The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-12-02

| 10 its whole business life and necessa.
| ~ 10 set credit free from arbitrary
aud artificial restraints, need not
say how earnestly hope for its early
enactment into law. | take leave to
beg that the whole energy and atten-
ton of the senate be concentrated
upon II till the matter Is successfully
disposed Of And yet feel that the
request is not needed-thnt the mem
bers OF that great house need no urg-
! ing I'm this service 10 the country.
present to you In addition the ur-
gent necessity that special provision
| Toe made also for facilitating the credits
needed 10y the farmers Of the country.
The pending currency bill does the
! farmers a great service. II puts them
| upon an equal footing with other bust
ness men and masters of enterprise. as
| Il should. and upon it's passage they
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 he given no spe-
cial privilege such ms extending 10
! them the credit of the government
| itself What they need and should oh
! tain Is legislation which will make
their own abundant and substantial
credit resources available as Il fouu.
dalton for Joint, concerted. local ac-
ton i'm their own behalf i'm getting the
capital they must use. II is TO this we
should now address ourselves.
1t has. singularly enough. come &c
! pass that we have allowed the indus.
try OF our farms to LAG behind the
other activities OF the country i'm its
development | need not stop to tell
you how fundamental 10 the life of the
nation is che production of lis food.
our thoughts may ordinarily he 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 hilLiidrs 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 he silent. every office de.
serted, every factory fallen into disre.
pair.
And vet 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 crops and will not
he hurried i'm her processes. He may
give his note. but the season of its
maturity depends upon the season
when his crop natures aud lies at the
gates OF the market where his prod
ucts are sold. And the security he
gives is of character not known in
the brokers' office or as familiarly as
il 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 ef
fort. in quick touch with the markets
for foodstufrs. 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 a timely and well 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 aud en-
| pand his business, We lag behind
many other great countries of the mod
ern world i'm 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 dis.
trict to sec the result. the handicap
and 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
special commission To study the vari
Gus systems of rural credit which have
been put into operation in Europe, and
this commission is already prepared
TO report Its report ought 10 make 1t
easier for us To determine what meth
DDS will be best suited to orr own
farmers. ! hope and believe that the
committees Of the senate and house
will address themselves to this matter
7 with the most fruitful results, and
believe that the studies and recently
formed plans Of the department of nc
III URGES CURRENCY REFORM