Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-01-31

mercy of the imperial government of
lGermany.
H'This was no threat. 1t has become 8
reality. Their hand of violence has been
laid upon our own people and our own
property in flagrantl violation, not only
of justice, but of the well recognized
and long standing covenants of inter.
national law and treaty.
Statesmen on both sides of the water,
now realize, he added, that this year will
prove the critical one. And to show the
resources at hand with which to launch
the mighty blow he said:
! ''In the field of agriculture we have
agencies and instrumentalities, FORUM
ately such as no other government in
the world can show. The department of
| agriculture is undoubtedly the greatest
practical and scientific agricultural or
ganlzation in the world. It's total annual
budget of $46,000,J 900 has been increas-
ed during the last four years more than
| ~ per cent. 1t has staff of $4,000 in
cluding large number of highly train
ed experts, and alongside of it stands
the unique land grant colleges which are
without example elsewhere and the six
ty nine state and federal experiment
stations. These colleges and experiment
stations have a total endowment of
plant and equipment of $4,000, 900, an
income of more than $35, 100000 with
l0,271 teachers, a resident student body
of 125,000, and a vast additional num-
Der receiving instruction at their
homes. County agents, joint officers of
the department of agriculture and of
the colleges, are everywhere cooperat-
ing with the farmers and assisting them
1.-THE number of extension workers
under the SmithLever act and under
the recent emergency legislation have
grown to $500 men and women working
regularly in the various communities and
taking to the farmer the latest scienti-
fie and practical information. Alongside
these great public agencies stand the
very effective voluntary organizations
among the farmers themselves, which
are more and more learning the best
methods of cooperation ana the best
methods of putting to practical use the
assistance derived from governmental
sources. The banking legislation of the |
last two or three years has given the |
farmers access to the great lendable |
capital Of the country and it has become !
the duty of both men in charge of the |
federal reserve banking system and of |
the farm loan banking system to see
to it that the farmers obtain the credit, |
both short term and long term, to which |
they are entitled not only, but it is i'm l
peratively necessary should be extended |
to them if the present tasks of the eoun- I
try are to be adequately performed.
Both by direct purchase of nitrates I
and by the establishment of plants to +
produce nitrates, the government is do
ing its utmost to assist in the problem
of fertilization. The department Of ag-
rieulture and other agencies are active
~ assisting the farmers to locate, safe
guard and secure at cost an adequate
supply of sound seed. The department
has $2,500,000 available for this pur
pose now and has asked the congress
for $6,000,000,000 more.
The labor problem is one of great
and some of the best agencies
Of the nation are addressing themselves
to the task of solving it, 50 far as it
is possible to solve it. Farmers have
not been exempted from the draft, L
know they would not wish to be. l take
t for granted they would not wish to
be put in a class by themselves in this
respect. But the attention of the war
department. has been very seriously cen
iered upon the task of interfering with
he labor Of the farms as little as pos
lible and under the new draft regula-
ions believe thar the farmers of the
country viii find that their supply Of