American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1921-07-22

Tor " didn't rain. I've got a boy seven
years old, and it hasn't raiRed on him
(only once) since he was born-and
that a in the winter time when it
didn't do any good. Now that is the
reason the banks failed. The state Of
North Dakota is not financially bank
rupt. There is no state IN the union
in any better condition as regards debt.
With our 100000 quarter-sections Of
lard. our state debt is 9Oc a quarter
section. The state does not owe a
quarter as much as a great number of
banks do in N. d.
y. DakOtans All Right.
1 live in a town of 5000. We are in
a livestock country, and one state
bank owes four times as much as the
whole commonwealth of N. ID. The
bank is all right; it has not closed,
and will finally pay wi all right.
Things will finally come out all right
in N. ID. because the people n all
right. They are just like you II l
They know they have made a mistake
in following off after some fellow that
had an autocratic machine of his own.
They were trying in the wrong way
to put over what we are trying in the
right way TO put oyer now.
We have signed up $1,000 members
in four months in that state, and at
least one-half of them are Nonparti-
sans. They are going to let US sell
their wheat, because we can sell it
better than they can sell it. The adu-
c~ational work has been done in \. d.
Some of us Lost some jobs we thought
we wanted, but | would rather be
President of the State Farm Bureau
than to be Governor, any time.
Must Have a Living.
Their feeling in N. d. is just like
yours here. You feel the time has
| come in America when the fellow who
Lives on the soil and tills it must have
a living. We feel hat the whole struc-
Iture of this democracy is built on the
soil, and that If a man cannot make
ldecent living on the soil with his fam
lily, the whole foundation of the repub-
llic is at stake.
During the past fifteen years, the
average wage of the farmers has been
l$500 a with as members to the
family. You can understand from shat
the condition of agriculture, and why
all the seaboard states are losing the
agricultural population. II 1t had not
been for the free land in these west
ern states, it would have been the
same here. There are 6,50O,9O0 farm
ers in. the U. S. now. The free home
steads of the West will soon play out,
and we will be right back to the same
conditions in the older states. OF the
$500 the farmer receives for the 4.6
..--.LA-. - HE Fanaf1V GOG0..Af fh1
$500 is. charged up for what thay raise
and eat. $240 in money, divided
among nearly five people!
DC you know that during the last
twenty years the farmers have paid
more than 2 per CEN more interest on
any money they needed than any body
else? In their kind of business they
haven't had any long terms Of credit,
At times when you could have made
something on livestock, just when you
wanted to hold your stuff to mature
ID in order 10 make a profit, yen had
to ship it to market because Of the
short term OF credit. These pertinent
facts Are getting home to the men in
this country more than they ever
have before, and we are all waking up
that something must be done.
Interest Higher.
In this American Farm Bureau, Fed
created, we already have a million and
a half of men who live on the farm who
see in this the last call to bring the
enthusiasm back that it is entitled to
The men of brains and college educa-
lion ought to be found on the farms;
but you do not find many Of them
them there, because the whole, policy
is to educate the boys and girls so they
don't have to be identified with tht
soil. | can look forward myself tC
learning something that would make il
possible for me not t. identify myself
with the soil. Az home / had to drive
oxen, and l was glad to graduate Sc
| cauld be free from the soil. One
time | drove that team of oXe devils
- miles to see a celebration. and go
there at night just in time to see he
fireworks go up.
We must build better houses every
where ON the farms so that our boy'
and girls will stay there. l believe
in having all the conveniences We car
on the farm TO make life pleasant
But how are YOU going to do that wheI
you haven't any money? How are Nol
going to do that when you are going
broke? How are you going to do /
when you are selling wheat on tht
market for half the cost of production
How are you going to do it with ever!
sheep west of the Mississippi Rive
~mortgaged for $3.50 more than it il
worth?