The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-12-06
hRDINc MAKES ADDRESS TO SENATE
BIG UPRISING
OF FARMERS IS
COMING IN 1922
Asrarian Movement n I
Against Maladjustment
Predicted.

Copyright, 1920, by United Press.)
Emporia. Kan, Dec. 6.-''A dan
gerous political reaction to the pres
ent maladjustment in the mat
ter Of agricultural interests" was
forecast In an interview today by
William Allen White, one time Bull
Moose national committeeman for
Kansas. g1
White believes the reaction will
take the form of an "agrarian up
rising like that of the nineties
which expressed itself in the Farm
ers' Alliance and Populist party"
These factors, he feels, are the
disturbing elements:
IA steady increase in the price
of everything the farmer has to
sell.
2-Continued increase in land
rent and interest rates.
3-Failure of unemployment in
cities to reduce farm labor wage.
Unless the farmer gets relief.
White expects this political reac-
tion to show itself in the 1922 cleo
ton.
White said although farmers are
yet without political or economic
leadership and not exactly sure
what should be done, he sees de-
mands forming along these lines:
Especial farm credit arrange
ment with the federal reserve.
2-Some security of price when
crop is planted.
a-sauare deal from packers and
Fair show in worlds market
ing. ~f
Sitting in comfortable rocker in
the Gazette sanctum William Allen
White made his points in cadence
with his rocking. Looking down on
the famous writer were three pic
lures Of Theodore Roosevelt-auto-
graphed.
Dangerous Reaction.
There is liable to be- White
said, Il really think there will be-
a dangerous political reaction to
the present maladjustment in the
matter of agricultural interests.
That sounds like college profess
sor and prig, but it is eal never
theless. Last Saturday there met
!; fn>Lyon county courthouse, in re-
sponse TO a more or less spOntane-
lous feeling. IS good staunch. Meth
odist, Republican farmers, the type
that is On the county central COM
mittee and serve on the district pre-
cinct committees-the big farm
owners in this county. These men
had no leadership and no program,
but they were discussing earnestly,
but not excitedly, the terrible con-
! ditions which the farmer has to
| face, They saw rather definitely a
gradual decline and an almost in
evitable decline in the things the
farmer has to sell-his live stock,
his grain, his poultry. his hay-and
they have seen this decline coming
as interest rates have been rising
and as the rent of land has also
been increasing. And while interest
and rent have been increasing and
| prices decreasing farm labor has
also taken steady upward trend,
and has not been affected as yet by
the unemployment Of the great
cities to bring farm labor down to
the point where it will correspond
to the decline of farm products.
Even then interest rates will be
high. So the farmers hre between
two grinding millstones. They are
puzzled. they are out of patience,
but they are not angry, they don't
know what to, do nor where to
turn.
Take Political Turn.
THE farmer is not talking pol
| itics. he Is not Sven thinking about
political relief-not now. But un-
less he does get relief; If this situ-
alton should become acute during
| Continued on Page Five.)