Middletown transcript., 1922-01-28
NATION MUST
AID THE FARMERS
Harding Declares Country Faces
"Grim Reality" Of Crisis
PLEA FOR GOVERNMENT AID
President Speaks At Opening OF Big
Conference-Submits Recommen-
dations For Easing OF Diff
cultics OF Farmers,

Washington.-Agr must be
lifted from the chaotic depths of i'm
minent disaster and placed firmly on
a thriving basis by governmental aid
If industrial and commercial America
is to survive.
President Harding gave the nation
this warning here in opening the ma
tional agricultural conference, called
by the executive to effect adoption Of
a definite Federal policy of encourag-
ing the farmer
President Harding departed from his
set speech before the agricultural con.
ference here to take fling at the
agricultural bloc in the Senate.
THE whole country" said the Pres.
ident, has an acute concern with the
conditions and problems you are met
to consider. 1t is truly a national in.
terest, and not entitled to be regarded
as primarily the concern of either a
class or section-or a bloc"
The bloc" was pronounced with
considerable emphasis. 1t was greeted
with cheers.
The farmer, 'in his hour of disaster"
is entitled to every support and assist.
ance the Government can give him,
the President declared to 400 dele
gates gathered here from all over the
country for one of the most important
conferences ever held in the national
capital.
IF We fail him, we will preciptate
disaster that will affect every in
dustry and commercial activity of the
nation" the President asserted.
The Government must do everything
possible to ameliorate the Critical
condition" of agriculture and its action
must be immediate, the President
warned. Greater financial aid he said,
should be extended to the farmer,
transportation facilities, rail and wa
ter, must be expanded to meet farm
ing needs and every practical proposal
for watering arid land, for reclaiming
cut-over forest areas and for protect.
ing fertile valleys from inundation,
should be given full encouragement.
All this" said the President,
should be part Of recognized per
manent policy. Not otherwise will it
be possible to keep the nation self
supporting and as nearly self-con.
tanned as it has been in the past"
Speaking in the ball room of the
New Willard Hotel, the President told
the delegates, men and women. that
conference recommendations cannot
be accepted as final and that the
farmer must do something to aid him.
self.
1T cannot be too strongly urged that
the farmer must be ready to help him
self. This conference would do most
lasting good If it would find ways to
impress the great mass of farmers to
avail themselves OF the best methods.
By this | mean that, in the last
analysis, legislation can do little more
than give the farmer the chance to
organize and help himself"
The President advocated co.opera-
tive marketing. He urged develop
ment of all water resources for both
transportation and power and came out
strongly for prosecution of the St
Lawrence waterway project, designed
to permit access of ocean-go!ng YES
sells to all Great Lakes ports. Ger
tainty o. long-term farm loan credits
he suggested as one means of encour-
aging the farming industry
Conference aims were outlined by
Secretary of Agriculture Wallace. He
explained that it was the hope of the
Administration that the conference
might result in establishing more
amicable relations between the Gov
ernment and the farmer and devise a
permanent policy toward agriculture.
Low price returns for farm products
was given as the reason for drop in
quantity production by Sydney Ander-
son, of Minnesota, chairman of the
Congressional Joint Commission of
Agricultural Inquiry, who also ad-
dressed the opening session.