Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-07-06
FARM PROBLEMS
MUST BE SOLVED
BY THE FARMERS

Chicago.-"lf farmers can devise
no sounder method than legislative
cure-alls to maintain their proper
place in the economic scheme OF
things, they are doomed to disap-
pointment," declared President Com
pers at the national wheat confer
ence in this city.
The conference was called by gov
errors and other public men ito help
the farmer"
II see no reason why farmers need
to expect hope from anything that
does not also offer hope for labor. and
labor long since abandoned any
Dream" said the A. F. of l.. execu-
tive.
"This conference, called by those
whose present trend of thought, at
least, is toward political remedies,
must urn its feet toward paths that
lead into the economic structure itself
If 1t wishes to work real benefit and
point to lasting and sound methods.
Il have heard much about the al
legged disproportionate income of in
dustrial wage earners and farmers.
Some fthem have pointed out that
one of the things greatly to be de-
sired is an increased market for
wheat They propose to pattern after
industry and teach the people to eat
more wheat. Let me remind you that
you will not induce people to eat
more wheat If you threaten the in
come out of which they buy wheat.
There are all manner and varieties
of evangelists shouting from the
house tops, demanding miraculous
works from politicians, and the poor
politicians are being driven to des-
peration. | am perfectly willing that
they should be driven to desperation,
and there are lot of political crooks
and charlatans whom | would joy
fully see driven clear out of the
game; but all of that brings home
precious little bacon, either to farmer
or wage Garner.
IF the wage earners of our coun-
try had not the same sense and the
courage to organize, nobody would
have much sympathy for them, and
nobody would take their complaints
very seriously. Gentlemen, the temp
tation to say, GO thou and do like
wise is almost beyond my power to
resist.
"The best knowledge of an indus
try or an occupation is to be found
within that industry and that occupa-
ton. Farmers know more about farm
problems than anyone else knows
about these problems. Why do
farmers think they must run to legis-
lators to find about the things which
they themselves are the best en-
perts?
There is great gulf between
politics and industry. Industry must
Work out its own salvation, build up
its own great governing forces, apply
democratic principles to fit its own
structure and meet the needs of hui
mainly out of its own intelligence
There is no other force that has the
qualifications to take this job away
from industry, and as long as or
ganization persists and grows within
industry and the intelligence that is
In industry devises methods of func.
uoning, no other force can ever grow
up that will possess the. qualifica.
tons.
"Our social order has got to de-
velop according to the character OF
those things that provide its life
In pastoral days the social order took
its form from the pastoral life of the
people. In our time it must do like
wise, and in spite of all the efforts Of
dreamers to the contrary, it does dc
likewise.
as it not logical to apply the same
thought to the rural life of the coun,
try? Rural and urban life are large.
ly interdependent upon the same
major trends and Developments