The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1921-03-09
Address Of Hon. John w. Crenshaw Before
Christian County Farm Bureau.

you at this banquet, look into your
faces and to talk with you regard
ing your business, and | am going
to try to the best of my ability to
discuss some of the fundamentals
of the business of agriculture.
In the very beginning of this dis
cussion let us get clearly into our
minds the fact that agriculture is
business. it is in many respects ike
every other business, and has prob
lens, and difficulties similar to
those confronting the other various
commercial interests and industries
of this country.
We want to get clearly in our
minds and to impress upon the
population of these United States
that the American farmer is bust
ness man, and that his business is
vital to the welfare of the nation.
You men who are here as farmers
are only one small body meeting to
discuss your particular business
and there are and have been in this
country thousands and tens of thou
sands. yes, millions of farmers who
have and are meeting to discuss
their problems. problems incident
to nationa! and international agri-
culture as we'll as state, county and
community problems. Out of this
vast amount of discussion and con-
ference there has been, and there
will be, solutions worked out many
of which are applicable and adapta-
BILE to our own locality. This is an
advantage of organization.
We are organized and organizing
for Ine protection ana development
OF our business. Many and many a
discouraged farmer dots the acres
of these L. S. He has produced at
high cost and he is selling on low
and declining market. AT prices SO
low that the city has gone up on
every side, What is the matter?"
why should we be made the goat?'
And this cry has come up so fire.
quentiy, insi5tently and repeatedly
that many of us have become con-
WINGED that we are indeed and in
truth the goat for the rest OF the
country, that everybody else is do
ing well and proftably save and ex-
cept farmer. Gentlemen, one of the
first things necessary for MS to do
to get right conception of an atti-
tude towards the rest OF the world,
is TO at once and Immediately disa-
buse our minds of that false rea-
soning.
We have been inclined to think
and to consider that this country
is divided into classes, that one
class is the consumer, that another
class is the packer, that another
class is the merchant, that another
is the banker, that another is the
manufacturer, that another is the
laborer. We have thought in class
language SO long and talked in class
phraseology SO much that we have
convinced ourselves that this is
true and that we are a country
whose population is divided into
classes and that every class is ar
rayed against every other class.
We speak of the packer class as
trying its level best TO ruin and to
destroy the business of the live
stock producer, of the bankers as
being loan sharks and holding up
the borrower of money for the last
penny and per cent of interest they
can extract from him, of the mer-
chant as being Il profiteer and put
ting his prices with the sky only as
the limit.
Now il is to the interest of a
revival of profitable business condi-
tions Of good government and good
citizenship and good business, that
we think seriously along these
lines, and get in different frame
Of mind and have different con
ception of matters for facts do not
Justify any such attitude or con,
clusion.
All OF us are human beings with
the same strength and weakness
with the same desires and impulses
regardless OF our line of business
profession or vocation. The packer
is no different from the merchant
as man, and as business man
nor IN the banker different from
either of these others, we are al
one belonging to the same human
family and having the interest Of
this great country equally at hear
and carrying out our business poll
cies in much the same way.