Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1913-12-05

restored in distressed Mexico by the
concert and energy of such of her
leaders as prefer the liberty Of their
people to their own ambitions.
l turn to matters of domestic con
Germ. You already have under consid-
GRAFTON a bill for the reform of our
system of banking and currency, for
which the country waits with impa-
tience, as for something fundamental
to its whole business life and neces-
sary to set credit free from arbitrary
and artificial restraints. l need not
say how earnestly hope for its early
enactment into law. / take leave to
beg that the whole energy and atten-
ton Of the senate. be concentrated up
on it till the matter is successfully dis
posed Of. And yet feel that the re-
quest is not needed-that the mem
bers of that great house need no urg-
ing in this service to the country.
To Facilitate Credits.
present to you, in addition, the
urgent necessity that special provision
be made also for facilitating the cred
its needed by the farmers of the coun-
try. The pending currency bill does
the farmers a great service. 1t puts
them upon an equal footing with other
business men and masters of enter
prise, as it should; and upon its pas
sage they will find themselves quit
of many of the difficulties which now
hamper them in the field of credit
The farmers, of course, ask and
should be given no special privilege,
such as extending to them the credit
of the government itself. What they
need and should obtain is legislation
which will make their own abundant
and substantial credit resources avail
able as a foundation for joint, con-
certed local action in their own behalf
in getting the capital they must use
1t is to this we should now address
ourselves.
1t has, singularly enough, come tc
pass that we have allowed the industry
of our farms to lag behind the other
activities of the country in its develop
ment. / need not stop to tell you how
fundamental to the life of the natior
is the production Of its food.
Our thoughts may ordinarily be con
centrated upon the cities and the hives
Of industry, upon the cries of thu
crowded market place and the clango
OF the factory, but 1t is from the quie
interspaces Of the open valleys ant
the free hillsides that we draw tn
sources Of life and of prosperity, from
the farm and the ranch, from the fol-
est and the mine.
2 Depends on Crops.
Without these every street would b
silent, every office deserted, ever
factory fallen into disrepair. And We
the farmer does not stand upon tn
' same footing with the forester an
the miner in the market of credit. H
| is the servant of the seasons. Natur
5 determines how long he must wal
r for his crops, and will not be hurrie
I In her processes. He may give hi
+ note, but the season of its maturit
depends upon the season when hi
crop natures, lies at the gates of tn
market where his products are solo
And the security he gives is of
character not known in the broker
office or as Familiarity as 1t might b
on the counter of a banker.
The agricultural department of tn
government is seeking to assist a
never before to make farming an Ell
ficient business, of wide co-operativ.
effort, in quick touch with the markets
for foodstuffs. The farmers and tn,
government will henceforth work to
gether as real partners in this fielC
where we now begin to see our wa,
very clearly and where many intelli
gent plans are already being put into
execution.
Aided Crop Movement.
The treasury of the United States
has, by a timely and wellconsideret
distribution Of its deposits, facilitated
the moving of the crops in the present
season and prevented the scarcity Of
available funds too often experienced
at such times. But we must not allow
ourselves to depend upon extraordina
ry expedients. We must add the
means by which the farmer may make
his credit constantly and easily avail
able and command when he will the
capital by which to support and ex
pand his business.
We lag behind many other great
countries of the modern world in at
tempting to do this. Systems Of rural
credit have been studied and develop
ed on the other side of the water
while we left our farmers to shift fol-
themselves in the ordinary money mar
ket. You have but to look about you
in any rural district to see the result
the handicap and embarrassment
which have been put upon those who
produce our food.
Conscious of this backwardness and
neglect on our part the congress re-
Gently authorized the creation of a
special commission to study tho vari.
Gus systems of rural credit which
have been put into operation in Eu-
rope, and this commission is already