Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1920-10-07
Declares Definite National Agrl.
cultural Policy Is Vital to
Country's Welfare.
WOULD PUT END TO PRICE
FIXING OF FARM PRODUCTS
In Address Before Minnesota State
Fair Republican Nominee Shows
Profound Understanding of
Farming and Its Problems.

Minneapolis, Especially THE time
has come when, as a nation, we must
determine upon q definite agricultural
| policy. We must decide whether we
Shall undertake to make OF the United
! States a self-sustaining nation-which
| means that we shall grow within our
! own boundaries all OF the staple food
| products needed TO maintain the high
| est type Of ciyilization-or whether
| we shall continue to exploit our agri-
! cultural resources for the benefit Of
| our industrial and commercial life, and
| TO leave to posterity the task Of finding
food enough by strong-arm methods,
| II necessary, to support the coming
hundreds of millions.
al believe In the self-sustalning, In.
dependent, seIS-rcilant nation, agricul.
| turally, lndustrially and politically
We are then the suarantors of our own
security and are equal to the task"
SO declared Senator Harding In q
| mastery address before the Minnesota
| State Fair here, In which he revealed
a most profound understanding of
| agriculture, its problems and its rela-
| ton to the farmer and the consumer in
the cities. This speech has been de-
scribed as the greatest speech on agri
culture which has ever been made by
Presidential candidate.
Among other things he said:
"A good many years ago Chinese
| sNkI 49,, a h
when he said: The well-being OF
! people is like tree; agriculture is Its
| root, manufacture and commerce are
its branches and its life if the root
is injured the leaves fall, the branches
break and the tree dies
Cause for Concern.
ut may seem strange to many good
| people that al this particular time any
one should quote this saying of wise
! old Chinese. Never In all our history
have prices Of farm products ruled
so high, measured In dollars as during
| the past four years. Farm land In the
| great surplus producing states has adj
| vanced to unheard of prices, with
| every indication that, but for the tight
money conditions, II would go still
! higher. Apparently the farmers of the
land are enjoying unprecedented pros.
! perity. Why then, even by implica
| ton, suggest that something may be
wrong with our agriculture, and that
the trouble may be communicated to
our manufactures and commerce. Peo-
/ Pile In the cities are disposed 10 think
that If there is anything wrong II is
In the cities where food is selling at
such high prices, and not In the coun-
try where the food is produced But
both farm and city students Of national
problems see In the present agricul-
tural situation certain conditions
which give cause for real concern 10
every lover of his country"
BE then referred in a most interest
ing way TO the development of the
| great central west and sketched briefly
the settlement of the great central val
legs, as follows:
Through the homestead law the
! government gave farm OF the richest
land in the world TO every man who
wanted one. Railroads were built, the
prairies were plowed up, and almost
overnight the agricultural production
of the United States increased by
80 per cent. Grains were produced
and sold at the bare cost Of utilizing
the soil, and the farmers OF the older
states 70 the east were smothered by
this food Of cheap grain The only
thing that could be done with this
| superabundance Of food was to build
cities out OF It. And great cities we
| did build, not only In the United
| States, but across the seas"
! He spoke OF the hard conditions
which came upon the farmers of the
central west as a result of their over
| production, and then OF the gradual
| Improvement which began about 1905,
when the increased population In the
| cities hogan TO catch up with farm pro.
| ducton, and how this increased de.
mand for food was accelerated by the
great World War
Speaking OF the part played by the
farmer during the war, he said:
! Splendid Part Of Farmers.
"The splendid part played by the
] farmers OF the nation during the war
| probably never viii be understood or
! fully appreciated by our people More
| than % per cent OK all our lighting
men came from the farms, and after
| sending their sons 70 the camps. the
/ fathers and mothers. with the help Of
| the younger children, turned 10 and
| produced more food than was ever be-
| fore produced In the history Of the
| world IN the same time and from the
I same area Of land Their working
| days We're measured not by the clock.
| but by the number OF daylight hours
They took to themselves the respon.
sihility OF feeding not only our own
people, but also our allies across the
sea. In more ways than one, our farm.
ers made the war their war, and count.
ed no sacrifice TOO great to help fight il
| through 70 q successful finish. The
story OF what they did, written nv
some one who understands Il win
furnish one Of the most glorious chan.
tiers In American history. One .hlno
! may ssy-ln every American con.
niet. from the revolution for lndepend.
crce TO the world war for malntaIres
rights, the farmer has been 100 mr.
cent American and ready for every
sacrifice"
He then pointed out some Of the rp.