Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-03-21
-oo,c,ILTuRAL DEVELOPMENT

II rollowing is portion of the adj
r. arsss delivered by Sir Horace Plum
~ 80 Ireland at dinner rendered
M nv the Southern Commercial
MI congress:
Isl ,on not express in words my APP
,s3 -.ooiation of the honor the Southern
ls raomercial Congress has done me in
A s.viting me to be their guest at this
~ lear which is rendered notable by
* attendance of the president of
,Ba United States. When ! was first
lE2 sv,ted to support the project for
Iss .ooang delegation from every state
Eli I. .ha Union to inquire into agricul-
..sl credit in Europe, l felt /
an .hould be in a very awkward posi-
IA III for could not indorse the pro-
Nx .osol as | then understood it. |
81 ,.sred that | might be regarded as
sort of inverted Balaam and that
Z .ossibly you might say that it was
II ~ Balaam him self that spoke to
Nk sou But the clear and admirable
ne address just delivered by Senator
~ thatcher shows that, after all, the
~ eouthern Commercial Congress and
shose old country-folk with whom |
work upon this modern problem of
nral life. see eye to eye. The gem
d ara Instructions issued to the COM
~ mission now make known to the pub
ic that their inquiry will be broad
/ pued to embrace range of vitality
E / mportant questions. Now that you
/ are going to obtain full informa-
/ ton upon the organization of Euro
mean agriculture in production, in
distribution, and in the credit re-
/ CURED for the economical conduct of
both operations, l can guarantee that
/ in my own country, where we are en-
/ gagged in the same studies, the COM
/ mission will be cordially welcomed.
/ We shall do our utmost to assist
/ them in obtaining such information
as our experience tells us will be
most useful to them on their return,
IL We shall take pride in showing them
ii how one of the English speaking
/ countries is learning the lesson the
continental farmers have to teach
them all.
II Quite early in this reorganization
n / Of Irish agriculture the agricultural
classes gathered sufficient political
q J influence to induce the British gov
y eminent to give to Ireland De
partment of Agriculture and Techni-
, cal Instruction." as it was called,
moulded upon continental lines, and
N more Theoretically constituted than
any government institution in the
British Empire. | was the working
= head of that department for it's first
seven years and l became convinced
that the value of the work done by
the departments experts to develop
the farming industry depended upon
the extent to which the farmers had
adopted cooperative methods in their
business.
During these years those who have
been mainly instrumental in building
up the cooperative movement and in
getting a system of state aid to agri-
culture to work, have gradually come
% an agreement upon the main prin-
cpies which much govern any sue
cessful attempt to raise Irish agri-
culture to the level of continental
elliclency. We stand for two main
Propositions. The first is, that you
must ueat the problem of rural life
IL each of its three aspects First,
agnculture must be regarded as an
+ industry and therefore like all other
Industries, must have applied to it
me teachings of modern science.
mat everybody now admits, and
most countries are much more liberal
giving that kind of education than
lucy are in the matter of general
'uucatlon. Secondly, agriculture
must De treated as a business, and
nlethods must be modernized.
|! farmers are the only body of
d; ,OiAers who have failed to realize
va. IN these days everything must
uohe In a large way if it is to be
ue 10 pay, and that If men have
'Ial business they must combine to-
IS se'ler 10 get the advantages Of large
ausactlons. Furthermore-to this
= usn return directly-the form of
- Dination suitable to farmers is
~ cooperative form, and unless
40 employed their combinations
/. uot succeed Thirdly, agriculture
' De treated as a life and the
iSi conditions of rural communi-
~ must be radically improved so
. stop this eternal drain of all
~ y" best and most enterprising in
equation from the country to