so 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 dis
tinct natural responsibility toward the
laborer in providing him with good
living facilities. and in helping him in
every way to be a man among men,
and a realization on the part of all
the people of the obligation to protect
and develop the natural scenery and
attractiveness OF the open country.