The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1920-10-07
Declares Definite National Agri-
cultural Policy Is Vital to
country's Welfare.
WOULD PUT END TO PRICE
FIXING OF FARM PRODUCTS
In Address Before Minnesota state
Fair Republican Nominee Shows
Profound Understanding OF
Farming and Its Problems.


shall undertake to make Of the United
States self-sustainIng nation--whfch
means that we shall grow within our,
own boundaries all Of the staple food
| products needed to maintain the high
est type of civiIizati0n--or whether
We shall continue to exploit our agvi
cultural resources for the benefit OF
our Industrial and commercial life, and
to leave to posterity the tasR of finding
food enough, by strong-arm methods.
II necessary, to support the coming
hundreds of millions.
~ believe In the seIf-sustainino, In
dependent, self-reIiant nation, agrIcut
turaIIy, industrialIy and politically.
We are then the guarantors of our own
security and are equal to the task"
SO declared Senator Harding in
mastery address before the Minnesota
State Fair here, IN which he revealed
q 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
scribed as the greatest speech on agri-
culture which has ever been made by
Presidential candidate
Among other things he said:
"A good many years ago Chinese
philosopher uttered a profound truth
when he said: The well-being Of
| people II like a tree agriculture 10 its
root, manufacture and commerce. are
its branches and its life: II the root
| II injured the leaves fall, the branches
break and the tree dies
Cause for Concern.
at may seem strange to many good
people chat at this particular time any
one should qnote this saying Of wise
| old Chinese. Never In all our history
have prices Of farm products ruled
80 high, measured In dollars, as during
the past four years. Farm land In the
| great surplus-pr0ducin states has ad-
vanced to unheard of prices, with
every indication that, but for the tight
money conditions, II would 60 still
higher. Apparently the farmers of the
land are enjoying unprecedented pros
i perity. Why then, even. by inpllca-
/ tion, suggest that something may be
| wrong with our agriculture, and that
j the trouble may be communicated to
our manufactures and commerce7 Peo-
4 pie In the cities are disposed to think
that II 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
both farm and city students Of national
1 problems see In the present agricul-
tural situation certain conditions
which give cause for real concern to
every lover of his country" HF
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:
ssThrough the homestead law the
government gave farm Of the richest
sand In the world to every man who
wanted one. Railroads were built, the
prairies were plowed up, and almost
overnight the agricultural production
of the United States increased by
SO per cent Grains were 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
superahundance of food was to build
cities out of II: And great cities we
did build not only In the United
Stntes, 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
in-nrovement which began about 1908
when the increased population In the
II les legan 10 catch ilp'with farm pro
iluction, and how this Increased de
mand for food was accelerated by ths
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 wal
probably never will be understood OF
fully appreciated by our people Nor,
than 25 per cent OF all our fightin,
men came from the farms, and aftel
sending their sons TO the camps, tn,
fathers and mothers. with the help O
the younger children, turned TO ans
produced more food than was ever be
Fore produced In the history OF tn,
world in the same time and from tn,
came area Of land. Their workin,
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 owl
people, but also our allies across tn
sea. In more ways than one, our farm
ere made the war their war, and count
ed no sacrifice too great to help fight
through to a successful finish Tn
story of what they did, written b,
some one who understands 1t. will
furnish one Of the most glorious chap
ters in American history. One thin
| may say--in every American con
hict, from the revolution for lndepend
ence TO the world war for maiataine,
rights, the farmer has been 100 pc
cent American and ready for ever
sacrIfics"
He then pointed out some of the un