The Wahpeton times., 1917-09-13
FARMERS FIND {
ABLE CHAMPION

When, the middle of August,
the farmers of the Northwest were
harrassed by doubts and perplexi-
ties as to what the Price Fixing
Board at Washington was about to
do, they called in E. G. Quamme,
president of the Federal Land
Bank Of St. Paul, and sent him
post-saste to the national capital to
represent their interests there. And
then they went back to their farms
satisfied and contented, becaus.
they knew that if anybody could
bring the board to a realization of
the necessity of setting a price for
wheat which would be at once fair
and equitable, it was Ed. Quammt
They knew that in him they had
an able champion of their best in
terests and of the interests of the
Northwest.
How we'll Mr.. Quamme did his
work the people here are learning.
Let it be said that not evrey one
had the privilege of presenting his
case to the Price Fixing Board,
which during the past Ell days has
been the storm center of the ma
tion, one might almost say of the
world. To the doors of the room
where the board was delibreating
came the representatives of every
allied nation, of every section OF
this country, of every business and
agricultural interest in America.
But only a few were admitted to
the inner presence. The door
swung easily on its hinges for Mr..
Quamme, whose words were listen
ed to by the board with the utmos>
seriousness, as the result will attest.
1t is through no accident that
the president of the Federal Land
Bank comes by his championship
Of the farmers of the Northwest
He was born and bred farmer.
He knows their difficulties and
their problems as we'll as any man
in this section. He was born
thirty-eight years ago last January
On farm in Goodhue county which
it pleases him to call the garden
spot of Minnesota. Graduating
from the public school and high
school at keyon he entered the I'm
iversity of Minnesota, where h..
pursued courses in economies and
history, which have always been a
hobby with him. Later on he took
the law course at the university
and is now a f,'!-tiedged lawyer.
but instead of hanging out his
shingle, Mr.. Qnamme wended his
way to the Southwest and for four
years managed a large ranch in
Texas. Then he came back to the
Northwest and went into banking.
becoming president Of the bank at
Finley and taking an active inter,
est in a number of banks in other
towns over the state Of North Da
kota.
For eleven years he pursued his
chosen profession in that state. all
the time studying the theory Of
finance, and especially argricultur.
al finance. in his leisure hours. Co
operative enterprises always held Il
particular fascination for him,
which explains his present position
at the head Of the new and thriv-
ing land bank in st. Paul. 1t
would be difficult to enilmerate all
the varied cooperative farming
associations he has been connected
with, but suffice it to say that he
is now one of the chiefs of the big
gest cooperative agricultural en-
terprise this country has ever
known anything about.
To be president of the Federal
Land Bank looks very we'll in print,
but the establishment of the land
bank here, as a part of the rural
credits system set up by Congress
over the country, was no shild's
play. The rudiments of the idea
came from Germany and other
Europena countries. but the actual
creation Of the necessary machin-
cry and the systematization of the
Offices have called for an immense
amount of foresight and hard
work. Mr.. Quamme has foresight
and is not afraid of work. In the
local land bank, largely as result
Of his efforts, there has been intall-
ed system of amortization tables
which will alwasy stand as model
of the kind. The opponents Of the
land bank plan said that the labor
connected with it was so immense
THAT no reasonable number of en-
ployes could handle it. In fact. If
the tables referred to had not
been created. no fewer than
thousand clerks would have been
needed to handle the clerical