Gunnison news-champion., 1917-07-06

privation the lesson that We refused
to learn through the peace of a half
century of God-giyen national tran
guilty and prosperity.
Following the close of our Civil
war the great fertile prairies Of the
Central West were thrown open TO
settlement and cultivation and their
rich virgin soil produced food in great
abundance. During the war Fasteners
bought farms AZ inflated prices and
assumed heavy mortgages After the
assumption Of specie payment in the
early 7O's, those mortgages virtually
doubled in burden. The depleted soil
required fertility and the competition
Of the prairie states was keen, and
disastrous to the Eastern growers
The first discouraging result was seen
in the deserted New England farms,
abandoned because no one but the
Individual was concerned about the
relative cost of production, much less
about the conservation of the soil.
City consumers gave no thought TO
the hardships on the farm, either East
or West; food was cheap and the con
sumer had no cause for complaint
The average farmer lived in the
simplest manner without any of the
present comforts or conveniences and
his children enjoyed the munificent
heritage Of fourteen week term at
the district school each year.
Up TO the time of the close of the
war. We were an agricultural people.
Even in the early sos about 20 per
cent Of our population was in the
country Only 80 per cent lived in
cities. After the war. however, we
turned our attention to the building
up OF our manufacturing industries
and the consequent building Of cities.
We adopted 4 financial system for the
convenience Of business interests.
We enacted corporate laws for the
convenience of combinations of capi-
tai and we adopted tariff laws to pro
tect and encourage infant industries.
In fact everything possible was done
20 encourage manufacture and trade
and to build Up city population which
vas all very well, but in accordance
as city population increased. country
population decreased. Farmers com
planned Of poor returns for their heavy
toll and sacrifices Boys and girls
tired Of the sordid grind and lack of
progress and advantages left the farm
for the city shops and factories and
farm production decreased.
Rather late in the day agricultural
educational work was given the rural
boys and girls. and. while it has &C
complshed much and cost millions
OF dollars, it has not yet fully ac-
eomplished its purpose.
There is waste of food upon the
farm, mostly because it cannot be
sold for enough 20 pay selling char
gcs; waste in the process Of trans-
portation because of inadequate rail-
way facilities to move perishable
crops; waste in wholesale markets.
and above all, waste in an extravag-
ant system of credits from the farm
er through a system OF FIVE and some
times seven dealers, to the retailer
and ultimate consumer. All this waste
entails an increased cost to the house,
wife, through whose, sometimes in-
capable and inexperienced hands, 30
per cent of American food expcndi-
ture passes. The family budget COM
pels her to buy sparingly, and This
aggregate decrease in consumption
discourages production on the farm.
Our present campaign is an effort
TO increase the yield of the soil but
can we do this with any great degree
Of success, if we continue to tolerate
the methods of speculation and man
4 ipulation that are largely responsible
for the decrease in production The
head of the Department of AgricuI-
ture in st. Lawrence University, New
York has this to say editorially of the
matter: prices for food in London
today are lower than in Ogdensburg.
which is in the center of the richest
agricultural section Of the Empire
state. England buys her supplies IN
this country, sends them across the
Atlantic, loses large amount by sub
marines and sells the balance to con-
sumers at lower price than we pay
for them at home. Wheat that Il
selling in the form of -four today at
five to seven dollars per hundred, the
farmer received dollar per bushel
for last fall. Potatoes that retail at
from three to four dollars per bushel,
the farmer realized one fifty on IN
December. The onion trust bought N
the supply and stored them and at-
tempted to realize several hundred
per cent profit. Happily their efforts
have been checked by the grand jury
and about so of them have been IN