Omaha daily bee., 1909-09-15
Says Increase of Agricultural Popula-
tion is Imperative.
WILL HAVE TO IMPORT WHEAT
Growth Of Cities Will Make This Step
Necessary Within Decade.
SHORT SPEECH BY CANNON
Speaker Praises AIdrfch-vreeIand
Act and Deprecates Demand for
Enormous Appropriations
for improvements.

CHICAGO, Sept. 14-Bankers from every
state in the union and representatives of
financial institutions In Cuba and Hawaii
Joined today In the opening session of the
thirty-fifth annual convention Of the Amert-
can Bankers association here. The conven-
tion was called to order by the president
George M. Reynolds. president OF the Con-
tinentai National bank, Chicago in the
Auditorium theater in the presence of close
to 5000 delegates
Reports Of the various committees and
officers Of The association and the addresses
of welcome and the responses filled the
morning session.
The program OF the day also contained
an informal address by Speaker Joseph G.
Cannon Of the house of representatives. A
prominent feature of the first days ses-
sion was the discussion of practical bank
ing questions by delegates
Address of James j. Hill.
"The idea that we feed the world is being
corrected, and unless we can increase the
agricultural population and their product
the question of source OF food supply at
home will soon supersede the question of a
market for our own products abroad" This
was the warning given by James ]. Hill
at the convention Of the American Bankers
association today during a discussion OF
the decline Of agriculture and its conse-
Quences. Mr.. Hills subject was National
Wealth and the Farm"
I'VE have" said the speaker almost
reached a point where, owing to increased
population without increased production per
acre, our home food supply will be nsuffi-
cient for our own needs. Within ten years,
possibly less, we are likely to become a
wheat-importing nation. The percentage of
the population engaged in agriculture and
the wheat product per acre are both falling
At the same time the cost of living lie
raised everywhere by this relative scarcity
of bread. by artificial increase In the price
of all manufactured articles, and by a habit
of extravaganza which has enlarged the
view of both rich and poor of what are to
be considered the necessaries OF life.
City Population on 1ncFease.
1t means the same thing, IN kind and
consequences, when the agricultural popu-
lation. the producers and deposItors in the
great national treasury OF wealth. is declin-
ing year by year, while the city population,
which thrives only by drawing drafts upon
the land and cannot live a year after these
cease to be honored, rises at its expense.
Yet not only is such a crisis approaching,
SN' ~ 10 peihS hdSteneu py legislative SttTn-
ulation in favor of other Industries while
overlooking this.
In 1880 only about S4 per cent of the
American people lived in towns. At the
time Of the civil war the percentage had
risen to l6. In 1900 more than 81 per cent
of our population was urban. The change
is portentious, and there is no doubt that
the coming census will show It to have
proceeded in the last ten vears With a.
CELEBRATED speed
with our annual increase of over Is
per cent in population from natural causes
and immigration that has not bsen lass
(Continued on Fifth PnreN -