Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1913-12-03
|PRES. WILSON READS
MESSAGE To CONGRESS
URGES PASSAGE OF FINANCIAL
LEGISLATION FAVORABLE TO
-. s FARMERS.
MEASURE Of INTEREST TO FARMERS
Complete Text of What President
Said on Money Question Now
Before Congress-.

The following is an excerpt fro
h President Wilson's message to co
IS gress:
e I present to you in addition the u
gent necessity that special provisic
t be made also for facilitating the ere
o it's needed by the farmers of the cou1
II try. The pending currency bill doe
the farmers a great service. 1t put
: them upon an equal footing with otl
: er business men and masters of eI
terprise, as it should, and upon it
passage they will find themselve
quit of many Of the difficulties whic
now hamper them in the field O
credit. The farmers OF course as
and should be given no special privil
ege, such as extending to them th'
credit Of the government itself
What they need and should obtaiI
is legislation which will make thei
own abundant and substantial credi
resources available as a foundation
for joint, concerted, local action il
their own behalf in getting the CAPT
tai they must use. 1t is to this we
should now address ourselves.
1t has, singularly enough, come to
pass that we have allowed the indus
try of our farms to lag behind the
other activities of the country in it's
development. l need not stop to tell
you how fundamental to the life of the
nation is the production Of it's food.
| Our thoughts may ordinarily be con-
centrated upon the cities and the
hives Of industry, upon the cries of
the crowded market place and the
clangor Of the factory, but it is from
the quiet interspace Of the open val
!eys and the free hillsi6es that we
draw the sources of life and of pros
perity, from the farm and the ranch,
from the forest and the mine. With
out these every street would be ST.
lent, every office deserted. every fac
tory fallen into disrepair.
And yet the farmer Go1s not stand
upon the. same footing with the fores-
ter and the miner in the market of
credit. He is the servant Of the sea-
sons, Nature determines how long he
must wait for his crops anad will not
be hurried in her processes. He may
give his note, but the season Of its
maturity depends upon the season
when his crop natures and lies at
the gates Of the markets where his
products are sold. And the security
ne gives is of character not known
in the brokers' office or as familiar
ly as it might be on the counter of
the banker. !
The agricultural department of the
government is seeking to assist as |
never before to make farming an eff
cient business,of wide cooperative ef- |
tort, in quick touch with the markets |
for foodstuffs. The farmers and the |
government will henceforth work to-
gether as real partners in this field,
where we now begin to see our way |
-!Ilelu! HuBm oIaVM puv GIIeeIo 6IeA
gent plans are already being put into |
execution. i
The treasury of the United States |
has by a timely and we'll considered |
of its deposits facilitated |
the moving of crops in the present
season and prevented the scarcity of |
available funds too often experienced |
1t such times. But we must not allow
ourselves to depend upon extraordi-
nary 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-
Dand his business. We lag behind
many other great countries of the mod |
ern world in attempting to do this.
Systems of rural credit have been
studied and developed on the other
siGe of the water while we left our
farmers to shift for themselves in the
ordinary money market. You have but
TO look about you in any rural dis
.rict to see the result, the handicap
Ind 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 the vari-
JUS systems of rural credit which have
been put in operation in Europe and
his commission is already prepared
% report. It's report ought to make it
easier for us to determine what meth
DDS will be best suited to our own
armers. l hope and believe that the
committees of the senate and house
will address emselves to this mat
,er with the most fruitful results, and
believe the. studies and recently
ormed plans of the department of ag
'iculture may be made to serve them
yery greatly in their work of framing
appropriate and adequate legislation.
1t would be indiscreet and presump-
ious in any one to dogmatize. upon
10 great and many sided a question
tut I feel confident that common coul
'el will produce the results we must
III desire.
Alex. Born, who formely lived in
has rented his farm near
Idsewood and will remove with his