Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-12-05


upon the same footing with the forester and
the miner in the market of credit. He is
the servant of the seasons. Nature deter
mines how long he must wait for his crops,
and 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. lies at the gates of the
market where his products are sold And
the security he gives is of character not
known in the brokers' Office or as familiarly
as it might be on the counter of the banker.
The Agricultural Department of the Gov
eminent is seeking to assist as never be-
fore to make farming an efficient business.
of wide cooperative effort, in quick touch
with the markets for foodstuffs The farm
ers and the Government will henceforth
work together as real partners in this field,
where we now begin to see our way
very clearly and where many intelligent
plans are already being put into execution.
The Treasury of the United States has, by
timely and well-considered distribution
of its deposits, facilitated the moving of
the crops in the present season and pre-
vented the scarcity of available funds too
often experienced at such times. But we
must not allow ourselves to depend upon
extraordinary expedients. We must add
the means by which the farmer may make
his credit constantly and easily available
and command when he will the capital by
which to support and expand his business
We lag behind many other great countries
Of the modern world in attempting to do
this. Systems of rural credit have been
studied and developed on the other side
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 district to see the result, the
handicap and embarrassment which have
been put upon those who produce our food.
Conscious of this backwardness and neg
lect on our part. the Congress recently
authorized the creation of a special COM
mission to study the various systems of
rural credit which have been put into op-
Grafton in Europe, and this commission is
already prepared to report. Its report ought
to make it easier for US to determine what
methods will be best suited to our own
farmers hope and believe that the COM
mittee of the Senate and House will ad-
dress themselves to this matter with the
most fruitful results, and | believe that
the studies and recently formed plans of
the Department of Agriculture may be
made to serve them very greatly in their
work of framing appropriate and adequate
legislation. 1t would be indiscreet and
presumptuous in anyone to dogmatize up
on so great and many-sided question,
but feel confident that common counsel
will produce the results we must all desire.
think it will be easily agreed that we
should let the Sherman Antitrust law
stand, unaltered, as it is, with its debata-
able ground about it, but that we should
as much as possible, reduce the area of
that debatable ground by further and more
explicit legislation; and should also sup
plement that great act by legislation which
will not only clarity it but also facilitate
its administration and make it fairer to all
concerned
II is of capital importance that the bust
ness men of this country should be relieved
of all uncertainties of law with regard to
their enterprises and investments and
clear path indicated which they can travel
without anxiety. 1t is as important that
they should be relieved of embarrassment
and set free to prosper as that private
monopoly should be destroyed. The ways
of action should be thrown wide open.
We can satisfy the obligations of gener-
GUS justice toward the people of Porto Rico
by giving them the ample and familiar
rights and privileges accorded our own
citizens in our own Territories and our
obligations toward the people of Hawaii
by perfecting the provisions for self-gov-
eminent already granted them. but in the
Philippines we must 60 further. We must
hold steadily in view their ultimate indie
| PCiiuChSS' anu VIC iiuSt liiUNC lOWdIu tie
time of that independence as steadily as
the way can be cleared and the founda-
ton thoughtfully and permanently laid.
The people of Alaska should be given
the full Territorial form of government
and Alaska. as a storehouse. should be
unlocked. One key to it is a system Of
railways. These the Government should
build itself and administer, and the port.
and terminals it should itself control in the
interest of all who wish to use them fol
the service and development of the coun
try and its people.
We owe it, in mere justice, to the rail
way employees of the country to provide
for them fair and effective employers
liability act and law that we can stant
by in this matter will be no less to the
advantage Of those who administer sht
railroads Of the country than to the advan
tage of those whom they employ. The
experience of large number of State:
abundantly proves that.
hope it may not be deemed imperti
nent intrusion of myself into the pictur,
if say with how much and how constant
satisfaction have awaited myself of tn,
privilege of putting my time and energ!
at their (houses of Congress) disposal alik,
in counsel and action.