Evening star., 1919-04-13
BY A. VI. LOOMS.
Assistant Washington Representative
Of the National Grange, Patrons
of Husbnndry.

-
Assistant Washington Representative
Of the National Grange. Patrons
of Husbnndry.
" HE National Grange, which is
the delegate body represent
ing the Order of Patrons OF
Husbandry. a national farm
ers' organization with more thah d
million membership. state orsaniZa-
tions in thirty-three states ana
subordinate bodies in many other
states. has opened national headquar-
te,s in Washington, and is here to
present its farmers reconstruction
program to Congress
The farmers of the United states
have received their fair share or the
credit, which is divided between every
class and occupation. for their part In
winning the war The farmers Iur
nished lighting men. ngntins u, nouu one
fighting money. along with every one
else. and now that it is all over anu
the world in general is reouiioins'
and America in particular has lts re-
construction problems to lace enIs
ORGANIZATION is here representing Just
what il does represent. and trying 10
make il plain that il asks Tor |hat 10
fair and lust and for good purpose.
Based on Syracuse Program.
The headaua arters are in the Fre-
mems Insurance building. at the cor
ner of 7th street and PennsyIean,a
avenue. Thomas c. Atkeson, master
former dean of the West Virginia
state College of Agriculture and 1or-
mer chairman of the National Grange
executive committee, is IN cnarse'
The reconstruction program aoop.-
ed at the last convention OF tne Nc
tionaI Grange, at Syracuse. n. Y. last
November. is the basis for his WORK
with Congress, and the various ao-
ministrative departments.
This reconstruction program is
a brief document. 1t was prepared
by a committee consisting OF Ihomas
G. Atkeson, master of the west VIII
ginia State Grange. as chairman, ana
the following state masters: L. n
Wright of Indiana. ]. c. ketcham oi
Michigan, L. ]. Taber of Ohio. Z. =.
King of Oklahoma: w. j. Thompson
Sherman j. Lowell of New York, ana
B. Needham of Kansas 1t presents an
.irreducable minimum upon when
this most conservative, yet the o,ass' e
isrs in America agrees, a MINIMUM
which events since its adoption mas
shown to be Inadequate in some re
spects to meet developing conditions.
point upon which an expression is
made For example there is decia-
ration which covers the receft con con
culture, declaration covering the
question of what to do with the rail-
roads. declaration on the lano 1of
soldiers question. but the league OF
nations is not covered, and neither
is any statement made on national
finance nor on the merchant marine
policy.
Voice for Agriculture.
.Just as agriculture. has had a
vital part in the war" says the first
paragraph of this statement of prin-
ciples. $50 1t must have strong voice
in the reconstruction program that is
to follow. This task is hardly less
ana Win Command the best thought
of our leaders Broad-minded states
citize1ship, without distinction of
class or occupation. shall unite in
keeping the nation steady in the in
must come. Justice to all must ac-
cordingly be uppermost in our minds
while we insistently urge that the
mentsi nenfsi's to M the G pEosperity Of the Whole
nation: must be safeguarded at every
point"
thinking man to say what other
has gone on record thus far in its
reconstruction program or any other
program, to lay down the principle
that justice for all is the first es-
eential.
profitable agriculture" continued
the statement, 'is the keynote Of our
declaration. A prosperous and pro-
gressive agriculture with an inde-
pendent, self-respecting citizenship in
the open country, is the surest guar
Justice to all, and a guarantee for
an enduring national life" where is
there another program which starts
with so fundamental statement and
SO broad and safe a foundation?
Must Make Farming Profitable.
Earning must be made as profitable
as any other occupation involving
the same amount of investment, busi-
ness ability and hard work. or our
democracy must fail and our people
go hungry" Note that there is no
threat of strike or lockout, no de-
mand for preference. no intimation
to stop producing, or dump crops in
the river, in this statement 1t IS
plain, simple statement Of an eco
nomic truth: the farmer must be
contented' on his farm. or he Will go
where he will be contented, and then
some one will starYe.
starts in on details. The first demand
is for the cancellation of war con-
tracts, and the closing up of war
commissions, and then rigid econ
omy" in future governmental ex-
penditures. Just as we earnestly
urged the spending of the last dollar
and the use of the last man to win
the war, SO now we demand the most
rigid economy"
.srhe present system of marketing"
says the program. in it's next para
graph, 'is clumsy. wasteful, costly
and inefficient. and lends itself read
lily to the most offensive forms OF
speculation and control. 1t Jeopar-
dies adequate food production by
establishing the lowest possible price
TO the producers and in turn naming
fhe highest possible price to the con-
GumerS.
Important to City Dweller.
Iwish to commend. this statement to
&he careful reading of the city-dwell-
ar. 1t points out a problem You Will
note that it tells the cause of declln :
ing food production-not the greed OF
The farmer for more money. but the
economic wrong of permitting the
rniddleman to fix the farmers prices
at the lowest possible figure. Thus
doubly is the distributing system to
blame for the high price of food, first
by creating the condition which leads
to lower productions; second by being
able to charge the highest price to the
consumer
In this connection think also of this
fact: All the elements of distribution
and the cost thereof are in the hands
of people other than the producers
they are consumers problems. not
! producers. On this last proposition
OF AS fo