Milford chronicle., 1922-02-03
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
THE FARMER ARRIVES IN
WASHINGTON

But 1 think its kinda silly talking
about that now," said Jack as he
banged the pages of his geography to-
gether.
''Ah! you're just pretending to stu
dy anyway and 1 want to know what
to put in the garden NOW" With a
day of almost summer weather sud-
denly dropped into the middle of win
ter, Ruth had become absolutely set
on the idea of what should make up
her garden for this year.
''YOu sound like a regular farmer" +"
said Uncle Ted as he came into the
room, talking about your crops and
what to plant"
We'll, think every girl and boy, if
they can, ought to have a garden and
help raise things, was Ruth's reply.
mot bad idea, when you think of
the fl xthe farmers have been in for
quite a while. 1t is mighty hard"
continued Uncle Ted, ito see all your
efforts and work go to waste. 1t is
bad enough when drought or storms
sometimes destroy Ehe crops after
they have been planted and cultivated.
But it is still worse if, in addition to
these occasional misfOrtun7s farm
er cannot sell his crops for enough to
pull him through a slump. That is
what the farmers have and are still
facing. 1t makes an interesting story,
so think I'll tell you something about
it. For a long, long time, those who
have the interests of our country at
heart have realized that something
definite should be done to make it
easier for the farmers of the country
to carry on their business of raising
food-stuffs. After the war, when the
bottom dropped out of prices to the
farmer, he was right up against it.
He had borrowed money for machin-
cry. He had borrowed money to pay
help and many other things. He had
to pay the banks and he couldn't bor-
row more. In many cases, men who
ordinarily had plenty of money were
forced to mortgage their homes and
farms to meet their loans. Others
who needed money to move their
crops couldn't borrow a cent. In other
words, money for the farmer hasn't .
been available.
president Harding realized that
something must be done, just as he
realized that something must be done
when the unemployment situation was
so bad last fall. At that time he call
ed a conference in Washington of big
men from all parts of the country to
try and give men jobs. Within a week
from the time the conference started
it was producing results and short
time ago I learned that more than l.
600, 900 men are now at work as re-
suit of that meeting.
President Harding is a great be-
lever in getting together and getting
the other fellows viewpoint on things.
He likes advice, asks for it, takes it
and uses it. He and his cabinet talk
ed and worked over the farm situa-
ton. The result was that Secretary
sent out an invitation for
men representing farming in all its
phases to meet in Washington in an
effort to relieve the farmers plight.
"That conference was opened by
President Harding with more than
800 men present. He did not stand
here and tell them what to do. He
gave a most comprehensive outline of
he, situation and pointed out the ne \
cessity for some method being devel- {
1ped to supply the farmer with money I
when needed at as low AMI reasonable
erms- as it is supplied to any other o
He did NOT try to dictate L
o these delegates, but left them free c
o work out a plan. Secretary Wal
ace suggested three lines along n
which he thought they could work-to [
ind what can be done by legislation, [
What can be done by educational c
work and what the individual farmer e
,an do for himself that he is not do
ng now. ~
"Of course we all realize that agri- o
culture is not the only industry that t
las suffered and the President point Il
ID that out in his speech. But the e.
armers suffered first and most Sc
-erely. No other prices have fallen c
10 far as the prices paid to the far e
ner for his products. The farmer is Il
lot so much in need of credit as he N
S in need of prices that will leave
i'm a profit and make credit unneces- N
airy except on unusual occasions and b.
or a short time. President Harding III
aid: Il
"'We can haze no helpful nn- h
derStandingS BY assuming that al
agriculture suffers alone, but zVe in
may fairly recognize the fnnda- W
mental difficulties zVhich accen- I'll
fHate the agricultural diScOHr- b'
agements and menace the health m
fHl life of this basic and abSO- he
lntely essential industry
Cali of this may be rather uninter- W W
sting but I hope I can make you ~
ealize one point. That is, that our D'
and those about him are not ut
the farmer, and that is II, ~
It. In the past it has been too often l'
le case that every industry has been as
Onsidered and thought about and al
elped by the then existing admins nj
alton EXCEPT AGRICULTURE. eli
ow we have a President who knows @ @oe
hat the farmer needs. He knows he 81
eeds help and he is going to see We
lat he gets it if at all possible. Lis W.
n to this from another part of his re
)eech: IN
"'T'he need of better financial e.
facilities for the farmer must be n,
apparent on the most casual 80
consideration of the profound di- ta, t,n
Vergence betzVeen methods of f.
nancing agriculture and other To
industries. The farmer zvhO OzVnS NJ M
his farm is capitalist, execntiVe ~.
and La6Orer all in one. rs cabi- -,
taliSt he earns the smaller re- ~
turn on his Investment rs ex- n,
eCHtiVe he is little paid, and as a.,
labOrer he is greatly HHderPaid ,as
in comparison to labor in other MO