Norwich bulletin., 1918-12-20
NOT MORE FARMS BUT BETTER FARMING

(Written Specially For The Bulletin
 In view of the approaching release from army camps. here and abroad, of more than three million men, certain fussy old folks are expressing much lsolicitude. They are afraid lest the return of these men may 'derange economic conditions" They are cud- gelling tired brains which do not seem to have been very active, at best, to discover methods which will prevent such an awful result. Their latest idea is that the returning soldier boys must be induced, somehow, 10 get in 10 farming, so as not to "derange" other industries.
 They are urgently calliug on gov ernment, if there aren't enough "aban- doned farms" to go round, to drain the Dismal Swamp and irrigate the rest Of the Great American Desert, so as tc furnish farms for the veterans.
 What was that phrase which we talked about, the other day-"common sense the most uncommon thing in the world,'' wasn't it? Doesn't it look, sometimes, as if that rather cynical sentiment was the truth, after all?
 Of course, it wouldn't do for any more farmers, such as we, to question the seriousness of economic colldi- tions." Heaven forbid that mere hay seeds like us should lay calloused hands on that sacro- -sanct fetish bag of the professors.
 But, merely in passing end very humbly, one is tempted to inquire why economic conditions" on the farm lands aren't quite as much ir need of safeguarding as economic conditions" l in the shops and factories.
 The sudden eruption of three million men into the corporate industries will seriously ''derange" them, we are warned. So the wise-acres propose to dump them on to the farms. How they figure it out that this won't "de- range" farming conditions is not ex- plained.
 l Possibly by the same process of req scning which demonstrates that one can't spoil bad, egg.
 According to general understanding these three million men were drawn from all parts Of the country and all occupations with as much fairness as possible. According to published fig ures, the farms furnished more ot them than any other one industry DoI any other two, combined. My own little country town gave ID a dozen all but two of whom were fsrmCrs or farmers boys. Of course, the cit ies the proportion was reversed Dul the reports of the draft boards show that, for the whole country, farming sent much larger quotas than any other occupation.
 It's more than a little curious that in view of this farm preponderance oi service, the matter of possible de rangements'' of farm conditions never seems to enter the heads of the mighty muck-a-muc at Washington or of the pNofound professors of econ omies at the various universities. ol of the eminent editors of metropolitan newspapers.
 However, we farmers have been ac customed to be used as door-mats fol so long that we have got used to it. II ~ fact, judging from the sort of men WI elect to represent us in government and permit to exploit us in business the inference might not seem forced that we actually like it. That is, th' majority of us Therefore, 1et's pas over this phase of the question rathe, cingeTly, and look at two other sides which may be of safer approach.
 In the first place, it is 70 be noted that these three million men wert withdrawn from the industries of tn country, when they were drafted Some from one industry; some iron another Some from the farms ant some from the factories and som from the shops and some from tn railroads and some from offices ant some from bnights of the road an some from the homes of millionaires.
 It is also to be remembered tha | there weren't any too many to g round, even before the q [ it began t | reduce the number of those availabl for production. All over the country employers announced, when the di'af was on that the nlaces of those calle