Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-04

in his purposes, in despite of the con-
stitution Of the republic and the rights
Of its people. he would have set up
nothing but q precarious and hateful
power which could have lasted but a
little while and whose eventual down
fall would have left the country in
more deplorable condition than ever.
But he has not succeeded. He has for
feited the respect and the moral sup
port even OF those who we're at one
time willing to see him succeed. Little
by little he has been completely isolat-
ed. BY little every day his power
and prestige are crumbling, and the
collapse is not far away. We shall
not. I believe, be obliged to alter our
policy of watchful waiting. And then.
when the end comes, we shall hope to
see constitutional order restored in dis
tressed Mexico by the concert and en-
ergy Of such of her leaders as prefer
the liberty Of their people to their own
ambitions.
turn to matters of domestic con-
Germ. You already have under cons1d-
Grafton a bill for the reform of SAT-
system Of banking and currency, for
which the country waits with impa-
tience, as for something fundamental
to it's whole business life and necessa-
ry to set credit free from arbitrary
and artificial restraints. I need not
say how earnestly hope for its early
enactment into law. l take leave to
beg that the whole energy and atten-
ton of the senate be concentrated
upon 1t till the matter is successfully
disposed Of. And yet I feel that the
request is not needed-that the mem
bers Of that great house need no urS-
ing in this service to the country.
l present to you in addition the ur-
gent necessity that special provision
be made also for facilitating the credits
needed by the farmers Of the country
The pending currency bill does the
farmers great service. It puts them
upon an equal footing with other bust
ness men and masters Of enterprise, as
it should, and upon its passage they
will find themselves quit Of many OF
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 a 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 to tell
you 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 hillsides 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 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 and lies at the
gates Of the market where his prod
ucts are sold. And the security he
gives Is Of a character not known in
the brokers' office or as Familiarity as
it might be 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
4OFt, LA Au1CA LOuSA Will LuS AcIS
for foodstuffs. 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 its 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 been
studied and developed on the other