Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-23
DEFENDS FARMERS
AGAINST CHARGE
OF PR0F|TEER|NG
u. S. Senator L. Hcisler Ball
Speaks at Pomona Gathering
at Elsmere.
SPORTS AND PICNIC
FEATURES OF MORNING

Maintaining that farmers. are not re-
sponsihle for the high cost OF living merely
because they produce the food OF the
nation. but that conditions over which the
farmer has no control is responsible tor
high prices. Il. S. Senator l.. Heislcr Ball,
speaking before Pomona Grange, at the
State Fair grounds, Elsmerc. today de-
Tended the agriculturallst against the
charges of unthinking persons.
High prices, he held, are directly trace
able TO undcr-production due to taking
millions Of men from European farms TOT
cannon fodder. We cannot blame you,
he said. I'VE cannot ask you to give
your time, your labor, and the expense OF
YOUR seed, with the positive knowledge
THAI YOU will not be able TO harvest your
crops.
He went on to say that the decrease in
farm wo, kers is said to be caused by the
high wages being paid in other Industries.
~%.But whv not say il is caused by the low
returns on the farm and the consequent
low wage paid TO farm lsborers?" he de-
mandcd
The Oranges participating IN the county
field day at tho fair grounds are No. l,
Union. No. 2. Diamond State; No. 8,
Peach Blossom or Middleeown; No. 4,
Hockessin: No. s, Newark; No. IL, Har-
mony; No. l3, West Brandywinei No. p,
Rose Hill, and No. 46. Delaware.
Sports began al l.30, the field and
track events being followed by baseball
games between various units OF Pomona
Grange.
The speechmaking started at y.3o. Ad-
dresses were made by State Master y.
Roosa, and United States Senators l..
Heisler Ball and J, f. Lowell, worthy
national master. DR., Balls address
follows:
NAToNALMAsIER : ADDRESS.
II was born and raised, as most OF you
know. on farm. All my boyhood days
were spent in working on that farm, and
il was successful farm, at that. those
we're very happy days, notwithstanding
the long hours. A few years ago, ] had
another oasis in my life, when for short
time, farmed the land upon which tins
Fair Association now holds its exhibitions
so | feel that | am almost what you
term ''dirt farmer.
II will not presume to give you any
advice as to how you should run your
farms, as you all know more about prac-
tical farming than / ever hope to know,
but there are certain conditions existing
today which wish to cell TO the attention
of not only the farmers, but to the con-
sufners as we'll | mean by the consumers
our friends in the cities, for they have made
against YOU what seems to be very un-
Just charges-indeed, almost crimina
cbarCes-that YOU are protteers.
'If there is one class of people, one
profession in this country, that, IN my
Judgment. is free of this charge, you are
that class. The American farmer has been
the backbone of this nation, indeed has
been the rock upon which our republican
institutions were founded, You have been
our pride and our independence IN times ol
stress. You have stood out in the past as
the typical American. You have made
pood-made good magnihcently, but
TODAY all conditions have changed
'During the war and since the signins
of the armistice. the old conditions have
not returned but we find new era. The
laborer receives shorter hours and In
| creased wages thus affording him more
pleasant home surroundings. This seems
TO apply to all callings of life except tc
yours.
FARMERS NOT PRoFITEEEs.
"To thoroughly understand the condi
tons confronting the. world today, so fal
as food .stuffs are concerned, we mus
briefly review existing conditions. Tn
less a people is well fed we find serious
discontent and 1T is entirely within th'
province Of the farmer. and he alone, tc
! produce the material for the genera
satisfaction of the people.
at is not strange. then, that since yot
produce the necessaries of life that yot
are held responsible by the unthinkinl
people for the high cost of living and tc
relieve you of this charge it is necessar,
for us to prove that youare not prohteer'
and that there are other causes producing
this era Of the high price Of food.
ITO me there are two great forces
which to very great extent are response
BILE for this condition. The one is undel
production: in other words the consump
tion of today is greater than the produc
ton. The other great cause is the depre
ciation of our dollar ! shall devote few
of the minutes allowed TO me to the dis
c,lssion of the first of these causes.
"Of that phase, it has been stated thai
the world has never years production
on hand If. then, all food products o.
the world should fail in one year, by The
end of the year the entire world would
starve to death This being the case
any material reduction in the production
Of these foodstuffs would cause demand
greater than the supply.
For the last six years Europe has hac
Continued on page 10