The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-07
AID ID FARMER |S VITAL IN PLAN ID YIN HE GREAT WAR President Davis of Federal Land Bank Urges Action
 by Congress ASKS GOVERNMENT TO PURCHASE BONDS Points Out Their Value as an Invest ment and the Great Benefit
 It Will Prove to
 Farmers

eral loan bank of New Orleans, has written The Age-Herald a strong argument in favor of having the government purchase land bank bonds to aid the farmers. He writes :: To the Editor of The Age-Herald;
 Congress is asked to authorize the Sec retary of the Treasury to purchase Soo,- 000.0O0 to S10o0 GOO of federal land bank bonds per year for the next two years.
 This means that Congress is asked to lend to the federal land banks during the next two years from S1oo,00o,00o to $2Co, ,OO0,0Q0 taking as security the bonds of those banks, which are in their turn secured by the loans made by the banks to the farmers of the country. Now all this money is going to be used in loans to the farmers; hence, the proposed leg islation means nothing more or less than that Congress is asked to lend said amount to the farmers of the United States, taking mortgages on their farms as security.
 Now, are the farmers entitled to this loau from the government? That ques- tior seems superflous to any sound mind. Agriculture is the backbone of this coun- try, the foundation of all our prosperity, the staGting point of all our wealth, the one thing that makes us the richest nation of the earth. Moreover the farm CTS of the country, much as the nation owes them have, up to a few years ago, received less recognition of their rights. less legislative relief and assistance, at the hands of the national government than any other class of our people. Hence, more than any other class they are entitled today, just as they have al- ways been entitled, to all possible con sideration and aid from those who are in control of our national affairs.
 But the case is even much stronger than that Since the beginning of the European war, we have been called on to feed not only ourselves, but also a large part of the people of Europe. In addition to that, we are now in the war ourselves, and must equip and train and feed large army here and abroad, to form which thousands and thousands of young men have been taken from the farm. In spite of this the farmers are urged, nay, implored, by the government to increase production. The halls of Congress ring with it, every newspaper and every public speaker declares it, every thinking man knows 1.-the fact that the winning of the war is ques ton CT tood pfoductlon and conservation
 VITAL IMPORTANCE
 In the light of all this, the extending of aid to our farmers is as important a matter as the equipping of our army with guns, and the legislation asked for from Congress takes rank with the liberty loans. The German Kaiser could ask no more pleasing New Years gift than to learn that the American Congress had refused loan to the American farmer.
 Now is it such q stupendous thing that is asked of Congress? It seems that no such position could be held with inrelli- gence, in view of the fact that the farm CTS of the United States produced stuffs of various sorts during 1917 aggregat- ing in value more than s20,000 00o,000. In comparison with this enormous figure the sum that the government is asked to lend them sinks into insignificance. Is Congress asked to make an appro- priation? No. Is it asked to give any body anything? Not by any manner of means. Well, what is it asked to do? Simply, just as any banker is asked, to lend money on good security, to lend at a rate of 41a per cent money that cost it in no case over 4 per cent, thus mak- ing profit of F per cent by the trans action. Is the security good? We'll, if it isn't the Lord help us. If, in the na- tion, the richest on the face of the earth and richest by reason of agriculture. loans secured by farm lands at secur- ity proposition of two for one are not good security. then, in the words of Thomas Watson, Where are we at?"
 Moreover this government has lately made many large loans to European na- Sons who are our allies in the war, the total credits to the allies to date being the huge sum of s, 236 400, ,0v0. Now, it is simply beyond conception that this gov ernment should lend more than four and x quarter billions of dollars to foreign nations, and then refuse to lend $l00,- 00o00O to $200, 900 to it's own citizens, es- pecially when on that very portion of our population rests our main depend ence for the successful conclusion of the war.
 ANSWER IS LIBERTY BONDS
 Now it may be asked, why cannot the federal land banks market their bonds themselves by sales to the investing public; why are they asking the govern ment to buy them? The answer to this can be given in two words: Liberty loans. The enormous sums that the American people are called on to invest in liberty bonds. a call to which nc true American can lend deaf ear. to- gether with unsettled financial condi- tions caused by thew ar. have temper arily forced all other investments into the background, and rendered the sale of other bonds, no matter how good precarious and uncertain; and the banks