The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-11-18

chards of California, and still the
Smyrna fig tree of California con-
tinued to grow, to blossom, and still
did not produce fruit. The scientists
! of the Department studied the ques-
ton further. They discovered that in
sests lives in the blossoms of the
wild fig trees and the SMYRNA fig
trees. 1t occurred to the scientists
that maybe there was some relation
ship here that had been overlooked.
The experiment was worth trying.
Colonies of these insects were brot
from SMYRNA to California; they
found the natural conditions suited to
them, and as they lived their little
lives in California, they passed from
: blossom to blossom and carried with
them the pollen from the wild fig
tree to SMYRNA fig tree and the my
stery was solved. 1t was a question
of polarization, QUESTION that scien-
lists could work out but that years
of time might be required before the
individual plodding along would dis
cover. Today the Symrnia fig indus
try in California nets to the farmers
of that state millions of dollars.
! That illustration is not more i'm
portant than numerous others that
could be made, but it illustrates one of
the activities of the Department of
Agriculture l have not time to fol-
| low further
The demands Of the government
| along the lines of ministrant service
are many. Let me refer to another
line. If measles or mumps broke out
in the city of Moscow, the federal
government does not make concern
of the government, but the family
that has received the visitant prob
ably is placed under quarantine, the
doctor looks after the children and in
due course the disease has gone.
Other families are afflicted maybe for
time; the schools may be closed, but
at any rate the federal government
does not take the responsibility of
handling the problem. Not so with
yellow fever, not with Bubonic Pla-
que.
In 1878, five thousand lives were
sacrificed in the cities Of New Orleans
and Memphis by yellow fever. Here
is problem that people have said
belongs to the federal government; |
here is problem that is SO serious
that many thousand lives depend upon
its rightful solution. It is too big I
matter for the individual family to
meet, or for the city or state to meet;
it is too general and if it shall break
out, its ravages will be too terrific.
The federal government has under
taken the work that you might call
leadership in the meeting of the yell
low fever problem / do not mean
the work of handling the individual
cases. / do mean the work of .handl-
ing the problem of yellow fever in
large sense from the standpoint of
stamping out the disease, of discov-
ering, if possible, the ways and means
by which it can be avoided. We do
not know today the cause OF yellow
fever. We have discovered that Ger y !.
tain kind of mosquito is responsible
for its distribution, but whether this
distributes a toxin or
whether it distributes bacteria, that
we do not know. However, the dis
.overy we have made that it is dis
,ributed through the agency of the
mosquito and the great progress we
rave made in stamping out the yellow
ever mosquito is the work of the
ederal government.
The Bubonic Plague in 1900 was
'esponsible for 80 or 40 deaths in the
ity of San Francisco. Here again is
lot problem that may be lett to the
ity of San Francisco; Portland and
seattle are interested, New York is
Interested; the people of our whole
ration are interested. The indivi-
ual case may be treated by the local
octor, but the broad problem of
andling the Bubonic Plague is one
hat we believe should be met by the
ederal government We have dis
overed that the rat is the agency
hat more than an other distributes
he Bubonic Plague. Not only that,
ut the rat is indicted for the de-
truction of millions upon millions of
ollars worth of propert every year
rithin the United States and thus it
ecomes partly an economic problem,
ut most of all health problem, that
he federal government shall take the
in the determination of the
1t, and the determination, if you
ease, of the Bubonic Plague.
But the tendencies of government
,tivities are more extensive STILL
hen the great war came to an end,
e found that we had worked out
ore satisfactory system of compen-
Ition to the soldiers than had ever
zen worked out before. We realize
wv that we were tardy in recognize
G the services of those who incur
d injury in the Revolutionary War,
e War if 1912, the Civil War, the
'anish War. To provide pension
r person who had lost his arm or
$ eyesight seemed generous thing
the eyes of our government but few
ars ago. When the recent war came
an end we said that government
spOnsibility cannot end here but we
i'd government responsibility does
t end until every soldier who shall
We become incapaciated, for the
frying on of his normal life shall if
ssible fe rehabilitated by his gov
1ment and we provided suit able ma
merry for handling the work
What | have mentioned suggests
other of the great pieces of legis-
ion of the Congress of 1920, to wit,
legislation that provides for CO.
srative activities between the fed
j government and the several
re in tho rob "a HI If tior If man and