The midland journal., 1917-10-26
THE GREATEST NEED OF THE
FARMER.
Address BY j. I'll. Kimble Before
Ninth District Farmers
Club.


Everywhere and on every hand, we
hear the cry of advancing cost Of
the necessaries of life, and the great
struggle of the people to meet the
demand. A great majority of the
complainers never stop to study why
or take steps to help solve the prob
lem which is so vital to all of us.
The farmer comes in for large
share of comment; being producer,
he is expected to feed them all. He
is expected to work miracles, raise
for the world a plenty without hope
of fee or reward. 1t makes no dif-
ference to those who consume
whether the producer has the means
or help to produce. HE is simply
ordered-like the Israelites of old
were ordered by Pharoh to make
bricks without straw-he is ordered
to produce. And after he has done
his best he is charged with all the
crimes in the decalogue, simply be-
cause he cannot accomplish an i'm
possibility.
Let us look at the matter from our
immediate surroundings. I venture
to say every man here is doing, all ne
can, more than he is able and GER
.tainly more than he wants to, to in
crease production and see that the
world is provided with plenty. Not
one of you has a chance to strike for
8 hours. Many of you work long
days indeed the whole problem is to
get the work done. In this room
are farmers who know the best
method of farming from every angle
how to prepare the soil, till the
crop and harvest the same in the
best form to get the largest yield.
Honor bright, gentlemen, are you
doing it, if not, then why not. The
answer is easy-you have not the
helm to do it. In the tremendous
rush of the day with all the great
CAPTAINS of industry reaching out for
all the laborers in the land, using
every means in their power to lure
YOUR BOYS away from the farm, you
are left shorthanded and what will
be the result? If the matter is not
remedied soon, the world will starve.
Probably you say that is too strong
an expression. I do not think so.
With 100000 acres of good fertile
farm land in New York state alone,
this year, which has gone untitled
because there is no one to do it, ana
other States in proportion. Now
comes the statement from the master
of the N. Y. State Grange, who
states that there are thousands OF
acres of potatoes alone in that state
which will not be harvested because
there is no one to do it. At meet.
ing of farmers from all over the U.
s. in Washington, Monday, Sept "a,
| it was clearly shown that all our
farms are undermined and in many
cases so per cent. to rs per cent.
Further 1 know, and I believe you
| all know, of farms in this section
where the crops will be curtailed for
! want of men to take of them.
believe it is no exaggeration to say
that the day is coming IN the very
near future when the producer can
not meet the demands of the con
sumer and perhaps that time MAY
| come when it cannot be remedied,
and then what-starvation? VINO IS
to blame-not the farmer. He Is
straining every nerve doing all he
can, telling the Government to take
the land and till It. What answer
does he get. The great interests and
corporations controlling and captur-
ing all immigration that comes into
the country herding them in the con-
gested districts of the cities and all
the great manufacturing establish
ments where they must be provided
with food. Very few of the great
numbers who come from foreign
lands are permitted to go to the
farms. And that is not all. The
captains of these large manufactur-
ing plants send their agents and en-
issaries out into the country to en-
tice with allurements men into their
service who you hada right to ex-
pect to stay on the farm. Railroads
are securing the country for every
man or boy they can get to go into
their employ, running special trains
and transporting them many miles
back and forth taking them from the
community where their interests lle
And who knows and 1 believe it looks
very probable that the Railroads will
wake up soon and find their lesson
in the story of the killing of the
goose that laid the golden egg. II
they take from us the means to raise
produce their transportation facili-
ties will not be needed. Their great
terminal warehouses will be empty
and the people will be hungry and
the Railroads will be at fault.
A. kha hooinuiuo of tho war the