The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-01-28

grafton as steady. For worldwide
reasons our prices would have ad-
vanCed, and local reasons would cause
our advance to be some greater than
the worlds average. We as farmers
admit both advance in land value and
products, that we have recently had a
little larger measure Of prosperity than
heretofore, but deny that we have re-
ceiVed our full share. much less more
than our u Much loose and unwise
talk and many untrue statements have
forced h consumer to the conclusion
that the hardness Of his road is caused
by the ease of ours, and he has said
and is still saying that the cost Of his
food stuffs must be made cheaper.
Again, the special pleader gets the
IA Of the government. The pleader
says the raw material raised by the
American farmer costs the American
consumer more than it ought.
Ours is a political government. 1t is
necessary to satisfy or placate a ma
jority Of the people, to keep either
yourself or your party in power. There
are more consumers of food stuffs than
producers. So, please the consumer
he will remember it. Wrong the pro-
ducer-he will soon forget It; and at
all times prove dOcile. SO, with little
effort to mislead, but boldly, bluntly
and almost b%rutally, with eason and
arguments, plainly stated, the Ameri-
can market was open to our nearest
and greatest competitor in the produc-
ton of fOodstuftS, Canada. Our govern
ment carried out it's part Of the pro-
gramme. and "a, 900, 900 Of our people
were wrong-some in fact, and some in
principle, to SATISFY hat much more
important element politically the
American consumer and the American
manufacturer. And why not sacrifice
the farmer for political expediencies?
Hasn't he always been dumb driven
c~attle?" God moves in a mysterious
way His wonders to perform" Again
he tempered the wind for the shorn
lamb" Canada has taken us temOrar-
lily out of that dilemma, and the good
Lord ha again favored US with a
bountiful crop. And we can throw
back in the face of those who argue
that the American farmer could not
feed America, their discredited argu-
ments. Again we prove that we more
than can, n again our government
is advertising great surplus on its
bargain counter. The contest between
those who raj to sell dear n those
who want to buy cheap is not ended
and never will be. Taft's plan has
failed temporarily. Wilson's plan is
in the bOrning. II will not injure us
less TO let everybody in than it would
1 ~ AAkN . oAAS " " cAiAy 0AA0 ~ 1870
but it will at least be a. fair distribu-
ton Of our common misfortune.
The tendency of public thought in
America toward the farmer Is all
wrong. He was not created to make
the battle of life easy for those that
chose to live in the city. We cannot
become nationally more prosperous or
better satisfied by tearing the farmer
down. The asy safe and n way Is
to make the entire country really pros
porous through agricultural prosperity.
There is no other way.
Nor is ours a question Of making two
blades of grass grow where only one
has grown. It is rather a question Of
getting a fair price for the blade we
now grow. With such a price estab-
lished and maintained a reasonable
amount above cost, rightly figured, the
back to the farm" movement will care
for itself, and both blades Of grass and
farmers will increase and multiply
when farming becomes a prosperous
business. Remember the comparative
figures / gave you and the dollars that
little and big crops brought. Person
ally. under conditions that have pre-
vailed, l do not want to be shown how
to produce more grain unless ! am in
sured that n n else is to be shown.
l do not want to learn any way to raise
more oats or barley or potatoes than l
raised this year; but I would be most
grateful to anyone who would tell me
where / could sell what l ave so as to
get a reasonable or small profit for
growing them. / am still of the opin-
ion that they ought in prosperous
times be worth a little more than they
cost. Don't let's lose sight of the facts
and get toe much enthused over the
great benefits that the Better Farming
movement seems to warrant. Are we
ready for large or maximum crops? II
a little more than ar average wheat
crop reduces its value Is cents per
bushel, IL more than an average oat
crop reduces the value of oats to less
than cost, II a big potato crop makes
potatoes almost worthless, and a 50,-
000,0 900 bushel increase in our barley