Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-12-05
CRANE FoEKs HERALD WEDNESDAY, DEcEMBER 5, 1917.

II necessary or desirable that the federal 9oveTnmenf
should, tn addition to its other tasks. have to shoulder
the rntsfOrtunes OF the people OF North Dakota n IL there
any sound basis for a project which calls for the loaning
ofamoney to North Dakota farmers with the expectation
that we are trying to get the government to loan to farm
es might not be paid sback.'' % ~
More money has been received and will be received
from the sale of the farm products Of North Dakota FOR
the present year than has been. realized from the products
OF any other year. It is granted that the cost of, opera
ton has been higher than usual But. with every allow
ance for this, the fact remains that instead Of q bankrupt
and impoverished state, as is represented, we have a state
that Is highly prosperous, a state that is perfectly capa%
BILE of meeting its own obligations and carrying its own
loads, and most emphatically a state that is not seeking
gratuities from anyone.
There are sections Of the state in which the crop was
poor. In those sections there is little grain for sale. and
feed is scarce in some of them. MI. Townley's narrowing
expressions will naturally be applied by uniformed per-
sons to the entire state, whereas they apply in any degree
only to special localities, and there the conditions are by
no means such as he describes them. He would have 1t
understood that there is a general and indiscrlmlnate
slaughter of live stock because of the shortage of feed.
so that the means of reproduction for next year are
seriously impaired it not totally destroyed. The authori-
ties of the North Dakota Agricultural College do not
agree with him on this point. The live stock experts at
the college report, after careful investigation. that not
more than 3 per cent Of the breeding stock of the state
has been sent to market. And everyone knows that in
cluded in that 8 per cent are very many inferior animals
whose owners are glad to get rid of them at anything like
present prices. Hence there appears to be no cause for
anxiety because of the live stock situation.
In the matter of seed grain, the state is abundantly
able, as it has always been, to take care of itself without
asking gratuities from the federal government. About
40 per cent Of the wheat crop of 1917 is still in the state.
A larger per cent Of other grains is unsold because a very
considerable part of the other grains is consumed in the
state. There is, therefore, an abundance Of grain avail
able for seed. The important thing is to prevent the
shipment Of that grain east and its return to the state as
seed, with freight and commissions added. All Of that
can be arranged through local effort better than in any
other way.
Last week a meeting called by the Seed Stock COM
mittee was held at Bismarck. In attendance were the
governor and other state officials, farmers, bankers and
other representative men. The decision of that gathering
is indicated in the following resolution which was unan-
imously adopted: .
1t is the sense of this committee that the most
which need the same to resort to the legal methods
of procedure necessary to- issue warrants or bonds
to cover the cost Of seed grain required, and to pro-
coed to purchase the supply Of seed needed without
delay.
That isl the simple, direct and thoroughly practical
method proposed by the representative men who attended
that meeting. AS to the placing of the bonds, the bank
es of the state have canvassed the situation thoroughly,
and it has been agreed that whenever local banks are
unable to extend the necessary credit, their state cor
respondents will come to their aid, and the federal re-
serve bank Of this district, in Minneapolis, will take care
of the matter at the end. .
There are individual cases of hardship, but taking the
state over, their is no shortage of seed, no shortage of
money. no material sacrifice Of breeding stock, and most
certainly no occasion for the state of North Dakota to
be represented to the national government as a pauper
asking for aims to be doed out to her. We mistake the
temper of the state greatly If strong resentment Is not
shown because of the manner in which this subject has
been presented in the east, and in which the state has
been culpably misrepresented. ..se