Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1919-08-29
WANTED. A NATIONAL
POLICY IN AGRICULTURE
CONTINUED from last week.

There is a general feeling that ag'
rioulture should abandon its tradl
tional isolation and adopt the plans
of the prohibitionists and equal SUI
fragists, relying upon agitation anC
education to right wrongs and to de
yolop constructive public opinion
Much is to be said in favor of this
approach to the solution Of our prob.
lem, particularly now that the public
conscience is pricked about food and
the public mind has been taught to
understand a little of what is actu-
ally meant by The words give us this
doy our daily bread" War has
brought us close to certain funda-
mentals. and just as a healthy man is
ignorant of the fact that he has a
heart or stomach or other vital or
gans, or that he needs to care for his
body, until illness teaches him some
wholesome lessons, so we are now in
condition to profit by reason of re-
cent experiences.
1t would seem that this is a favor
able time for developing a current
journals but in the cosmopolitan
press, the popular magazines, and
whatever the facilities offer, to edu
cate the public mind about the sig
nificance of this our greatest in
dustry. This is the time to multiply
and to strengthen all kinds of legiti
mate agricultural organizations, To-
cal state, and national, especially
those designed to promote the bust
ness and the educational interests OF
farming people. OF outside and vol
untary uplift societies and 'move-
my mountain friend, IAN excellent
sCfficiency and any more would be
superfluity." Of paternalism in the
details of farming we have had rath-
err too much, but of actual business
organization such as the farm bu-
reaus ought to be and of genuine CO.
operative associations among farm
ers we have not yet had enough,
This is the time to further develop
agriculture from the inside and as
business supported by private rather
than by public funds and promoted
by farmers cash rather than by out
side contributions. A little more of
independence and of the progress
sive spirit at this point viii in every
way be good for agriculture.
A considerable body of agricul-
tural people, feeling these methods
to be inadequate or too slow, favor
an aggressive policy, reasoning that
no interest ever gets anywhere" UNI
less it organizes-presumably for
protection, actually for aggression.
Agriculture militant would thereby,
like organized labor, proceed by the
most direct methods to secure its
rights under its own definition,
1t may be said that the farmer can
not strike, and yet the first lesson
was sketched out for him by those
who know how when the first COM
mission fixed the price of wheat and
ii the farmer ever should resort to a
retaliatory strike, the consequences
would not be comfortable to cOntem-
plate. There is a substantial differ
ence between strike among labor
ers and a strike among farmers. The
labor strike simply holds up business
for a short time--a few days at the
most. At the worst it is inconveni-
ent, and while there is some destruc-
ton of property and of life, that de-
struction is slight and incidental
rather than fundamental Besides,
the laboring man can not long hold
out without the wage upon which he
depends for his food.
If, however, the farmer should
ever go on a strike, say September !,
there could be no winter wheat pro-
duced for sale, even though the
strike were called off in 80 days. If
he should go on strike May /, there
would be no surplus corn; and with
no corn, no pork and very little beef
or milk. When the laborer strikes
he holds up business: when the farm.
er strikes, he permanently reduces
production. This is no idle remark
for organizations actually exist foi
the express purpose of controlling
production II is no threat, for NJ
sane man who fully realizes all tina
would be involved can regard such
prospect except with horror. and ye
the event is not among the impossi
bilities. When you look the rideou
monster squarely in the face. W,
must conclude that the strike is no