Evening star., 1922-02-09
What the Farmers Accomplished.

One impatient farmer At the Presi-
dents agricultural conference is re-
ported to have described the meeting
as an affair OF shaking hands and
eating ice cream: but. while Its re.
suits may not be immediate, 1t seems
to be generally felt that the benefits
OF the gathering will At least last
longer than the ice cream. The very
fact that the conference was called
10 = matter Of encouragement to the
farmer, the Houston Chronicle (denv
ocratic) believes, for cit indicates that
the public servants In high places
have at last awakened to q realisation
that the time has come - to
give attention to the interests Of tho
One Of the interesting Developments
Of the conference. the Asbury Park
the discovery that farming Is . busi-
ness much like anything else,"' and
that the delegates. instead Of being
the farmers Of the comic section"
were business men with cost sheets
and statistics At their fingers ends"
And. moreover. they, were given an
opportunity to show that they ''un.
tion as clearly as any man In Wash
ington or any man in Wall street"
and ito tell what they know" the
Pittsburgh Leader progressive re-
publican) = observes. The Newark
News Independently rejoices that the
conference demonstrated that "the
farmer Is doing his own thinking" /"
for. when half the population takes
to thinking for itself instead Of hav.
fling formulas worked out fof 1t by
those at the top Of political organiza.
tions there Is much hopeful leaven in
the political loaf"
Agricultural interests in the gaths
progranYor the consideration Of the
administration and Of Congress-" the
st., Louis Globe-Democrat (repub-
lfcan) reports, which, according to
the Burlington Free Press Undepend.
ent republican,. "can be summed up
as aiming at three things; Credits.
marketing and cooperation" It was
felt for a while after the delegates
got into action that a radical element
with rather. fiery tendencies was IN
control, but, as the Portland orego-
nisn (independent. republican, points
out, "the most radical proposal made
was that calling tor = government
that matter the conference went not
further than to ask for a careful in
vestigation." The idea of the guar
antee proposal as. the Raleigh News
and Observer (democratic) explains
1t. was to tax all the people to give
the farmers the same profits guaran-
teed to railroads. but "the wiser and
better view prevailed" and instead of
claiming the same privilege the dele
gates demanded the repeal of the
guaranty policy" as applied to rail-
roads. The Spokane ;sspokesman.Re Re.
- nyA oil ion
commends the sound Judgment of the
conference in rejecting this proposal,
for 'its adoption would haye i'm
paired public confidence" in any of it's
Conclusions. But while repudiating
prics-nxing an "a policy, the farm
ers showed an even more chiidlike
ment," the New York Post Undepend-
ent) thinks, "by demanding that
Congress and the President take
steps which shall Immediately re-es.
tablish fair exchange value for all
| for accomplishing this" the Canton
would be ~merely legislation that
twouid permit the formation of pools
among growers of cotton. grain ano
other agricultural products, the PUT
I nose Of which would be the market.
| ing Of these products In way taa. ~,
would secure an average zpr'ce ao'
Hut whatever his marketing facili:
| ties. what the farmer will still need
most, the Chattanoo9a News tdeMo.
| CrAtic) asserts, ''is a market, tol
! "when,that flils him other expedientt
1 fail with it." and in their search fol
| "essentills" the farmers at, the con
fsrence' "realized that The fundamen.
tai need was not any Oelslative pro
| gram. but markets." Hence the de.
velopment that. apparently has caused
| considerable surprise in editorial cir
| cies--the Instrumentation by the con
| ference "that this country should have
| . Representatives on the. feparattoni
/ commission, and should Also 80 4
Genoa" For. - op0 writer expresstl