The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-10-29
The Local Newspaper and the Farm


ers' State Convention a resolution
was adopted ASKING the local news
papers to give more attention to the
development of agriculture and to
the work of the individual farmers
in their respective sections. The day
before the resolution was adopted the
as to whether or not the country
newspapers give as much attention
to their rural readers as might justly
be expected of them. Some of the
Convention members thought that
they do; the adoption of the resolu-
tion in question seems to show that
ion.
Well, some of the newspapers re-
sented the criticism and said, in eff
feet. that the farmers were unappre-
ciative, and all that. One of them
took occasion to say that Mr.. A. l..
French, who first brought up the
toriety, and some of them talked in
a kindly, patronizing way to the
farmers and informed them-very
politely, to be sure-that they were
making a mistake in venturing to
offer suggestions to the newspapers.
One editor came back at the farm
ers as follows:
THAT statement down at the
Farmers Convention that the news
paper man did not do enough for the
farmer is amusing to say the least
The newspapers have been knocking
at the door of the farmer ever since
the Civil war, but for half a century
they did not open up. A small por-
tion Of them have taken to their
homes some kind of paper, but
usually they get the cheapest one,
regardless Of its quality of reading
matter. If they had been close read
ers of Southern newspapers, and had
the disposition to act to the valuable
suggestions contained therein, we
would not have had to wait fifty years
for our present day Improvements to
the farm. Almost all Of the improve
ments on the farm have come
through the demands and aggressive
spirit Of the town-people and we
might say against the wishes of a
majority OF the farmers. 1t was so
on the "no-fence law" and 1t is true
as to the good roads campaign. In
! most cases they have been set against
all up-to-date improvements as a
stone wall To prove this we have
only to look over our State and see
| the slowness-shall we say stub
borness?-of our farmers in MAX
ing good roads. What the Southern
| farmer needs is breadth of vision.
which comes by reading and con-
tact. and less of the self-will in the
face Of facts. We could no more say
that as a rule the farmer has been
an up-to-date progressive than We
could refuse to our own child medi-
cine if he were Ill.,"
Now. the writer of this article al
so wrote the resolution in question.
and feels that it was fully justified.
AT least two or three hundred news
papers come to our office ana m
paratively few of them seem t. us
to realize at all the opportunities
they have to be of service to their
farmer readers. With all this. how
ever. there is much of truth in the
editorial just quoted. We, as farm
ers, have a right in many cases. ia
expect better things of our loca,
newsapers,-but,i in many cases, the
paper has right to expect better
Things of us. We may just as well
recognize the fact that if we have
been neglected it is pretty largely
our own fault, and that it Is discour-
aging work for anyone to try to helr
people who will not help themselves
we have 1t largely In our power to
remedy this lack Of understanding OF
our problems on the part Of the news
paper men, and it is up to us to dc
II.
Some OF them are now doing all
that could be expected, and Others
are gradually getting into line Here
for example, Is an extract from an
other paper:
THE MontgOmerian desires to be
means of help to the farmers of
montgomery County. and we feel
there Is nothing better we can do
than to publish articles written by
wide-awake farmers on the different
agricultural problems and achieve
ments. We would be glad If they
VIII tell what they have done, and
are doing, that has provpn successf,l .