The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-01-10
THE SPECIAL SESSION.

Esncy and possibly the prohibition
amendment and the recognition o,
the home guard companies, The
Forum sees good reasons for the
special session and no very serious
objection to 1t.
The prohibition amendment Is moi
pressing. The states have seven
years to act on 1t, and action now
cannot hasten its adoption by one
minute. But the sentiment OF the
state undoubtedly is Overwhelmingly
an favor Of the amendment, and II
North Dakota, by her example, could
influence other states some benefit
might result from immediate action
North Dakota's home guard com
panies, by failure to recognize them
as state militia, have been placed in
the position of law-breakers. The
mere action Of drilling with rifles,
while they have no status under the
law, makes them liable to arrest and
punishment That there has been
no call for their services yet is no
argument against their usefulness.
The police department Of a city Is
not useless because there are no ar
rests, nor the fire department be-
cause there are no fires. II home
guard companies are needed, they
should be responsible bodies with an
official status. The power Of the
hn n
more than rifles in preventing dis
order. In fact the rifles without the
official status might, under certain
circumstances, be an incentive to
disorder instead Of a deterrent.
But the real work before the legis-
Iaturs will be the feed and iced
problem.
The situation, briefly, is this. In
the central and western parts of
the state, including some twenty
counties, there are many farmers
who have no money to buy either
seed or feed. One problem is about
as serious as the other. They have
borrowed to the limit with their
banks. They have their farms, or
an equity in them at least, and no
working capital. They are like
soldiers with guns and no ammuni-
ton. Two successive crop failures
are the cause. These men could have
come through one failure, and did,
without assistance, but two in sue
tcession proved too much for them.
Let them go to the banks" or
A'1et the government take care Of
them" doesn't solve the question.
The banks can't take care OF them
and follow good banking principles.
They have gone as far as they can.
The government probably will pass
the situation up to the states, and
counties, having problems enough
| on it's hands. Congressman BaeT's
bill for a $5O,OOO,OOO fund probably
will be defeated, and 1t should be
unless the figures are based upon
something more definite than Mr..
Townley's guess as to the needs of
the farmers. Secretary Houston's
proposed bill for a 100000 fund is
not a solution, as # provides for the
/ purchase of seed to be sold at cost.
When a farmer has no money, the
exact price Of his seed isn't i'm
portant.
1T is a condition not a theory
that is faced. The farms are there
and the farmers ready to cultivate
them. The country needs the wheat,
every bushel of it. and the stock
must be conserved and not thrown
on the market.
The Forum would like to submit
that the machinery for extending
this aid is available in the extern
sion department Of the agricultural
+ college and the county agents. Let
the farmer who seeks state aid go
to his county agent and submit an
AFFIDAVIT Of his needs, setting forth
the number Of acres he desires to
crop, the number Of cattle and
horses he is feeding, and the exact
amount Of assistance he requires.
The agent is more familiar with
conditions in his county than any
one else can be, and he should be in
position to check up these state
ments. He should also ascertain
whether or not the local banks are
willing or able to finance any case
where aid is asked. If the agent
approves the request. the aid should
be extended. There should also be
q provision for appeal from the
agents decision to the extension de-
partment.
Unfortunately not all Of the coun-
ties have agents. OF the fifty-three !
counties in the state, twenty three |
have agents, and four Of these have |
two apiece, making twenty-seven |
agents in all. But in an emergency |
much red tape can be cut. Such a |
law should be an incentive for more |
counties to put in agents.
Next week several thousand farm
ers viii gather in Fargo for the var
f0us conventions to be held here.
That will be an opportunity to get |
an expression of their views, and |
some plan may be crystallized for
presentation to the special session,
60 that the law could be drafted in
advance and ali ready for approval |
mhan the legislature meets. II that