The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1916-11-16
o,itnDt, the nresident sa,d.

output the president said:
I'VE ought to raise such big crops
that circumstances like the present
can never recur, when men can make
as If the supply is so short that the
middleman could charge for 1t what
he pleased. 1t would not do, to be mig
gardly with the rest of the world in
respect to it's food supply"
The president did not mention re-
cent petitions to him to declare an
embargo on expectation of foodstuffs
from the United States to the rest of
the world and he did not refer even
indirectly to the outcome of the presi-
dental election. His address was
interrupted frequently by applause
from the farmers attending the fiftieth
anniversary celebration of the found
ing of the grange. ..... .
1T seems to me-" said the president
that some of the most interesting
the world lie before us, problems in
connection with which the farmers of
the United States will play part
such as they have never played be-
fore. 1t goes without saying that the
physical life of the nation has al
ways depended on the farm. 1t goes
without saying also that to large
extent the physical life of the world
has drawn its sustenance from the
great areas of farm land in the United
States. We have sent food to all
parts Of the world, and the American
farmer has contributed to the life of
all the countries Of the world, but you
know that as our own population has
increased the proportion in which we
could help foreign countries as con-
traSted with our own has decreased,
and there are problems that are COM
parable with the problems Of states
manship lying ahead of the farmers Of
the United States.
"In the future we have got to bring
more of the area of the United States
under cultivation than is under culti-
vation now. We have got to increase
the product at every point where it
is susceptible of being increased.
"One of the. things that has interested
me about what has been done recently
by legislation for the benefit of the
farmer is the question why it was not
the assets, the valuable available as
sets, the visible assets of the farm
should not have been available as 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 valuable and
tangible as goods in warehouses and
goods on trains.
I'VE have liberated the credits of the
banks and we have modified through
the department of agriculture the
oClSlllllC lHCelllSSnc6 OF the "OFlQ.
With that combination, every nation in
the world ought to come to us to learn
how to raise big crops. We ought to
raise such big crops that circumstances
like the present can never recur, when
men can make as if the supply was so
short that the middleman could charge
for it what he pleased. 1t will not do
to be niggardly with the world in re-
spect to its food supply.
Il wish that all problems of govern
ment were displayed in as clear lines
of duty as this problem of government
with regard to how the farmer ought
to be treated is displayed. 1 wish, for
example, that foreign affairs were as
simple as agriculture.
"The great satisfaction about what
you have to discuss is that when once
your duty is determined, we have got q
great force of intelligence to go for
ward in the line of duty.
THE thing that makes free country
vital is the number of people who get
together to do important things with
out asking the leave of the government
to do them. The striking things about
great country like the United States
is that if the government neglected ev-
erything the people would do it, that
you do not beckon to the people of the
United States, they command you to go
on and things that are neglected they
have got plenty of brains to get togeth-
er and do for themselves"