The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-12-02
sarvi,,e TO. the country.

l present to you IN auuilioh JIG II
gent necessity that special provision
be made also for facilitating the credlts
needed by the farmers of the country
The pending currency bill does thef
farmers great service. 1t puts theN
upon an equal footing with other buslt
ness men and masters OF enterprise. as ]
it should. and upon its passage tney
will find themselves quit of many OF
the difficulties which now hamper them
In the field of credit The farmers OF
course ask and should be given no Spe-
cial privilege. such as extending TO
them the credit of the government
itself. What they need and should OBJ {
tain is legislation which Will make
their own abundant and substantial
credit resources available as foun-
dation for joint concerted. local ac-
ton in their own behalf in getting the
CAPITAL 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 its
development. | need not stop "a tell
tou how fundamental to the life OF the
nation is the production of its 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
interspaces of the open valleys and the
| free hilSideS that we draw the sources
of life and of prosperity. from the
| farm and the ranch. from the forest
and the mine. Without these every
street would be silent, every office de-
serted. every factory fallen into disre-
pair.
And yet the farmer does 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 crons and will not
| be hurried in her processes. He may
give his note. hut the season of it's
maturity depends upon the season
when his crop natures and lies ut the
gates of the market where his prod
ucts are sold. And the security he
| gives is of Il character not known in
the brokers' office or as Familiarity as
it might he 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 eff
fort. in quick touch with the markets
for foudstutrS. The farmers and the
government will henceforth work to-
gether as real partners in this field,
where we now begin to see our way
very clearly and where many intelli-
gent plans are already being put into
execution.
The treasury Of the United States
has by timely and we'll considered
distribution of it's deposits facilitated
the moving of the crops in the present
season and prevented the scarcity OF
available funds too often experienced
at 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-
pand his business. We lag behind
, many other great countries of the mod
ern world in attempting to do this
Systems of rural credit have beer
studied and developed on the etRa'
side of the water while 49,
! farmers to shift for themselves n tn
ordinary money market You hayy
bit "A look about yos1 q INV rural 40
TTT zee the real1l1 /
G0nscious Of CO.
neglect on our part, The g.
Gently authorized the creation q
special commission to study the varl
GUS systems Of rural credit which hav
been put into operation in Europe. AM
this commission is already prepares
to report. Its report ought to make
easier for us to determine what meth
DDS will be best suited TO our owl
| farmers. | hope and believe that tn
committees Of The senate and hOus
| Will ADDRESS themselves u tuiS iHdtIe'
with the most fruitful results. and
believe that the studies and recentl
formed plans of the department Of az
; riculture may be made to serve then
very greatly in their work of framin
appropriate and adequate legislation.
1t would be indiscreet and presCmI
tuous in any one to dogmatize upon $
great and many sided question. bu
I feel confident that common counse
will produce the results we must al
desire.