The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1922-04-21
CONGRESSMAN RIDDICK SPEAKS
FOR MONTANA FARMERS
A Pioneer Homestead Farmer Himself, He Gives National Law
makers First Hand Information About Unusual Crop
Conditions Confronting Pioneer Farmers of the West.

completely by grasshoppers. During
last summer, at the time when the
wheat kernels were in the milk, there
were several days of unprecedented
not and dry wind that shriveled up
the kernels, resulting in complete fail.
ure Of the crop to produce a bushel
OF wheat. In still other sections fine
helds of wheat already turning a
golden brown and almost ready to be
harvested, were swept by terrific hail
storms and the crops completely de-
stroyed.
During the war, at the request of
the Government, these farmers
strained their and their
credit and the our and credit
of their banker and merchant friends
in order to raise grain more abundant
ly to help win the war. This they
continued to do despite the fact that
the Government fixed the price of the
wheat they raised at less than the
market price, and in some cases less
than the cost of production, while at
the same time permitting the prices
of everything the farmer had to buy to
soar without limit. The droughts fol.
lowing the war period of high costs
nave brought many Of these farmers
to absolute ruin and to a state where
there is absolute hunger and lack of
necessary clothing and real suffering.
They are about to lose their homes,
and they have no place to turn. They
literally have no more assets and can
secure no more credits from any
source unless the Government gives
aid. The banks and the merchants
can go no further. The State has au-
thorlzed the counties to aid, and the
counties have given aid until they can
go no further. The Wal Finance Cor
poration, through reconstruction leg
lslation passed by this Congress, has
been able to splendidly meet the needs
OF the larger livestock men of the
West, of the sugar-beet r~aisers, and of
the cotton planters of the South, but
have been absolutely unable to give
loans to the small farmers in drought
stricken sections of the Northwest
who have no liquidable assets as a
-
basis for credit.
AS a public policy 1t would be a
mistake to permit the farmers who
have settled upon and made their
homes upon the land in these pioneer
sections of country to leave their
homes destitute and to add to the suf-
fering and the unemployment in the
country, as they will be compelled to
do unless aid is given. No one dare
say in the light Of the agricultural ex-
perience of this country that this or
that locality will not permit of sue
cessful farming. Such things were
said Of parts of Kansas, Nebraska, the
Dakotas and of Montana, that have
since become recognized as among the
successful farming sections of our
country. Some of these sections were
totally abandoned and again resettled.
True, 1t is costly to make the expert
ment to determine how to successfully
farm in new and ~undeveloped coun-
try, and it is a costly experiment
sometimes to discover if a country
will make a success as a farming
country. 1t is costly not alone in
money, but in sacrifice, in hardships,
and in the hardest kind of toll, as l
can personally testify as M who
has developed a home from the open
land of the public domain. The west
ern home seekers are willing to make
the attempt, and as a public policy
they should be given every reasonable
encouragement. In view of the un-
usual hardships that have overtaken
some of them, that have now brought
is time for the Government to step in
and give a loan to those who still
desire to continue the experiment and
who have not the seed wherewith to
continue longer. There is precedent
for this kind of legislation. A similar
loan was made last year in certain
sections of the West. 1t accomplished
untold good in preventing loss of
homes and actual suffering and in pre-
venting a d%epopulation of large Sec
tons of country. Nearly one-half of
that loan has been paid back into the
1IcdSdIy, duu pIdClACdIy dill WOulu
have been paid back had it not been
for the losses o%ccasioned by hail,
grasshoppers, hot winds, and drought,
all of which were unusual and ex-
traordinary conditions that were met
by these pioneer farmers last year.
Loss and actual suffering will be
saved, the country will not be depop-
ulated, homes will not be abandoned,
If this bill is passed promptly, and
most, if not all, the money loaned in
this worthy u will promptly be
repaid, and in the hearts of thousands
of loyal American citizens there will be
established increased love and regard
for their country, which came to their