The New York herald., 1921-12-07
HARDING'S MESSAGE
TO NEW CONGRESS
Continued from Preceding Page.

riculture. To the farmer has come
the earlier and the heavier burdens
of readjustment. There Is actual de-
preston in our agricultural indus
try. while agricultural prosperity is
absolutely essential to the general
prosperity of the country.
Congress has sought very earnest
ly to provide relief. 1t has promptly
given such temporary relief as has
been possible, but the call is insis-
tent for the permanent solution. 1t
Is inevitable that large crops lower
the prices and short crops advance
them. No legislation can cure that
fundamental law. But there must
be some economic solution for the
excessive variation n returns for
agricultural production.
II Is rather shocking to be told,
and to have the statement strongly
supported, that 100000 bales of
cotton, raised on American planta-
tions in a given year, will actually
be worth more to the producers than
100000 bales would have been.
Equally shocking is the statement
raised by American farmers, would
bring them more money than bill
ion bushels. Yet these are not exag-
Eerated statements. In a world
where there are tens Of millions who
need food, and clothing which they
cannot get, such a condition Is sure
to irdict the social system which
makes 1t possible.
In the main the remedy lies in dis
Sribution and marketing. Every
proper encouragement should be
given to the cooperative marketing
programme. This has proven
very helpful to the cooperating COM
nunities In Europe. In Russia the
cooperative community has become
the recognized bulwark of law and
order, and saved individualism from
engulfment in social paralysis. Ulti-
mately 1t will be accredited with
the salvation of the Russian State.
There is the appeal for this ex-
pertinent. Why not try it? No one
challenges the right of the farmer TO
a larger share of the consumers
pay for his product, no one disputes
chat we cannot live without the far
yner. He is justified in rebelling
against the transportation cost.
Given, q fair return for his labor
he will have less occasion to appeal
Cor financial aid: and given assur-
lnce that his labors shall not be in
vain, we reassure all the people Of
production sufficient to meet our
national requirements and guard
against disaster.
The base of the pyramid of civili-
zat.on which rests upon the soil is
shrinking through the drift of popu-
lation from farm to city. For
generation we ave been express
ing more or less eur"ern about this
tendency. Economists have warned
and statesmen have deplored. We
thought for a time that modern
conveniences and the more intimate
contact would halt the movement,
but 1t has gone steadily on. Per-
haps only grim necessity will cor
rect 1t, but we ought to find less
drastic remedy Tfg1@
The existing scheme of adjusting
freight rates has been favoring the
basing points, until industries are
attracted to some centres and re-
PEELED from others. A great volume
of uneconomic and wasteful trans
portation has attended. and the cost
increased accordingly. The grain
milling and meat packing industries
afford ample illustration, and the
attending concentration is readily
apparent.
The menaces in concentration are
not limited to the retarding influ-
ences on agriculture. Manifestly the
conditions and terms Of railway
transportation ought not be permit
ted to increase this undesirable tend
ency. We have a just pride in our