The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-04-10
Of FARMERS
DISCUSSED
ENLiVENlNG SESSIONS OF CRED
ITS CONFERENCE ARE HELD
IN CHICAGO.

Chicago, April 9.-Everybody at the
farm credits conference waXed enthu-
slastic today, and some of them became
excited in discussing the high cost of
living, the meager returns to the far
mer of his products, and the best
means of readjusting the economic
problem among the agriculturists,
middlemen n the ultimate consumer.
Prepared speeches We're delivered by
Harry Pratt Judson, president of the
University of Chicago; c. w. Thomp-
son of Minneapolis. H. w. Summers of
Dallas, Texas; j. Fl. Page of Arkansas
and w. J. Spillman of the department
of agriculture at Washington. Louis
w. Hill, chairman of the board of di-
rectors of the Great Northern railway
system, was to nave discussed the re-
lations of railroads to the marketing OF
farm products, but was detained at st.
Paul.
Among those who enlivened the pro.
c%eedings with impromptu discussions
We're H. S. Moberly, president of the
Farmers union of Arkansas, and George
McKeroW, superintendent OF Farmers
Institutes of wisconsin. In the course
of some remarks, Moberly said that in
! general farmers were not business
men.
WISCONSIN farmers make very sue
%cessful business men," interjected Nc
KeroW.
The Arkansan averred that cons
pared with the business men of the
cities, the farmers cannot organize,
finance and manage a cooperative
scheme. Generally, he said, they have
not the capital, business ability and in
formation required. He mentioned
several farmers organizations which
had failed. The Wisconsin man again
arose.
THE farmers of my %state,' he de-
clared. mot only can. but have, organ
lied many permanently successful or
CARNATIONS. They do business like any
city firm He cited the organization
of dairy and fruit men as examples.
Summers, who is a member of con-
gress, said that as the necessities of
the people change, the scope of gov
nme must change, and that the
matter of farm credits was a legiti-
mate concern of the national govern
ment The speaker said that with the
rush from the farms to the cities
which followed the introduction of
rapid transit, the margin between
farm production and general consump-
ton had become dangerously narrow.
The high prices of today are the sinis-
ter shadows of coming hunger cast
upon the land, he asserted. There is
no system of carrying over the surplus
of bountiful years to care for the lean
years.
"rBack to the farm is the cry" pur-
sued the speaker. The men raised in
the city will not return to the country
under existing conditions. know
there are individual exceptions. but
these exceptions are very prone to
write articles for the magazines as
soon as they get back to the soil, and
fer the most part they return to the
city in a few years"
The speaker pointed out that a 49,
900, 900 bale cotton crop in 1911
brought s125, 900, 900 less than a r.
600, 000-bale cotton crop the previous
year. The corn crop of 1912 was much
larger h a that of 1911, he said, but
it brought the farmer sos, 900, 900 less.
What should the government do?"
he inquired. CLEARLY it should max
a definite start at the right place and
in the right way to give its aid to the
correction of this situation which so
vitality concerns every man, woman
and child of its citizenship. In order
to dc that it must create a marketing
bureau, clothe it with almost unlimited
discretion, supply it with adequate
funds and place upon it the RESPONSE
bility of working out and helping to
apply such methods of sale and distri-
button of farm products as would in
sure to producers reasonable staple,
remunerative prices, and to the nation
IN adequate food supply, and | may
add that the individual citizens, the
civic and business organization of a
country must help in this great work.
1t is a work for the nation; it must be
a work by the nation
Thompson discussed reasons why
farmers are not effectively organized,
declaring hat the greatest reason was
that they were unwilling to pay enough
money to obtain able managers. Also,
he said, it was not enough that they
should put their money into an Or
~ganization; they must put themselves
into it.
Many of the farmers organizations
of the northwest We're started by GER
tain outside interests for the sake of
their own pecuniary gain he asserted.
Certain manufacturing companies
have organized local creamery COM
panies in order to sell cream separa-
tors, or perhaps in order to dispose of
creamery outfits at from $500 to 81, 900
in excess of the market price. We
may rest assured that whoever
does the organizing will be apt to look
after the interests of the organizing
body rather han to be especially con
cerned in the interests of the organi-
cation ITSELF"