Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-12-26
PRESIDENT BRYAN ANSWERS
ATTACK BY ROGERS

S'AS" appeared long
article by r. R. Rogers, charging that
the State College had neglected the
interests OF the farmers of Adams.
Franklin, Grant and Douglas conn
ties, criticizing Professor c. G. Thorn
Tor stating that there was dead line
in that section of the country beyond
which dry farming can not be s1,r-
oessfully carried on and asserting
that the college and experiment sta
ton have worked along the lines of
least resistance for the benefit of the
farmers OF the Palouse country.
President Bryan has written the
following answer to this attack:
X. II. Rogers, in his attack on the
State College in Sundays Spokes-
man-Review rings the changes on a
phrase, the dead line" used by
Professor G. G. Thorn in his remarks
before the Chamber of Commerce.
An attempt is made to belittle and
discredit the idea contained in the
phrase and to turn it to use in an
attack which is as discreditable as it
Is untrue. The dead line" is a very
real thing to the settler who has
been allured by glowing advertise
ments and oily agents to undertake
. the impossible.
1t means simply this: There are
reg MS which, apart from the char
acter OF the SOIL are so dry that agri-
culture cannot be successfully pur-
sued without irrigation 1t requires
SO much water to produce a crop on
given soil. If that amount of water
never falls as rain or snow, if it
never gets into the ground, no sort
of conservation can make it produce
a crop.
Does it need any argument to
prove this?
Now, settlement in moving from a
region of adequate rainfall to a re-
gion where under no condition is
there moisture enough, will cross the
line which marks the limit of pos
sible agriculture. That line is the
dead line"
In the interests of the poor settler
who is induced to come to our state,
il the interests of our agricultural
development, in the interests of the
money lender who must be protected,
in the interests of common human
q lnT ion, Of hot l.. 4
be determined.
The line has been crossed repeat
eddy, and the poor settler has per
ished.
But the settler should not get too
near to the line, even although agri-
cultural production is possible.
The speculator may, but not the
settler; for a single year may wink
out the settler, whereas, one year out
of three might yield a profit to the
Spectator.
Great loss and the desertion of
many farms have occurred. The
declarations by Commercial Clubs
and real estate farmers as to the pre-
cipitation have not been realized.
other conditions have been worse
than represented. The pioneer has
i'll too many cases yielded in the I'M
equal struggle. The booster may
have really believed many things
which he said, but he did not know
the facts. No one knew them.
Professor Thom's suggestion was
sensible, reasonable and right.
Let us ascertain the facts as to
the precipitation.
Let us see how far we can pos
sihly go and where we can not sue
coed if we do go. This may mean
loss in some cases to the mortgage
companies, but it has already meant
loss to the settler. Is it not better to
pocket the loss, face the truth and go
forward in development than to at
tempt to deceive ourselves and
others and incur further losses.
Shall Professor Thorn be beaten
over the head because he makes
wise, scientific and pertinent sug-
gestion?
So much for the dead line"
Either through ignorance of the
facts or from other causes Mr.. Rog-
ers wholly misrepresents the work
of the college in reference to dry
farming and other experimental and
extension work.
In this connection l wish TO call at
tention to the shortcomings OF the
mortgage men who have made IN
yestments in the dry country and To
others interested therein in not CIV
ing support to the application OF the
State College and experiment station
to xhe legislature for funds to con
duct investigational work in the dry
region.