The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-05-18

haul 100 bushels of corn to market
and with the money received for il
could buy and haul home a certain
quantity Of other commodities. Nov
let 100 represent the quantity Of
other commodities which his 10(
bushels of corn would buy in 1913
The question is, what number woult
represent the quantity OF Other
commodities which 100 bushels yol
corn would buy in 1922? That mum
Der is considered the index number
which shows the purchasing power
Of corn in 1922, as compared with
the purchasing power of corn II
1913 ..."
, Taking 1913 as a base and let.
ting 100 represent the purchasing
power of the major farm products
in that year our calculations. indi
cate that 60 would represent the
products in the year 1922. That is
the farm products considered would
buy in 1922 only So per cent as
much of other commodities. such as
cloth, fuel building materials, etc
etc. as the same products would
buy in 1918. That is what the De,
partment of Agriculture index fig
ure means, expressed in the sim
plest terms.
THE members of your own or
ganization are perhaps most com
petent to express an opinion as to
the accuracy Of this department in
dex number. Let me suggest that
you ask a representative number OF
them whether from their own prac-
tical experience in selling farm
crops and buying other commodi-
ties this index number of So fol
1922 does in fact measure the rela-
tionship of the prices of the farm
crops they sold and of the Other
commodities they bought.
THE chief criticism made by the
writer Of the article and by the edi-
tor Of the paper in which it is pub
lished seems to be that because this
Department has been pointing out
the relation between prices OF
farm products and the prices OF
other commodities, | have therefore
the farmers financial status, and
that this has resulted to his disad
vantage and to the disadvantage OF
industry in general This raises a
question which I think may very
properly be considered by the mem
bers of the American Farm Bureau
Federation and other organizations
and indeed by farmers generally
Should the Department of Agricul-
ture tell the truth as to the farmer
situation? During the severe agri-
cultural depression Of 1921 and a
part OF 1922, was it proper for me
as Secretary OF Agriculture to bring
to the attention of the country the
disadvantages under which the
farmers were laboring? Was il
proper for me to point out that the
price relationship between farm
products and other commodities was
terribly distorted, to the disadvant
age of the farmer. and to do what
could to help bring about a more
normal adjustment of such rela-
tionships? Or, on the contrary
should 1 have told the country that
everything was we'll with the farm
er and that the reports which Were
coming up from him of the financial
difficulties were without foundation
Such a course might have deceived
men, perhaps to their misfortune
farmers nor country bankers.
81 have felt that for the good OF
business, industry, and indeed OF
the Nation as whole, II was I'm
portant that everybody should know
the difficulties under which the
farmer was laboring, and that only
by making known the truth could
we act intelligently toward bring
ing about the cure Of a situation
which was full Of peril to the en-
tire country"
ENCOURAGE THE cLUBFELLoWS
1T may be an error to worship
scientific agriculture. and to accept
all its conclusions as gospel truth.
1t is even more erroneous, however,
to sheer at everything that is print
ed in a book or comes out of col