The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-09-10
SPOKE BEFORE B|GCROWD
@. o. p. NOMINEE AT STATE
FAIR GROUND TODAY
TALKS ON WHEAT PRICE
Discussed Every Phase of Agri-
culture In His Clean
Cut Address
CAssociated Press Dispatch.l

Hamline, Mimi. September S.-Before
a vast assembly OF Minnesotans and
people from all over the northwest,
w. G. Harding today delivered an ad-
on agriculture. His speech Is as fol-
lows:
Fellow Citizens of Minnesota--It is a
matter OF very great satisfaction and
very particular interest to me to Join
agricultural industry OF your wonderful
state. come to you with common In.
tsrest and very common concern Tor
In my thought to speak to you speoihcal-
concerning agriculture, want to so
convey my thought, as TO have 1t known
sSss s tbSs RSs Il the wiSTs
as II relates to the good fortunes OF the
United States OF America. ! very much
deplore tho present day-tendency 10 ap-
can activities. 1t has become a very
common practice TO make ons address
to those who constitute. the ranks of
great farming community and still an.
other to the manufacturing world and
its associates in commerce. and to other
groups of less importance There Is .
very natural and a very genuine interest
In each and every one, but the utterance
OF political party nominee ought, IN
pose to serve cur common country. II
heights Of achievement we must OF neo-
essity be AN for one and one for all
That Dollar Wheat Tale.
Let me say, in passing ! hope II IS en-
tirely seemly TO remind you that no pub
lie man H. no pISo ststs of
Ohio, would dare TO think, much less 10
say, he believed in dollar wheat amid the
/ price wildness which the world Is con.
! we are getting acquainted today and
! do not mean to have any misunderssand.
} ing between you and me. and win not
! be grossly and unfairly misrepresented.
have helped TO. cut sixty-csnt wheat.
have known IL 10 sell at forty cents.
have followed the cradle. and sweated
c cSa' TO 'p ssa a.A and S Gaow spoke the
Ohio farmers In the normal days before
+ That statement had no reference to
wartime, nons to the present aftsr.war
J period. Conditions. as well az prices.
" iH neutral and truthful stetssnent, and
IN contemplation. and no nisrepresenta-
A sood many years ago q Chinese
S Rsa'oR ss sa If!''sa rhe wssISsiaa q
RS2 e ass r sni .ss Il:
s:sS &. f svss IS s d: sss sSs:
cause FOR Concern.
people that It this psrsic1isr Time any
o CID csn. s eISSe Never in ' "a our 81 History
high. measured IN dollars. as during the
surplus producing states has adysnoed
ion that. but Ter the tight money u0n-
parsafy tho farmers Of the land are en-
t tSsas EVEN 81 fi@piieat,tn. sagEes. that
s and "a. hat ss tss tsro Ts 2 may b
oonnnerce!. People in the cities are dis
wrong II 10 In the cities where food Il sell-
ing at saeh high prices. and not IN The
country where the food Is produced. But
sS.h s STs sHa Sc. Sy i tss pre..n IT .
wsish s,rs sasss for ,ssi concern to
every lover ,.s 81 n, G 6Sao'.:,on
An sintsfligsuf discussion OF our aEi.
cultrrs at tho present time must take
n o. Th ,ss has last ssSpa ' R that ssf
tssss nne rural civilization had been
built vp east OF the Migsissipp river,
wA oh9 in the ss heart S Of sas eGr sea
% the agriculture Of that Day. that Iowa
had been pushed beyond the Mississippi
support the growing Industrial HE Of the
lion came the Civil war and follow.
the fertile. open. plains Of what is now
the central west Through the home
stead iaw the goysrnWent gave farm
Of the Richest land In the world to every
man who wanted one. Railroads Were
built the prairies were piowed up. and
einost oyer nfsht the agricultural s 'r pro,
by Any per cent. Grains were produc-
"a aad sold at the bare cost Of utilizing
the son. and the farmers OF the older
tflis flood Of cheap grain. The only thing
that could be done with this ssper.
abundance Of food was to build cities out
S OF in Ase me Ented States but S
probably may never again see. such 9
ss, vsss .dss Is .Sas Ehle S wss saes Sg
during the latter part Of the nineteenth
century. and the first few years Of tbs
Farm. Grown Irnports increase.
vhat are ordinary dun statistics VIII
strikingly illurnine the situation which
de ssys f sssn ,5S aS 1910 the City
laeon Of die United States increased
thirty -fivc per cent, while the rural pop
ulation increased only eleven pr cent.
Tia number of farm utilities probably In
creased less. but we do know othclalty
that the city population increased more
than three times as rapidly a. the rural
population The figures are not yet
Complete for the decade ending this
year, but sufficient reports have been
published to give US very dependable
estimate. The indications are that no
increase Will De shown in the number o.
farms and no increase In strictly farm
population. In ell probability, dating
from. 1920. We shall estimate our farm
population al thirty por cent. OF the
whole while the urban population will
make Up the other seventy per cent
Another interesting fact to reveal the
danger IN changing conditions. Only q
few decades as6, indeed from the very
beginning, the exports Of the United
States were soil grown or farm-produc-
ed materials. On the other hand, most
Of our imports were manufactured arti-
clos. In the last half century, year after
year the exports Of rrn-grown products
have Acknowledgement during the world
war-end exports Of manufactured pro-
ducts have Increased until again we are
rapidly reaching the zero mark from the
standpoint of agricultural supplies to the
world. Each year our Imports show
larger and larger quantities or farm-
grown products and the time Is almost
with us when the Imports of farm
grown products VIII exceed the exports.
in short. when our farm population will
not be supplying the products necessary
for our own people.
Forced 70 Grinding Economy.
The farmer suffered during this chang.