The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-08-27
CHRISTIE STATEMENT
DRAWS SHARP REPLY

The following has been submitted
for publication:
Editor Palladium:
Is it possible that farmers will sit
still without protest or challenge to
the accusations of Prof. George l.
Christie, director of the experiment
station and extension department CT
Purdue university. a man who should
be friend to, and in harmony with
the farmer whose position is. CT
should be, in the interest OF the far
mer?
If farmers had not progressed or
advanced, where would be the need
of an agricultural school, or of d
Christie, or of Christie's job?
| wonder what kind of position Mr.
Christie would be holding at the pres
ent time if agriculture was where it
was in his or our grandfather's day?
will venture to say that he never
worked on a farm or he would know
there is no harder life in the world
so why begrudge farmers comfort
able home with a few luxuries Those
luXuries, | suppose, are only for the
profiteers who make their money off
the farmers. Some people would like
to keep the farmers ground down like
a Serf
Tenants Lose Capital.
1t is not the farmer who has owned
his own farm for years, and has prob
ably got the fine home and Injuries
after years of toll, who is hardest hit
by the recent slump. 1t is mostly
the tenant, who through years of Ia
Dor on another mans farm, has, by
denying himself and family, and by
living as no towns people live, managed
! to Scrape up a few thousand dollars,
! and thought he saw a chance to get
| out from under the yoke and have a
! chance of his own. He is the man
who is suffering and losing the fruits
| of his labor Labor, not profiteering.
! And you don't see any fine homes OF
! bath rooms or electric lights on his
| farm either.
! He probably has a Ford. But who
needs it worse? Who is it that is
asking for these concrete roads? Not
! the farmer. He would rather have
| gravel roads and is only protesting
| against the expensive roads, and il
consenting, says: We'll, they spend
the county's money some way, we
may as we'll benefit by some of it y
Who is it that rides in these $4,000
> or $4,000 cars on these expensive
highways? Not the farmeri 1t is the
| business man, the manufacturer, the
profiteer.
i Farm Poverty Admitted
A farmer humnS along in his fliyyeI
or in some dilapidated car of another
make. By his own words, Christie
acknowledges that it is because the
farmers can't buy that plants and in
dustries are shutting down. So, i
farmers don't progress, neither doe.
the country
The farming business is the onl,
one that hasn't profiteered during tn,
war. They weren't allowed to.
they had been, they would have thu
money now to meet the bills for high
priced machinery, high-priced land
and so forth.
For a man who is the president of
! department of an agricultural colleg
to lay the blame for hard times Of
!, the farmer is beyond my compreher
sion. If NJ. Christie had to dig hi
living from the soil he might hav
: more sympathy with farming.
} think farmers should see that thei
assistants get a better understandin
of the farmers position or at leas
if they do not have that sympath,
that they are kept off the chautauqu
platform. A FARMERS WIFE.
Hagerstown, Ind