The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-04-10
EDITOR
ADVANCED
new IDEAS
Herbert Myrick, Agricultural
Editor, Spoke
Would Help Farmers to Finance
Themselves
Small Business Men Should
Cooperate With Them

Chicago, April 10.--Among the
speakers at the third and hnaI day Of
the national conference of marketing
and farm credits were tinancieTs, edu-
Gators and editors. one of these was
a paper prepared by Herbert Myrick OF
Springfield, Mass, president OF sever
al weekly papers especially interesting
to farmers.
This paper on Comparative Finance,
which was read for him declared that
organized cooperation ena ables the
farmers to finance themselves and im-
prove distribution, reform marketing
and promote the general welfale.
He declared American farmers unit
edly demand that whatever currency
reform congress enacts, it shall pro
vide facilities for financing farms equal
to those provided for the large bust
ness interests. lie hopes that such re-
form shall encourage the cooperation
of savings credits, loans by people OF
limited wealth as well as farmers and
small tradesmen. That this shall not
be done by special privilege, but by
the reative equality of opportunity in
banking and enchange for personal
mortgage savings and loans whereby
the farmers and common people may
cooperate successfully to finance
themselves under either the federal or
state laws or both, is his desire.
3. +. Harris Of Champaign. H.,
urged the conservation of the soil. w.
G. Edin Of Chicago is formulating
plans for financing farmers.
Resume Of Wednesday.
Everybody at the farm credits con-
ference got enthusiastic YESTERDAY.
and some of them became excited in
discussing the high cost Of living, the
meagre ret' rms to the farmer on his
products, end the hest means of re---
adjusting the economic problem at
present very much awry as among the
agricuturlsts. middlemen and the ui-
innate consumer. .--...
There was such a wealth Of opinion
clamoring for expression that Il
sions provided by the programme. A
session was held tonight at which the
pressure was somewhat relieved.
Among those who enlivened the
proceedings yesterday with i'm
prCmptu discussions were II. $. Mo-
berly, president of the farmers union
of Arkansas, and George McKeFrow,
of Wisconsin. President Moberly. re-
marked that in general farmers
were not business men.
Wisconsin farmers make very sue
Cessful business men," .interjected
McKerrow.
The ArkaDsasan aVerred that, COM
pared with the business men of ths
cities. the farmer cannot organize.
finance and manage co-operatihe o
scheme. Generally he said. they
have not the capital, business ability
and information required. He men-
toned a number Of farmers organi-
cations which had failed. The Wis.,
consin man again arose.
The farmers of my state" he de-
clared. mot only can, but have or
ganized many permanently successful
any city firm." He cited the orgal-
izations of dairy and fruit men as ex-
amples.
Moberly said there was a vast diff
ference between handling cotton and
handling dairy products, owing TO tns
immense difficulty of grading cotton.
The time of production and the fact
that half the cotton crop lis marketed
within q period of three months were
other difficulties. he said, while dairy
products reach the market In well
regulated quantities throughout the
year. In addition the cotton growers
have no storage facilities Co-opera-
tive warehouses have failed. Moberly
said the university of Arkansas was
doing valuable work In bringing about
CO operation among farmers in mis-
farmers working together had In
creased their income by 200 per cent.
Summers, who is a member Of con-
gress, said that as the necessities OF
the people change. the scope Of gov
ernment must change, and that tho
matter of farm credits was g. lcgiti-
mate concern of the national govern
ment. The speaker said that with the
rush from the farms 10 the cities
which followed the introduction OF
rapid transit the margin between
farm production and general con-
sumption had become dangerously
narrow. The high prices of today
are the sinister shadow. of coming
hunger cast upon the land, he assert
over the surplus of bountiful years
to care for the lean years.
Back to the farm" is the cry, said
the speaker. The men raised in the
city will not return TO the country un-
der existing conditions. I know there
are individual exceptions, but these
exceptions are very much prone TO
write articles for the magazines as
soon as they get back to the soil. and
for the most part they return to the
city in few years"
The speaker pointed out that a 16s-
100000 bale cotton crop in 1911
brought less than a 100000 bale
crop in the previous year. The corn
crop OF 1912 was much larger than
that of 1911, he said. but II brought
the farmer $50,000,000 less.
What should the government do2s
he inquired. Clearly ii should make
definite start at the right place in
the right way, to give its aid to fifa
correction of this situation, which SO
vitality concerns every man, woman
and child of its citizenship. In order
to create a marketing bureau clothe
1T with almost unlimited discretion,
supply 1t with adequate funds. and
place upon it the responsibility OF
working out and helping to apply