Gunnison news-champion., 1920-05-28
SWEAT OR STARvE

Jeslie's Maaz.ne:- I
4 general food shortage would cap
tie climax ia the series Of stupiditles
With ~ hlch, a. 4 pe0As, We have bur
dgnad Ourselves since the arnlstice-
And THIS Is precisely what Is coming
uul.ss something ike real statesman
salp is invoked 10 avert it.
The conditions which fOreshadow
this absurd and unnecessary calamity
are plainly visible TO all who retain .
the oid-fash hioned notion that there Is
a relation between cause and effect
The acreage Of winter wheat has been
cut down a third this year. Tens Of
thousands OF small farms have been
abandoned. Thousands OF gardeners
and fruit growers have been ruined
b. n. antics Of striking freigh, hand
leTs in the ports and on the railroads
Ia certain sections Of the corn belt the
feeding Of cattle, hogs and sheep for
butchering has been cpt down to
fifth OF normal And all over the
country farmers are being forced 20
reduce their crop production this sea
on TO the limits Of what they can do
without hired help.
All this Is against the desire of
food producers. They would not shut
down their business except 10 avoid
financial ruin. 1t j. not the farmers
fault that cities are absorbing the ru-
ral population. Nor can they be
blamed for the exaggerated industrial
development which uses up the sup
ply Of labor. And these two general
causes are at the bottom of the
trouble
During the war Ne were frequently
reminded that armies advance on their
stomachs. Within year or so we
shall learn by painful and costly ex-
pcIience that cities do the same. The
grocery and bakery are poor substi-
tutes for the farm. IL Is the acme of
idIocy TO imagine the farmer will
slave long hours in order to furnish
food at q loss TO hordes of people who
won't do an honest days work in the
great industries and yet who manage
TO draw three times as much pay for
Stacking on their jobs as the farmer
gets for sweating on his.
High pay, short hours, easy condi-
tions in industry will have 10 be ac-
companied by high production or
these millennial blessings will soon
BE- pinched off by famine.
The Presidents industrial confer
cnce in its valuable report devotes 4
couple.of pregnant pages TO discus
sion OF agriculture Every city
dweller should study this document
and lay its lessons to heart. Among
other things the Conference says:
There is a broad national problem in
the disparity Of human effort applied
to agriculture and that applied TO
general industry. II the conditions of
labor and effort in general industry
are TO be relaxed below the standards
OF agriculture. 1t can only result in
an increased burden on agriculture.
with sequel of diminished agricul-
tural production"
Translated into plain United States,
this means that we cannot go on
much further if We demand sweat
from the farmer and permit Stacking
By the mill and factory employee.
The farmer will quit and what viii
the brides do then, poor things3"
To quote again: "if under such dis
parity of effect general industry can
still find an outlet for its commodi-
ties in export trade, it means ulti-
mately the dependence of the United
States on imported food. 1t means
the upbuilding Of large industrial CEN
ters with all their train of human
problems From the standpoint of
the physical and moral development
Of the people Us whole the confer
ence believes it would be a disaster
to exaggerate industrial development
at the cost of agriculture"
1t is time for every thinking Amer
lean to stop and look at the facts when
this industrial conference warns US
that our present economic and indus
trial set-up is leading US toward
dependence on the outside world for
food.
Could anything be more criminally
absurd and stupid? No nation in the
world possesses more abundant or di-
versified food resources than America.
And yet, following the lure of the
gregarious instinct, we are actually
shaping up to lose our agricultural
independence.
1t is not too late TO avert the
threatened disaster. The first step in
the right direction is to stop aiding
the slackers and penalizing the pro-
ducers. The way to even up the
disparity between city Stacking and
country sweat is for public opinion
to insist that every man pull his own
freight in the boat.
Then let us have machinery devised
to put city folks in cities and farmer
folks on our farms. There are prob
ably millions of people grinding along
in urbane industries, who are in the
wrong place. II we can show them
how, they will gladly go to the farm
and become producers.
Meanwhile, only the most hopelessly
optimistic will expect high wages, low
output and dear commodities to be ac-
companied by cheap and abundant
food: The farmer is not in the mar
ket for that kind of a gold brick.