Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-08-19
FARMER KNOWS HIS BUSINESS.

FARMER KNOWS HIS BUSINESS
Bankers have declared war on the
utomobile-bankers of the East as
well as of the West and South. Or
ders have been issued quite generally
to loan no more money to be used In
purchase of cars. The reason as
signed is that motoring has become
IAN extravagant, wasteful craze,
which must be checked or the country
will go to the bow-wows.
Maybe so; but we don't believe it.
No doubt a good many people buy au-
tomobiles who can not safely afford to
do so. A few, perhaps as the horri-
fled bankers say, have mortgaged their
homes to pay for them. Others have
failed to take into account the cost OF
upkeep. Grant all that! They will
learn, won't they? And If their ex-
perience proves to be dear, they are
the ones who will have to stand IT,
aren't they? To argue that money
tightness is due to the great sums in
vested in cars is nonsense. The dol
lars paid go to the manufacturers,
and by them are distributed among
their workmen and disbursed for ma
terials. They neither leave the coun-
try nor go up in smoke. They merely
change hands, and find their way
through various channels from one
bank to another.
Nor is 1t true that, as a rule,
the motor is a luxury. A vast majority
of the 100000 machines made this
year go to farmers, small tfadesmen,
doctors and lawyers throughout the
country. They earn and save money
quite as often as they induce the
squandering of it. Probably three
fifths or more are cared for and oper-
ated by their owners, who buy cheap
gasoline instead of dear oats. Quite
likely they have not yet attained their
full value i'm economies. That takes
time. But they are getting there, and
are bound to reach the goal as GER
tain as the steam railway car supplant-
ed the stage coach.
Best Of all, better even than the
commercial advantages derived from
their use. they are fetching COMPARE
lively isolated folks into contact with
their fellows. The curse of the coun-
try, everybody allows, is the constant
migration from farm to town. Well,
what causes It? Lonesomeness. We
are a gregariOus people and don't like
to live alone. It is clear that what
ever contributes TO strike at the root
Of this baneful tendency by making
for contentment on the farm is a good
thing. The telephone has done won
ders along this line. The automobile
Is doing more. It ought 20 be encour-
aged. not cut OF like a sore finger
But can the farmers afford III
Probably not in all cases Many may
buy a little ahead Of time to please
the children. But the American
farmer f. not a Ounce. He knows
what he can afford as well a. the
banker. who is the real proHleate.
with his runabOut and brougham and
touring car and two chauneurs. No.
sir Reliance can be placed upon the
common sense Of the farmer. the doc
tor. or the trademan- He may get
nipped once. but not twice or thrice
Wholly aside. then. from the gross
Injustice Of attacking a manufacturing
Industry which has grown 70 enormous
proportions. Il r. unfair. shorfsiehted
and mean % make the automobile the
goat FOR all Of our pecuniary diHcui-
ties. general depression and other nis
Let the bankers 20 West on vacations
instead of to Europe. where they DO
leave wads and wads of good Ameri-
can money. and u is dollars 70 dough-
note 70 a tune mere pafriotie.-EIar-
r.rrss TreekIr