The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1909-02-12
POINTS OUT IMPROVEMENTS
FOR COUNTRY COMMUNITIES
Special Message Of President Of Utmost Inter.
ct to Farmers.
Urges That Social WI Productive Side Of Farm Lie
Be Built Up-Wssk for the Fedssd
Oooas1nent

Washington.-With the report of
he country life commission Presideat
Roosevelt sent the following mes
sage to both houses Of congress:
10 ths Senate and House Of Represent
atives: l transmit herewith the report
OF the commission on country life. Al
the outset l desire to point out that not
dollar Of the public money has bsen
paid TO any commissioner for his work
on the commission.
OF farming life In the open country. and
points cut Its larger problems: II tndi-
Gates ways In which the government. na-
tional and state. May show the people
how to solve some Of these problems: and
1t suggests . continuance OF the work
which the commission began.
Judging by 70 public hearings, to which
farmers and farmers wives from ~
states and territories came and from
10000 answers to printed questions sent
out by the department Of agriculture.
the commission finds that the general
level Of csuntry life il high compared
with any preceding time or with any 9TH
er land. II 1t has In recent years slipped
down In some places. it has risen In more
places. Its progress has been general. II
not uniform.
1SN AAI"lu& uoNS uul ylclu Cltuet kuO
profit or the satisfaction that 1t ought
TO yield, and may be made to yield. There
10 discomfort In the country. and In places
dtscOuraEe cement. Farmers q class do
not magnify their calling. and the move
ment to the towns. though. l am happy
to say. less than formerly. is still strong
Under our system. 1t is helpful to pro-
mote discussion Of ways in which the
people can help themselves. There are
thrAA m hiractiAna ~ Vyk,ff.b hA In =
ers can help themselves: namely. better
farming. better business and better living
on the farm. The national department Of
agriculture. which has rendered service
eQualed BY no other similar department
in any other time or place; the state
departments Of agriculture: the state col
leges of agriculture and the mechanical
arts. especially through their extension
work: the state agricultural experiment
stations; the Farmers union: the Grange:
the agricultural press: and other similar
agencies; have all combined to place with
in the reach of the American farmer an
amount and quality Of agricultural tnfor-
nation. which. II applied. would enable
him. over large areas. to double the
production Of the farm.
For Setter 0usinsss and Living.
The object of the commission on coun-
try life. therefore. il not to help the
farmer raise better crops but to call his
attention to the opportunities for better
business and better living on the farm
II country life In to become what 1t
should he. and what believe It ultimate
ly will be-one of the most dignined. de-
sira bile. and sought-after ways of earn
n Hving-the farmer must take advan
tage not only Of the agricultural knOw!-
edge which is at his disposal. but of TN"
methods which have raired and con,inu"
to raise the standards of living and in
telligence in other callings.
Those engaged in all other industrial
and commercial callings have found il
necessary. under modern economic cor
ditinns. to organize themselves for mu-
tual advantage and for the protection OF
their own particular interests In relh
ton to other interests. The farmers Of
every progressive European country have
realized this essential fact and havc
found in the cooperative system exactly
the form Of business combination they
need.
Now. whatever the state may do 10
ward improving the practice of agri-
culture. 1t Ia not within the sphere of
any government to rcorganize the farm
ers business or reconstruct the social
life of farming communities. 1t is. how
ever, quite within it's power to use its
influence and the machinery of publicity
tention to the needs of the facts. For eN
ample. IT 10 the obvious duty of the GOV
ernment to call the attention Of farmers
to the growing monopolzation of wat"r
power. The farmers, above all, should
have that power, on reasonable terms. for
cheap transportation. for lighting their
homes. and for innumerable uses in the
daily tasks of the farm.
Necessity for Cooperation.
1t is true that country life has improved
greatly in attractiveness, health and com
fort. and that the farmers earnings ar"
higher than they were. But city life is
advancing even more rapidly. because of
the greater attention which is being given
by the citizens of the towns to their own
For just this reason the in
PRODUCTION of effective agricultural co
operation throughout the United States is
of the first Importance. Where farmers
are organized comparatively they not
only avail themselves much more read
lily of business opportunities and i'm
proved methods but 1t is found that the
organizations which bring them together
in the work Of their lives are used also
for social and intellectual advancement.
The cooperative plan is the best plan
Of organization wherever men have the
right spirit to carry 1t out Under this
plan any business undertaking Is man
aged by committee: every man mas
one vote. and only one vote: and every
one gets profits according to what he
sells or buys or supplies. 1t develops in
dfvidual responsibility and has moral
as we'll as a financial value over any
other plan.
desire only to take counsel with the
farmers as fellow-citizens. 1t Is not the
problem of the farmers alone that ] am
discussing with them. but a problem
which affects every city well as every
farm in the country. 1t is q problem
which the working farmers will have to
solve for themselves; but It is a problem
which also affects in only less degree all
the rest of US. and therefore II We can
render any help toward Its solution. it is
not only our duty but our interest to do
20.
Work to Neip the Farmers.
The commission has tried to help the
farmers to see clearly their own prob