The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1922-03-02


discovering the farmer" That is 60
ing away from home to learn he
news. 1t Is news that is important
IL true, but The journal doubts
whether it is true. The farmer was
discovered by the cities OF the middle
west a long time ago. 1t was only
recently, however, that New York dis
covered him, and that Is something
that is of real Importance. OF course
New York knew about the farmer,
but not until recently had it been dis
posed to regard him seriously. New
York has looked with suspicion upon
all great movements of farmers, poll
teal and otherwise, but without
alarm until the organized strength
of the farmers began to make itself
manifest at the seat of our national
government.
The cities OF the middle west have
lived neighbors to the farmers for a
good many years. These cities are
largely recruited from the farms. 1t
is no new thing for them to have
farmers in their banking institutions,
their elevator companies, creameries
and other industrial enterprises, and
in their chambers of commerce and
their Rotary clubs. Indeed, in the
middle west If we are not all farmers
Ne are all dependent upon the farmer
IN enc way and another, and therefore
., la,ya 40 bnI 20 Iinnnynr hin, IIn
Is one of us, and his interests and our
interests are as one.
It cannot be said that New York is
deriving any particular or special en-
joyment from its discovery Of the
farmer. The discovery seems to have
been made with a degree of apprehen-
sion. Now that the farmer has got
himself in a position to enforce at
tention to his needs, New York is con
vinced that the situation demands leg
islation not in the interest OF any
group, but in the interest of the ma
ton as a whole. New Yorn readily
forgets all the legislation that has
been enacted for the benefit Of it's par
ticular industries. The Times says that
what is needed is personal contact
with the farmer-that personal con-
tact dissolves misunderstanding. That
is what we get in the middle west
the understanding that arises from the
intimacy Of personal contact.
The Journal wonders how the Times
got the notion that the "cities in the
middle west have been discovering the
farmer" The Journal is certain that
it has been misinformed, that it dis
cusses a delusion. AS proof, how
ever, OF the contention that New York
is discovering the farmer The Journal
has only to cite a speech. made last
week by James r. Howard, president
of the American Farm Bureau fed
GRAFTON, at a luncheon of the Ameri-
can Association of Advertising Agen-
cies in New York. Mr.. Howard is an
Iowa farmer, and he declared the
faith Of the farmer to his New York
City audience. He justified to his
hearers the agricultural bloc in con
gress and he pleaded for a better
spirit of cooperation between city
dwellers and farmers. He declared
that the manufacturers Of the east
must face the existing problem square
ly; that they cannot expect the farmer
to trade with them unless they make
some Of the farmers burden their
own. If the farmer is unable to make
La living on the farm, Mr.. Howard
pointed out, he cannot buy the factory
made products that the city man pro-
vides.
Mr.. Towards presence in New York
is evidence that the farmer is getting
a hearing in New York, and hat is an
important gain. The Journal trusts
that New York. having gone so far,
will follow up it's discovery with ac-
quaintance and personal contact. 1t
will like the farmer more the better
1t knows him, and 1t will respect him
more, and that will be helpful to all
Of us.