Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1920-10-06
SENATOR HARDING
GUARANTEES FAIR
DEAL FOR FARMERS
DECLARES DEFINITE NATIONAL
AGRICULTURAL LiCY is
: VITAL TO COUNTRY'S WELFARE
--WOULp END PRICE FIXING ON
FARM PRODUCTS.

0'uhedpoiS, topeCIdIJ.- ne tllD
has come when. as a nation, we mus
determine upon q definite agriculture
policy. We must decide whether W,
shall undertake to make OF the Unlte'
States self-sustninlng nntiOn-whicl
means that we shall grow within on
own boundaries all OF the staple foo(
products needed to maintain the high
est type OF civiization-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
~ believe In the seIf.sustaInIng, In.
dependent. seif.reIiant nation, asricul.
turally, Industrially and politically.
We are then the guarantors OF our own
security and are equal to the task"
So declared Senator Harding in a
mastery address before the Minnesota
State Fair here, In which he revealed
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
scrtbed as the greatest speech on asri.
culture which has ever been made by
Presidential candidate.
Among other things he said:
! "A good many years ago Chinese
philosopher uttered profound truth
when he said: The wel-heing OF a
people is like a tree; agriculture Is its
root, manufacture and commerce nre
its branches and It's life; If the root
is injured the leaves fail. the branches
break and the tree dies
Cause for Concern.
1T may seem strange TO many good
people that at this particular time ans
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, rs during
the past four years, Farm land IN the
great surplus producing states has adj
vauced to unheard Of prices with
every indication that, bu, for the tigh,
money conditions, II would 20 still
higher. Apparently the farmers Of HE
land are enjoying unprecedented pros
perify. Why then. even by tmpllca.
ton, suggest that something may he
wrong with our agriculture, ana that
the trouble may be communicated TO
our manufactures and commerce? PEG.
pie 10 the cities are disposed 10 think
that If there Is anything wrong It Is
In the cities where food Is selling at
such high prices, and not in the coun.
try where the food Is produced But
Mt fa nd ~ o
problems see In the present aCrcul-
tural situation certain conditions
which give cause for real concern to
every lover Of his country"
He then referred In most interest.
Ing way to the development OF the
great central west and sketched briefly
the settlement Of the great central val.
leys, as follows:
Through the homestead law the
government give farm Of the richest
land In the world to every man who
wanted one. Railroads were built, the
praires were plowed up. and almost
overnight the agricultural production
OF the United States increased by
30 per cent. Grains We're produced
and sold at the bare cost Of utilizing
the soil. and the farmers Of the older
states to the east were smothered by
this flood Of cheap grain. The only
thing that could be done with this
superabundnnce Of food was to build
cities out Of 1t. 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 result OF their over
production, and then OF the gradual
improvement which began about 1903,
when the increased population In the
cities began TO catch up with farm pro,
duction. 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.
1.-THE splendid part played by the
farmers Of the nation during the war
probably never will be understood or
fully appreciated by our people. More
than % per cent Of all our fighting
men came from the farms, and nfter
sending their sons to the camps, the
fathers and mothers, with the help OF
the younger children. turned to ana /.
produced more food than was ever be-
lore IItIHttu III iut' ulSlUTN OF lIle
world In the same time and from the
same area of land. Their working
days were measured not by the clock, /
but by the number OF daylight hours /.
They took to themselves the reSpon. /
sibility 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 I
ed no sacrifice too great to help fight Il !
through to n successful finish. The
story OF what they did, written by
some one who understands It, will
furnish one Of the most glorious chap.
tcrs In American history. One thing
may say--in every American con.
fIict, from the revolution for indcpend.
ence to the world war for maintained
rights, the farmer has been 100 per
cent American and ready for every
sacriNee."
He then pointed out some OF the I'M
fortunate results in agriculture, grow.
Ing out OF war conditions, especially
the premium put on grain growing at
the expense Of livestock production. |
He referred to the heavy losses suffer-
ed by many livestock producers and |
feeders, and pointed out the urgent
heed Of restoring the balance between
livestock and grain production as
quickly as possible. On this subject
be said:
For two outstanding reasons the