The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-11-15
WILSON'S THRUST At
M|DDLEMEN MAY Be
FOLLOWED BY PROBE.
Presidents Remarks on High
/, Prices Of Foodstuffs Before
7 Grange Stir His Hearers.
AVOIDS POLITICS IN SPEECH

VIII the Administration get after the
Epiddlemen who handle foodstuffs with
. sharp stick7
This question has been raised here to-
day as the result of the address OF
president Wilson last night. welcowine'
ths National Grange. In this address
ne laid the blame for the high cost Of
toodstuffs on the middleman.
Though the President did not discuss
proposed embargoes or investia nation by
Congress into the high cost OF living.
many believed that his remarks re-
neoted the fact that he is giving con-
eideraton to such subjects. Moreover.
tice 10 looking into alleged conspiracies
TO boost prices OF foodstuffs.
The address OF the President was the
nrst formal one since his election. he
.votded politics. He told the grange
the country ought to raise such big
crops that circumstances like the pres
'snt car. never recur. when men can
make az IL the supply was so short
that the middleman could charge for It
what he pleased"
1T will not do to be niggardly with
the rest OF the world in respect to it's
food supply" said the President.
Whether by this he meant that to en-
barge foodstuffs and prevent shipment
The Presidents Speech.
The Presidents speech follows:
Mr.. Chairman. ladies' and gentlemen:
] ind It very agreeable function to act
as semioffcial host to interesting bodies
like this when they assemble In WASH
tngton. and / was particularly gratifed
when l learned that the National Grange
was to celebrate Its fiftieth anniversary
~ washington. Being somewhat older
than the grange, / congratulate II as an
elder brother. Not only that. but 1t
seems to me that some OF the most
interesting problems OF our life and of
the life Of the world lie before us, prob
lens In connection with which the farm
ers OF the United States will play a part
such as they, never played before.
At goes without saying that the physi-
cal life OF the nation has always de-
pended upon the farm. 1t goes without
saying, also. that to a large extent the
physical life OF the world has drawn its
sustenance from the great areas OF
sent food to all parts OF the world and
the American farmer has contributed to
the life OF all the countries of the world.
Assisting Powers Decrease.
But you know that as our own popu-
fatfon has increased the proportion In
which we could help foreign countries.
rs contrasted with our own. has de-
creased. and there are problems that
are comparable with the problems of
statesmanship lying ahead OF the farm
ers Of the United States.
II have been very much interested in
comforting with the Secretary OF Agri-
culture to find that although the Ia
. boratory and the Investigations OF the
man OF science who was not directly
great deal to do with the promotion
of agriculture in the United States, as
elsewhere, what has had still more to
do with II has been the intelligent
fsrming or the Individual farmer. Most
OF the methods which the demonstra-
tors Of the Department OF Agriculture
have been busy to spread as far and
wide as possible. have been methods
which they have learned from the most
accomplished and best instructed farm
ers In the United States.
Has Important Duty.
In other words. the Department OIL
Agriculture has had as one OF its most
important duties to put all the farmers
OF the United States. so far as possible.
where tho best farmers Of the United
States had got Of their own initiative
and OF their own intelligence. That.
after all. is the business of education
anyhow. to spread the product of the
best minds far and wide so that they
may be accessible to everybody.
but In the future we have got 10
bring more OF the area of the United
States under cultivation than is under
cultivation now. We have got to in
crease the product at every point where
1t Is susceptible of being increased. we
have got to study the variation of crops,
We have got to study how to assist ma
ture' or. at any rate. understand ma
ture, by making the most suitable use
OF our several and varied soils.
Should Have Been Available.
"one Of the things that has most in.
torestsd me about what has been done
recently by legislation for the benefit
OF the farmer Is the question why Il
w4s not done long before. It Is aston
ishing that the assets, the valuab BILE
available assets. the visible assets OF
the farm should not have been available
a. basis OF credit In the banks on the
Same terms as the assets OF commercial
undertaking and manufacturing indus.
Try: Cattle are Just as visible and tan.
Eole IS goods In warehouses and goods
on trains. Credit based on cattle Is a.
good a. credit based on bills OF ladinE
and the astonishing thing Is not that Il
has been done now, but that It took &C
long to do It. ~.
Science and Capital Aid Farm.
And when you add to that what
has been done by the rural credits bill
IN the way OF long-extended credits
you will see that we have, so to say, go
ready for the first time to use the CAPT
tai of this country TO push forward tn,
agricultural industry OF this country
lllNDN MAln IlclITlI