Evening star., 1923-09-25

Within the last week Senator Will
liam E. Borah has lifted his voice In
bewailing. the condition of farmers
and has drawn a picture of such dire
full nature that one would naturally
fear that agriculture had reached the
end of the road, with nothing ahead
of 1t but a leap of desperation into
the bottomless abyss. The eloquent
senator is not the only Jeremiah, cry
ing aloud: Destruction upon de-
struction is cried; for the whole land
Is spoiled"
This is the darkest side OF a most
important economic situation. but 1t
is encouraging to note that the econ
omists of the Department of Agri-
culture can present facts as to a
brighter side. The prosperity Of food
producers measures, to a large de-
gree, the welfare of food consumers.
This is especially interesting to
Washingtonians, since this city is
reported to be one of the three most
expensive food markets in the coun-
try. the other two being Richmond
and Detroit.
The department economists state
that the encouragement of farmers
| Is confined to wheat raisers. Many of
them, it Is true, are insolvent, and in
| some danger of bankruptcy, because
of overproduction this year. But the
wheat farmers are not the majority
of farm population of the United
States, and, the economists assert
that there is danger of overstating
the general situation IL the wheat
region is taken as type of all. No
official statistics exist as to the num-
/ Der of failures even in the wheat re-
gion. but the department is now gath
ering such facts.
&* Il
more than 100000 people have
left the farms in 1922, and it is esti-
| mated" says Senator Borah, that
5000, 900 will leave in 1928. You get
the feeling of a stampede"
The Department of Agriculture,
some months ago. gave out its esti-
mate that 100000 people had left
the farms in 1922. At the same time
the department. also said the
move from cities and towns to the
country was $4,000 persons.
While the senator was quoting the
trek from country to city, why omit
| the trek from city to country?
Also. why not quote the births in
the country, $4,000, and deaths
iation of only 47o,o0o--1M per cent
of the agricultural population of 31,-
35s. 900.
Official statistics do not set out to
prove any hypothesis, but merely to
tell facts. A net loss of 100000 does
not make so bitter a wall as 100000
healthy shift; some years, like 1870
or 1921, the shift goes In the other
direction. Most of this drifting ir
the last year or so, from the country
consisted of "hired men"--not farm
owners--drawn to the higher wages
of the industries, rather than driven
away from farms.
n II Il 4
1t would indeed indicate a stagna'
ton which would be unhealthy. peas
ant conditions, rather than those oi
free Americanisln, IL there were no
this free flowing to and from thu
country, adjusting supply and de-
mand. What farming needs most o.
all right now Is that there be fewer
farmers and more city mouths, t
feed. The migration from farm Il
city is the most encouraging feature
of the situation, according to the
Secretary of Agriculture and the ex
perts in agricultural economics con
nected with the department
X X
The senator points to the abandon
msnt. Of farms in New England. be
tween 1910 and 1920. to which ths