Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-11-22
BELIEVES FARMERS
SHOULD COOPERATE
Assistant Secretary vrooman
Says They Should Get Fair
Prices for Commodities.
SPEAKS BEFORE CHANGERS

Legitimate cooperation on the part
OF the farmers of the country to get
| reasonable and fair prices for their
grain and other commodities was up
| held by Assistant Secretary vrooman
| of the Department of Agriculture be-
fore the National Grange. at the open
! meeting in the Raleigh Hotel this
morning.
| At the same time AIr. vrooman said
| that ''the farmer should not hold his
| grain like revolver at the head of the
| consumer"
The proper handling Of food is one of
the biggest problems which humanity
| has to solve, Assistant Secretary Vroo-
Grange.
Following his address members of
| the grange began to ask Mr.. Vrooman
questions. and the assistant secretarys
answers were illuminating to the men,
bers.
None Have Mastered All Details.
When asked his opinion on the han
ding Of food futures. Mr.. vrooman
said that nobody has mastered all the
details. This statement was greeted
with enthusiastic applause by the
grangers.
is there any danger of any farmers
organization running foul of the Sher-
man antitrust act?" a granger asked
Mr.. Vrooman.
The assistant secretary replied that
he wasn't . lawyer. but 1 think any
set OF farmers can find a perfectly
legal way to cooperate in their SELL
In line with Mr.. vrooman's senti-
| ments. which appealed immensely to
| the members Of the grange, a commit
| tee was appointed today to draft the
| brief for the farmers" which will set
before the country at large the farm
| ers' viewpoint on the increased cost of
| living, absolving the farmers of the
| country from blame.
May Be Made Public Tomorrow.
This brief. probably to be completed
tonight and given to the country to-
| morrow. will be drawn up by C. O.
Rainey Of Missouri, T. c. Atkeson of
| West Virginia, w. J. Thompson of
Maine, Ray McKaig of North Dakota.
| L. H Wright of Indiana, John A. Nc
| sparren Of Pennsylvania and c. E.
| Spence Of Oregon.
IAN the farmers of the country
| should put their shoulders together
and go steadily forward, getting all
l r.
Erooman said. in the course Of his ad-
| dress. But after we get as much of
| the light Of science as we can we
should go on and explain our position
| to the country.
| You can't get ahead by being self
ish. Everybody in this country has a
common future; we have a common
| duty to our flag and a common duty to
humanity. The farmers can do nothing
| better than this: Organize, and then
ha g.
| ments of the cities and great indus
| trial centers
! For, after all, the more important
problems of life affect all alike. And
citizens of great nation. The grange
has been making history for fifty
years." the speaker said. in conclusion.
"and at last Is finding that history
written in big letters
Progress Under Economist.
During the past four years. said
Mr. Vrooman. 'for the first time in it's
history, the Department Of Agricul-
| ture has had an economist at its head,
and has looked at agricultural prob
| lens from the economic viewpoint. At
| first the full significance of this fact
did not dawn upon the general public.
| But today, as we look back over four
years OF unparalleled achievement, II
becomes APPARENT that the one thing
the Department of Agriculture has
long needed most has been the vision
and the directing hand of one of the
worlds foremost economists. This it
has found in Secretary Houston.
Farmer Met Half Way.
AT last the farmer is being met half
way More economic legislation in his
interest has been passed by the federal
government during the past four years
than during the forty years preceding.
The Office of markets has been created,
a rural credits bill has been passed. a
bonded warehouse bill. good roads
bill. grain Standardization act and
other invaluable legislation have been
enacted. These laws are of revolution
airy Importance They are the begin
ming Of new and more splendid epoch
in American agriculture
~,,Ik,,naI nkenoso$o