Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-10-31

struction, change to production, with
the rehabilitation Of business and q
resultant increase In imports. the I'M
derwood Tarif Bill will abundantly
establish the wisdom of Democratic
| statesmanship.
Let me call your attention especially
to what the government has done In
direct aid of the farmer
| Government Aid in Graduating Hog
Cholera.
A very careful government estimate
made no later than 1918 revealed the
fact that six million hogs. valued at
$65, 100000. died Of hog cholera In the
United States that year. AS this is a
preveptable disease, 4! means that
over 700.O00,000 pounds Of dressed
meat and lard, or enough to furnish
every family In the land with about
35 pounds Of meat has been needless
ly lost. This has been allowed to go
on unnoticed for fifty years. II re-
NAMED for this Democratic Congress
to take positive and efficient steps to
checks the awful waste caused by this
scourge, SO, In February of this year
Ia bill was passed ssttlins aside $780,.
900 for a nationwide application Of
serum to eradicate disease that dot
only costs the farmers many MIL
lions annually, but also gives the peo'
pie a greatly extended meat supply.
This certainly brings government aid
directly to the farmer and lends
helping hand where most needed.
The Smith-Lever Agricultural Extern
| sion Act.
The Smith.Lever Agricultural Elk
tension Act is the most far-reaching
and progressive measure ever enacted
for the farmer. 1t takes the State
Agricultural College, the State Expert
ment Station and the Federal Depart
ment of Agriculture direct to the
farmer, the farmers wife and into the
farm home. 1t Is the first Congress
sional act that considers the farmers
wives and daughters by providing
funds, for teaching home economics.
This administration was the first one
to grasp the tremendous truth that II
all of the knowledge applicable and
helpful to farming that has been work
ed out separately by the experimental
stations, and by individual farmers
upon the farm, and by the scientists In
the United States Department of Ag,
riculture could be gathered together
and correlated and sent out to the
Ifarmer-not In written bulletins
which they would not read-but by
personal appeal and demonstration,
that agriculture would be readjusted
that country life would have an at
traction, a dignity and potential infiu
ence never enjoyed before. This ac'
makes liberal appropriation for farm
lextension work. There is immediate
lily available $4,000 for each State
, horticultural College and by gradually
increasing sums the new law appro
PIRATES $4,5SO,0OO annually from the
Federal treasury, conditioned upot
the individual states providing an al
I most equal sum. This will make avail
2 able after the year 1922 nearly $40
! OO0. 900. In the first nine years of tn
5 laws application, the Federal govern
? ment will have given the forty-eigh
D states more than $2S,O0O,0O0, and th'
} states themselves will have giyeI
| more than $1S,O0O,000. Thus in thu
: nine year period now beginning, ;
, grand total of nearly $42,OOO,OOO vii
. go into agricultural extension work
2 1.-THE cooperative feature Of the bill
1.-The states and Federal government
2 working in close harmony, is a yer,
e valuable step forward. Efficiency !
: guaranteed for the wise expenditure
/ of this enormous sum by providin
t that the work shall be carried on L
+ such a manner as shall be mutual
# agreed upon by the Secretary Of Ayr
b culture and the State Colleges.
Y, II explanation, or excuse, is needle
It for the outlay of such enormous suns
1t I would say that it is high time tha
such steps are being taken, IL we al
,r to obviate one of the greatest danger
IS ! that threaten our national exlstenc
n I refer to the deserted farm home,
re constantly increasing tendency I
ic wards a system OF farming by a
ut senteeism, the growth Of tenantcy ar
of the alarming drift of rural populatic
in towards the towns and cities. 1t
as safe to assume that not more than
to per cent of our population live upc
on the farms. This tendency will cea
CHI only when farm life becomes as
ID tractive as urban life. There Is
on imperative need on the part OF q
I'M State and Federal government to
he shape rural methods and ideals V
vs. must have better farming, better L
ht- ing, better and more education, viii
means better and more prosperous
izenship in rural communities II
90, ouired a Democratic administrat
am for the Department of Agriculture
res make this direct effort to get In tou
ra. with the home life of the farmer
mo to assist and improve his domestic c.
aittonc tharahV making the lie OF