The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1920-12-07
THE CALAMITY o Y

N another column of this issue is an article by George Daniels, re-
, permission. Farm Life" is published at Spencer, Indiana, a
small town that has been made great by a really intelligent agrcul-
tural journal. Ii $ a journal of agricultural progress and it has pro-
crossed because it is always looking forward, and never sitting upon
its hind legs growing at the past. 1t believes that the United States
is the best country, its people the best people, its lands the richest
and its eagle the champion screamer. Its policy is to uphold these
advantages against all corners. Most Americans who go on that pol
icy get results.
with evenly billion dollars produced this year. and twelve bill.
lion dollars in bank, the farmers can help tide the country over the
crisis of readiustment'
That is the text George Daniels has taken for this article we are
reproducing. The article deals chiefly with the condition of Ameri
can farmers, with their troubles, their liabilities, resources and bless
ings. And while it is confined to a single industry every word of IL
applies with most equal force to every other basic industry to all of
our industries here in New Mexeoj to raising wool and cattle to-
lumber and mining, as well as to growing beans and wheat. 1t is
50 full of practical common sense that we believe it should be read by
all of us particularly by those of US who wake up in the morning
with the old Calamity bird perched on the foot of the bed squirting
one eye at us and who carry her squawking into bur ear all day long,
TO go "a. bed with her roosting place transferred to the heed of the
bed where she can haunt our dreams.
We are going through a crisis OF course we are, All of us are
more or less ON the toboggan. OF course we are. From the very first
squirt of war prosperity" we began to receive warnings that we
would have to pay for the spree; that we would have to get BACK TO
normally via the grim and rocky road Of abuormaley, if YOU get
what we mean. We have known all along that this period was com
ing. Goodness knows there has been no lack Of warning signals and
sign posts and even baFrieades built high across the road to sle"vs
up and bid US save and prepare.
Would we do lit. Certainly We. would pot. We threw, our old
rode through or oyerth obstruetions. hefbeat for the silk shirt and
the jazz orchestra Ne Traded our Liberty bonds for speculative
stocks as soon as we finished paying ont the instalments We went
to see the wheels go round in the big towns and worked four days a
week, some weeks We told the bankers who urged MS TO start saw
ings accounts with some Of or easy money, TO forget il, and in our
minds and private conversations we described them as wise birds
looking out for their own selfish interests Re Ia
And much in the same ws that we followed the other fellows
lead in spending and plunging and running over the warming signals
we are today doing Just what Daniels says the farmers are doing.
1--WE get started 70 saying Boo at one another, and,d don't know
how 10 stop N ,VaI .r.
Il IS true tina. the wool market ISM any good but mighty few
New Mexico wool men are broke, or for that matter, wool men any
where in the west. The cattle market is of; but ninetylnine out Of
every one bundled cattle growers see their way through the rough
time. Beans are selling at three cents a pound in the sack, but the
bean growers for the most mart had sueh n uhaIe of a crnn hat tbav
will break even at that price and be able to finance next years farm
operations. Mining operations are slowed down but no one seriously
doubts for a minute that they will presently speed up again.
We are turning from one extreme to another that is almost as
bad, and in some respects, worse, We are tending to switch from the
orgy Of spending to an orgy Of frightened nickel pinehing, al a time
when the nickel is still worthless as a medium of purchase, when
standing alonel III
The well known Calamity Boys Depression and Fear, have
camped ON our trail. They have got us TO saying Boo at one an
other, and we don I know how to stop.
The best and surest way to stop is the same wise remedy that we
have been refusing to take for the past three or four years II is all
condensed into the well known words;
'G0 TO WORK.