The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1922-02-09

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AGRICULTURAL CONDITIONS
John H. Hagen, a ''dirt farmer
from Deering, North Dakota, in ad-
dressing the Presidents Agriculture
al Conference in Washington, said
that ''the present system of distri-
button forms long chain between
producer and consumer; that of ne
cessity must be shortened and cheap
ened, and it seems as though the
Federal Government must, of neces-
sity, reach out its strong arm OF
protection to save the farmers, and
other business industries must either
extend credit so that farmers CO.
operative enterprises may extend
near to, if not to the consumer
Mr.. Hagen concluded an Illuminating
ing address with the declaration: q
want to voice the sentiment of the
vast majority of farmers in the
Northwest by saying-that any
farmer who has red blood in his veins
should now rise to the dignity OF
the occasion and support the great
est benefactor he has, and that is the
agricultural bloc in Congress"
Many of the delegates to the Con-
ference assumed this same position
and at one time session was held
by part of the delegation who faci-
tiously called themselves "the farm
bloc section of the conference"
This distinction may have been due
to sentiment among some of the
delegates to the effect that ever
though the bloc may be all right
that it is hardly to be considered as
"the greatest benefactor' of the day
A BUTTINSKY TRUST COMPANY
The farm conference was called al
the suggestion of the President, fol-
the express purpose of farming 9
program, if possible, for Legislation
to aid the farmers. One of the large
trust company's of New York has
issued a statement attacking the
farm bloc, and it gives special at
tention to the appointment of 9
farmer nthe Federal Reserve Board
Any attempt in contravention of ecor
omic laws, in this case as regards
money and credit in revelation to
the agriculturists," reads the state
ment, "must inevitably arouse false
hopes and delay necessary readjust
ments in accordance with sound
economic principles. Were it not fo1
the fact that such Suggestions as the
above are construed too generally as
the opposition of the financial in
terests to the efforts of the farmers
to look out for themselves in an
emergency, no damage would be
done. AS matter of fact the
bulletin merely proves to those who
are carefully following current
events, that the trust company is
several weeks behind on the news
and has "busted into print" on a
dead issue, inasmuch as the President
and the Administration accepted the
farm bloc as reality. and agreed to
the proposal for a farmer on the
Federal Reserve Beard long before
the typist performed his task for the
trust company. 1t is not often that
you catch the "big 'uns' mapping,
but this particular protest against
The appointment of a farmer on the
Reserve Board as ga grave menace
sounds like something out of an old
joke book, in view of the insistent
demands of copy producing trust
companies of the kind to furnish for
mulas for running the country.
SUPERFICIAL REMEDIES
In the opinion of Senator LaFoll-
cite, who oftentimes votes with the
farm bloc, the Presidents Agricul-
IuIdA OOincIcuCc is HOL SSClLlS re-
suits, and he told the Senate that the
speakers have missed the point, be-
cause all of them 'shave held to the
belief that the causes of the disaster
which has befallen agriculture are
transient in character and do not
reach far below the surface" He
insists that superficial remedies will
not restore that great industry to a
healthy, normal life." He adds
During the period of high prices and
apparent prosperity the small properi
ties which the people have acquired
by their industry and thrift are
mortgaged on the basis Of the infat-
ed value of the dollar in order to
provide them with the working cap
ital which they need to carry on and
expand their enterprises. Loans
on farms, factories, stores and homes
are foreclosed, and these who con-
trail the credit Of the Nation come
into possession or control of the pro-