White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1923-02-09

Extracts from a speech made
by Thomas 3. Hill, Assistant
Secretary, Seattle Chamber of
Commerce, and Director Of Re-
search, Washington State Cham
Der Of Commerce, at the State
Farm Bureau Federation conven-
ton.
From time immemorial we have
heard Of the farmers problems. We
people In the city have not known
much about them, and we have cared
less. In the old days we were led
to believe that the chief problem OF
the farmer at home was the lightning
rod salesman and the get-rich-quick
faker, and the green goods man when
he came to the city. II we were In
ruenced by the cartoons and com
ments in the city papers, which. in
truth. was inevitable, we MIST have
believed that securing a sufficient
supply of straws upon which to chew.
was a very important problem of the
farmer.
How to act and talk, when he came
to the city, was matter which gave
him much concern. we know. and
while he was entitled to our patron
age and our sympathy, we did not
see that his problem was anything
which should cause as to lie awake
nights. OF course we knew that the
farmer was always complaining. lie
never was satisfied with the prices
we paid him for his produce, and he
always objected to the price We
charged him for his supplies. He
was always borrowing money and
always complaining about the inter
est rates he was required to pay.
We accounted for his unhappy frame
of mind on the ground that he was
a congenital crouch. and also because
Of his ignorance of business. We city
people should not be criticized too
severely for these conclusions. when
editors of papers published in agri-
cultural communities. dependent solo
~ upon the farmers for their exist.
ence, said that the farmer Should give
: his whole attention to the production
of his crops. because he was not
fitted by heredity, tradition. training,
or environment to carry OIL his mar
keting or financing operations. aud
that these should be left to the city
man trained to the business.
It's Different Now.
But in recent years we city people
have been good deal disturbed
about the farmer. He has been do
ing good many things that have
made US very nervous. A few years
ago the farmers of an entire state
arose as one man and resented n lit
tie Joking remark made by city
man. They had been told In light,
care-free way to go home and slor
their hogs. Instead of following this
advice as formerly they went out and
raised hell. This was but one of many
instances where the farmer insisted
on doing the thing he was not ex-
pected to do. He has been showing
a wholly unwarranted curiosity about
what becomes of his crops after they
leave his hands. He has been max.
ing inquiry into transportation, stor.
age and handling charges. He has
even had the nerve to question the
profits that are made, and he is oven
demanding that he have something
to say about the price that he shall
receive. He is going pretty far for
man who doesn't know anything
about these things, and whose sole
ambition in life should be to raise
two bushels of spuds where only one
grew before
But the farmer has just about
reached the limit In effrontery.
Swelled with the pride and assurance
of the little local conquests, he has
gone down to the seat of our national
government, and he has established
the farm bloc" whatever that
means, and IL he doesn't get what he
wants, he sees to 1t that all other leg
tslation is held up. and SO we must
humor him and let him have some of
his class legislation. In order that the
other legislation that is good for us
all may be enacted into law.
Farmer ls Unreasonable"
But the most unreasonable thing
about the farmer is this That In
spite Of all the sympathy and patron
age and advice we have showered
upon him, he is leaving the farm and
coming to the cities to compete with
uB for our business and our Jobs
coming in such numbers that there
are 100000 fewer farmers today
than ten years ago, and he has
vhined and complained so much
about his unhappy and unprosperous
condition. that he ia keeping prospeo-
tive settlers out of the country, and
we are finding It mighty hard to sell
our speculatively held lands, and
sm afraid that II the farmer does not
listen to reason and mend his way,
v M ~ a 0Horc