The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-09-21
GOOD THE VITAL PROBLEM
NOW CONFRONTING WORLD

increased profits. But his farm will
always yield him the fundamental
basis of life. If the farmers profits
do not increase, he can and he may
reduce his production of food and
still survive.
Townsmen, of course, will suffer
severely if Through either disgust
and disappointment or cupidity) the
farmers should deliberately reduce
their yield. And this almost inevita-
BILE result of present farm condi-
lions, if they remain unremedied, is
therefore far more subject for the
city man than for the farmer to
worry about. To the farmer it may
mean reduced food, hunger. Already
the majority of people in cities are
trading with their stomachs, not eat
ing what they want for nourishment
but scanning the list of food articles
to find what they can afford to pay
for. And even those able to meet
the increased cost are vitality con-
cerned, for, if the population Of our
crowded cities is allowed to go hum
cry, wealth will surely be discom-
fitted.
We are thus confronting the big
gest question of the world, one
which needs to be formulated, or
ganized and handled in a big bust
ness way. And yet, though a sharp
crisis is here, candidates for Office
are still indulging in shop-worn
platitudes with regard to it; they
are giving no real thought in con-
nection with a constructive plan for
meeting one of the most fundamen-
tai difficulties of our national eco
nomic existence.
In November, when the president
and congressman are elected, the
war will have been over for two
years, during which time congress
and the chief executives of the gov
eminent will have spent practically
their entire time discussing the
league of nations, which discussion
they now propose to continue. in
definitely to the entire neglect of
home problems of vastly more i'm
portance to home people. If either
Senator Harding or Gov. Cox would
now indicate that as serious consid-
Grafton would be given to the con-
struction of an effective plan of farm
organization as they are giving to
legislation relating to our foreign
entanglements the farmers of the
nation land especially of New York
state) would not be long in making
up their minds how to vote. If this
assurance cannot be given, the farm
ers must look elsewhere for sub
stantial relief.
The nature of this relief must be
specific, not vague and general. For
twenty-five years political speakers
and campaign propagandists, have
talked of cooperative association,
which is meaningless without COM
prehensive, concrete plan that con-
templates bringing the farmers
goods, with one distributing expense,
direct to the consumer. The trouble
cannot be remedied by town or
county political and social organl.-
cations, however earnest and honest
they may be in their efforts. 1t VIII
take much time and effort to formu-
late and apply the appropriate RENE
dy.
For years there has been an UNI
necessarily wide spread between the
price received by the farmer for his
products and the price paid by the
consumer. Several years ago l pre-
pared a table showing the money
paid by the consumer in New York
city during that period for several
staple articles of food and the
amount of this money received by
the farmer; it is interesting to note
that, although the total costs have
increased many times, the proper
tions still remain substantially the
same as in the following: