The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1922-06-15
Farmers Must York
Together
by
WARREN G. HARDING,
President of the United States of
America.

When the responsibility for leadership
in putting America back on to the main
road, was placed upon me, | said to my
self that We must all unite under the
slogan America First!' When | say
America First, | mean not only that
America maintain her own independence
and be first in fulfilling her obligations to
the world, by deeds rather than words,
and by example rather than preaching,
but | mean that at home any special
interest, any class, any group of our
citizenship that has arrayed Itself against
the interests of all, must learn that at
home, as well as abroad, America First
has a meaning, profound, and, with Gods
aid, everlasting.
1t is true that you, the farmers of this
country, and | are charged with an obliga-
ton of program and definite action that
fosters the welfare of all America, the vel
fare of the man who lives in the house
with the red barn and the productive
fields behind it, and also the welfare of
the man who in a crowded industrial city,
comes home at nightfall to climb the stairs
to his fourth-floor home, behind the fire.
escapes, with hunger in the body.
A Day of Land Hunger.
The day of land hunger has come. The
day when we see before us the spectacle of
the land-owning farmer being displaced
by capitalistic speculation in land and
the soil-exhausting and landlord-exploited
tenant farmer has come. The day when
; tbo ,Loxn - A. A.z.',,. 10000 =. ..L..
ever is left of prosperity has been over
topped by the share taken by our indus
trial production, has come.
| believe that the American people,
through their government and otherwise,
not only in behalf Of the farmer but in
behalf Of their own welfare, and the
pocketbooks of the consumers of America,
will encourage, make lawful, and stimulate
cooperative buying, cooperative dis
tribution, and cooperative selling of farm
I products.
Not for Special Interests.
Industry has been organized; labor has
been organized; cooperation within in
dustry and within labor, and indeed,
cooperation between the two, is far
advanced. | do not contemplate the
organization of the farmers and CON
sumers of this country as a step toward
organization of special interests to obtain
special favors. If | did, | would oppose
it. But | know full well that we must,
all of US Consumcrs-the laborers, the
business men, the teachers, the children,
the rich and the poor, the young and the
old, the men and the women-aCt together
to find our way closer and easier and
cheaper to the sources of our food supply.
And know full well that the farmers must
work together to find their way, by better
transportation, better marketing and
organized cooperative effort, closer to the
consumers of America.
Heretofore the farmer has been an
individuaIist. Living 4 somewhat isolated
life and being compelled to work long
hours, it has not been easy for him to
gather with his fellows. He has not had
a ready means Of defense against the
strong organizations of both capital and
labor, which in their own interest have
at times opposed unfair conditions upon
him. 1t = true that at times, during the
past fifty years, there have been temporary
farmer organizations brought together to
combat some unusually b~urdensome Condi-
tions but usually breaking down when the
emergency has passed.
A Different Kind.
But Of late years there have sprung up
farmer organizations of a quite different
CONGRATULATIONS with a very ldgre
membership, with an aggressive and in
t~elligent leadership, and with a way Of
raising whatever funds they may find
necessary to promote the interest of their
members. The leaders of these organiza-
tons are learning rapidly how to adapt
to their work the methods which business
men and working men have found success
full in furthering their own interests. The
fruit-growers of the western coast nave
become so strong hat they are now able
not only to do away with many Of the
expenses heretofore paid to others, but
also to influence the price OF their products.
/ The gr~ain-growers of the West and North
west have become strong enough to bring
about many changes they desired in the
! marketing of their crops. The farmers
of the corn-belt states are rapidly perfect
ing the most powerful organization of
farmers ever known in this country. All
OF these are natural developments in the
evolving change of relationships and the
modern complexities Of productivity and
exchange.
So long as America can produce the
foods we need, | am in favor of buying
from America first. 1t is this very prefer
ence which impels development and i'm
provement. Whenever America can
manufacture to meet American needs
and there is almost no limit to our genius
and resources favor producing in
America first. commend American pref
erence for American productive activi-
! ties, because material good fortune is
essential to our higher attainment, and
linked indissolubly are farm and factory
in the economic fabric of American life.
Individually we cannot do legislative
work, but collectively we can do much.
A farmer at Iowa City, Ia, shipped a
carload of hay to St. Louis. He got
SS2.61 for it. The freight and other
charges totaied S92.13.
a farrer IN Nabr,eka has baap SAILING