New-York tribune., 1920-01-16
Capper Calls ON
Farmer to Save
Big Business
Senator Bids Trade Look
to American Granger to
Buy Wares and Halt
Threatened Destruction
Sees Unrest Increasing
Conflict Between Capital
and Labor Is Called
More Bitter Each Day

Senator Arthur Capper, Of Kansas,
in discussing the farmers place in
American business at the concluding
luncheon Of the Agricultural Publish
ers' Association at the Hotel Commo-
dore yesterday, said that "big busi-
ness must look to the American
farmer to save it from destruction.
"Business," he said emphatically,
"must look to the American farmer to-
day not only to feed it, not only to
buy Its wares. but actually to save it
from destruction"
Senator Capper said it is useless to
deny. that unrest prevails in America,
or that the conflict between capital
and labor becomes moro bitter each
stated. is that revolt and anarchy are
beginning to show their heads, and no
one can predict what the end will be
unless both sides make compromises.
Spirit of Unrest Growing
"However optimistic we may be-"
said the Senator, "however great our
faith in the sanity and good sense of
the American people, we cannot close
our eyes to the state Of unrest that
prevails in the industrial world. We
cannot deny that business in many re-
spects has been arrogant, greedy,
heartless; with the inevitable result
that labor is more ready than we have
ever known It to be to listen to the
siren song Of the impractical dreamer,
or to be reused to passion by violent
enemies Of society.
Capital is alarmed as never before,
and labor to greater degree than
ever has lost confidence in the in
tegrlty and sense of justice of capt.
tai, and, despite temporary conces-
sions and palliations, the breach
widens: God only knows what will be
the end" ~
Senator Capper said that there is
really no general "public" in the cities
or among the professions, because
when there is controversy between
the two conflicting forces of Ameri-
this "public" range themselves on
either side, but that the farmer who
is capitalist and labor both. sis always
from Missouri"
Public Between Forces
forces stands-what" demanded Sem
ator Capper. "Well, we say the pub
hc.' But what is the public you know?
The men in this room if we eliminated
the few blooming millionaires among
us, are fairly representative Of 'the
public What kind OF buffer among
We make between capital and labor?
Wouldn't we find ourselves naturally
and inevitably in one class or the
other? Haven't we all pretty we'll de-
veioped prejudices and deep-seated
opinions?
"The one stabilizer, the one arbiter,
is the American farmer, and it is to
him, and to his sound sense, his innate
justice, his love of fair deal, his
patriotism, his steady industry, that we
must look for our way out Of dis
aster.
"If he falls back" predicted Senator
Capper, sin any Of these qualities, we
drop further back, but he has never
yet failed his country in time of need"
Senator Capper spoke also Of the
neglect that the farmer has been ac-
corded by the government in the past
as we'll as by the business men of the
country, and urged that this be rem
edied. He said the farmers have
produced enough wealth to pay off two
thirds of this country's net war debt,
the total commercial value of their
product this year being we'll over S15,-
OOO,000,000, or about one and a half
billions more than last year.
The three-day exhibit Of the Agri-
cultural Publishers Association at the
Commodore concluded with yesterdays
luncheon.