The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-12-17
STATES. SHOULD
Be LEADERS IN
BETTER FARMING

Washington, D. c., Dec. ia. N.
Hume, professor Of agronomy in the
| South Dakota State college and state
leader of county better farming work
in South Dakota, enlivened the Ma
tional Conference of State and District
Leaders of Farm Management yester-
day by declaring that the federal
| government should not be compelled
to be the moving spirit or the controlling
factor in the educational work Of bet
ter farming within the several states.
He further asserted that great cor
porations would find many difficulties
in debating local educational policies
within counties and districts, referring
especially to the promotion of farm
! bureaus.
He emphasized the point that it is
the business of the state to educate
her own citizens, and If the people of
the states cannot or will not educate
themselves and their children, they
are not worth educating.
DR.. Hume would have the states
themselves direct the use Of ever
| federal funds that are employed for
farm bureau or other educational
purposes. The. amount Of federal
supervision necessary is just enough
to insure that the money Is not mis-
appropriated. Celebrating upon this
feature he said: Whenever the
federal government, through it's con-
gress, levies taxes upon the states for
the purpose of conducting educational
or experimental work within the state,
according to its own dictation, it be-
| comes a. usurper Of the functions of
the state. If the state desires aid,
the federal government has the right
to aid the ~state,-but the aid should be
| given in such a manner as the state
shall direct. Congress should see to it
| that funds appropriated under the
proposed Smith-Lever bill, which may
be used in part for farm bureau work
| shall be expended in the states in such
manner as the institutions OF the
states shall direct, free from federal
interference, except as above indicat-
ed"
Advocates Constructive Plan.
DR.. Hume's idea, according to his
| address. is that the states should take
the initiative in pushing their W
| educational policies; that the states
ought not to compel the federal gov
eminent to take the lead in the mat
ter Of educating the people Of the
state in the line of farm Improvement.
| He said:
"Constructively then, the idea Of a
| farm bureau should be promoted in
| each county in such a way that the
| people Of the community will want to
| tax themselves TO finance. it. Large
numbers of them should be interested
| enough to sign a petition or other
wise express a willingness to have
their county commissioners levy such
a tax upon them. Then the state gov-
eminent should next be willing to aid
| them by paying an amount perhaps
| equal to that which they have levied
upon themselves.
State Should Prscsde.
aThen the federal government he
said may properly aid such COM
munities by paying them through the
proper channels, an amount perhaps
equalling that already assumed by the
| county and state through local tax.
Thus in due time, let up hope, and at
no very distant day, that the county
or district farm bureau will be
financed by public taxation which the
people willingly levy upon themselves
for their w purpose and by their
own initiasiva.gg Il.