Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-10-15
WILL NOT FORCE FARM
EXPERT SAYS CARDIFF
Continued From Page One.

The Farm Bureau with only one real
farmer on it," as they said. was
nroper. Cardiff answered:
"No. sir. That's a mistake. This
is not meant as criticism of the
members of this Bureau, you under
stand, but that it should be differ
emily constituted, if your statement
10 correct. 1t should be organized to
represent both the city and the coun-
ty but primarily in the interests of
the farmer"
Qualifications of Agent.
Speaking of the qualifications of a
county farm agent, whom he ap-
points, Mr.. Cardiff enumerated:
First, He must have ben raised
IN the farm, so that he has the farm
er's viewpoint.
Second, He must have had four
years training in a scientific agricul-
tural school. Mr.. Van Houten has
had more.
Third, He must have had practi-
eel experience managing farm"
A series of questions and answers
followed on various aspects of the
question, Mr.. Cardiff taking the
names of various farmers who said
they had asked Van Houten to visit
them and he had not done it, prom
Using to find out why, remarking in
cidentally that "it's impossible of
course for him to have visited every
farmer in the county in the few short
months he has been at work." At
the close, he asked A. G. West
directly why he opposed farm agent
and, after Vests reply, also drew
from him the statement that, II the
Farm Bureau were organized as
West thought 1t should be and a
"real farm expert" as West put it,
were put on the job, Every likely a
whole lot of good would be DONE"
Then Cardiff closed his remarks with
the statement, apparently directed at
West: you shouldn't condemn the
system because Of one man."
West in Charge.
About half as many farmers as at
tended the meeting two weeks be-
fore, gathered in the commissioners
Office at o'clock Monday afternoon,
and A. G. West, county road en-
ploye in the Brighton Park portion
Of the old road district No. 3, took
charge Of the presentation of the
arguments against county agent.
He introduced John Rogers of the
Pleasant Glade neighborhood who,
with West, has been leading the op-
position. Rogers presented a petit
ton he said bore 800 signers as his
strongest argument" as he put it,
and also struck the keynote of the
opposition when he said that the
farmer now faced the problem of
over-production. declaring, tits USE
less to tell us to raise more when we
haven't market for what we do
raise" He. said he was not attack
ing Van Houten but the office.
c. A. Hodgdon of South Union, the
next speaker. gave lengthy illus
tration of what a farm agent on a
practical farm might do. IF he can
show us that he can make it pay. it
might be benefit" Hodgdon said,
"but until he can l can't see any
benefit. What's the use of us paying
hlm $500 a year il he can't?"
F. E. Forbes of Bush Prairie also
said, III he can't afford to work for
that. let him quit. This year we have
all doubled our produce. Van Houten
has not made one visit in our neigh
borhood. but every farmer on the
Prairie raised more crops this year.
You can't give him credit for some
thing God Almighty did.
"We know how to fertilize, we
know how to cultivate-what's the
use of having this expensive man to
teach us? If you can furnish us al
man who'll get us a market we'll pay
him $1,000 or $3,0OO-and raise the
stuff ourselves"
Urges Chance to Vote.
Another petition was presented by
A. E. Sheldon of Plum Station, who
said the people of that neighborhoodl
were universally opposed to farm
agent-"we're supervised and ex-
ported pretty nearly to death"
Where question such as this, that
interests the farmers, comes up, It'll
ought to be submitted to the farmers
for their VOTE" he added, making a
suggestion Endorsed by several other
speakers later. "If this had been
submitted year ago. it would have
been showed under 10 to /. Not one
person in our vicinity approves of it,"
William Shincke of South Bay in