The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1912-04-02


advantages and political recognition.
more nearly approximating to those
TO which our city population has at
tanned And | shall show that the,
cities are just as much concerned as
Is the country population for the we'll
being of the farmer
That something Is wrong with
rural communities. as the country lie
commission insists. Is only too well
known There is not In this country.
as in the older settled parts OF Eu-
rope, the same rural depopulation ana
agricultural depression which widely
prevails in the old world. Our hap
pier condition in this regard is, how
ever, due to the circumstance that We
are blessed by Providence with an
abundance of fertile land upon whose
resources our population does not yet
press. But even now we have in one
sense a serious rural exodus. There
is a growing tendency for all the
brightest and most enterprising youth
of the country TO prefer the chances
of town career; and also tendency
for the owners of agricultural land TO
move into cities and leave their farms
to be worked by tenants. Both these
tendencies are to be deplored and
should engage careful thought where
they are most marked. Our city popu-
lations have been physically and
morally sustained by the constant In
flow of the best country blood This
cannot go on indefinitely. II this hui
man reservoir from which the cities
have drawn and must continue TO
draw so much of their best citizenship
becomes depleted and deter1orated,
the cities themselves will be the
greatest sufferers from the evils which
always threaten nation which as
whole abandons the country for the
town National degeneracy will then
proceed apace. Here we open up a
vista of social speculation which |
cannot today pursue. For l want to
emphasize an aspect of the rural life
problem which concerns every worker
| for his living in the United States.
Reason for High Cost of Living.
Beyond question the growing cost
of the necessaries of life is in no
small measure due to two economic
facts Firstly, the farm lands OF the
United States do not produce nearly
as much food as they might produce
under conditions more favorable to
! the farmer Secondly, owing to the
| lack of organization among farmers
| the marketing of their products is con-
trolled by middle interests which low
er the price to the producer and at
consumer.
Now this is serious state OF facts.
/ 1t arises out OF a wrong attitude OF
public opinion towards the most i'm
Dortant body of wealth producers in
/ the country and a general tendency
rural to those of the urban popula-
| tions. This tendency was first mani
tested in England 1t has since pre-
vailed throughout the English-speak.
! ing world. 1t has to be corrected /;
and it is worth while to pause for a
moment to tell you how this fatal
mistake arose,
1T all began with the Industrial
revolution which began in the latter
part of the eighteenth century. This,
as you know, arose out of success.
sion of inventions mostly connected
with the great development of ma.
chinery and the utilization OF steam
and subsequently of electricity, In
manufacture The chief social result
was the concentration of industries
and of their workers in great cities
Those who continued to live upon the
land were thus deprived of all profit
able occupation except agriculture
The farmers were regarded as feed
ers of the cities and the markets
which were thus made for them were
considered to give them all they re
4 quired at the hands of the nation But
when rapid and cheap transportation
together with processes for preserv
farmers of the old world into com
petition with those who were develop
ing the newly-opened farm lands OF
this continent, agricultural depression
set in, not only in England, but
throughout Europe. In those coun
tries which were forced to remain un
der military regime the Importance
of the agricultural population to the
nation was recognized, but in the Eng
disappearing countries there was {
general tendency to concentrate al
national thought and power upon in
dustrial development and commercial
expansion, and to regard the farmer,
as an inferior order of citizens. Tha
Is not consciously our attitude to tn,
farmers of this country, but in man,
respects we have acted as II 1t was
It behooves us, therefore, to conside
how the farmers In the most progress
sive European countries have deal
with this modern problem OF rura
life and see how far foreign expert
ence will show US how best to hell
the farmers Of the United States.