The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-04-23
Sen. CAPPER DISCUSSES
WASHINGTON'S PROBLEMS
AS An AgricuIturaIist He Had
Vexing Ones-A Comparison
Made With TO-day's Affairs

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chair from desk heaped with papers
and repeated the question asked him:
"What does the American farmer of
today owe to George Washington the
farmer?"
Few members of the Senate are bet
ter qualified to answer a question
that should interest every farmer in
the country, for Senator Capper is
acquainted first hand with farmers
and their problems and has been deep
ly interested in the legislation of the
past two years in the farmers inter-
est, according to statement from the
Division of Information and Publica-
ton of the George Washington BIZ
centennial Commission.
"Well, if you think of it," the far
mer-legislator thought for moment,
washington did set the first exam
pie in American farming. The farm
ers Of today, as know them, are too
everlastingly busy with current his
tory to look back a century or two. 1
know that's the case with me. And
yet" the Senator thought on, "they
should do that.
"The American farmer of today"
he settled back to say, "has every
reason to feel toward Washington, the
farmer, an almost filial respect and
duty. In his occupation, at least, he's
lineal descendant of the foremost
farmer of a century and more ago. If
modern invention enables the farmer
of today to improve on the methods
of Washington's time, nevertheless
Washington's example in experiment
and pioneering remains the same. 1t
could hardly be improved upon," the
Senator smilingly asserted, "but the
modern farmer has carried on that pi-
oneering spirit undated"
AS his thought on the subject
shaped itself, the Senator went
on, "The modern farmer can
feel a sympathy for Washington be-
cause Washington's problems as a
farmer sound like the problems, the
aims of every farmer of the present.
If memory serves me, Washington's
experiences with one of the great
farms of his time was not an I'M
broken record of successes.
"To begin with, Washington's land
was not the finest soil in the young
country. Many farmer of today has
to face the same Encouragement.
And like Washington, he does
struggle against the handicap. That
is one bond of symathy between them.
"But perhaps the closest parallel
between Washington and the modern
American farmer is the fact that both
knew the worries and vexations of de-
clining prices as the result of pro-
duction above the capacity of the mar
ket to consume. It sounds very mod
ern to read in Washington's diary his
complaints at the falling returns from
his tobacco. His problems and those
of the present day farmer may differ
in technical detail, but in essentials
they are the same.
"After all, the farmer buys with
his wheat or his corn what he wants
and needs. He may first convert his
grain into money; still, whatever the
means of purchase, it's the farmers
product that supplies him with buy
ing power. In Washington's day that
was more directly the case. The ma
ton was then undeveloped and with
out an efficient monetary system, and
tobacco itself had to serve in place
of cash. So Washington, as he himself
complains, felt it when the value of
his crops shrank in value, and he had
to offer more of it for goods or for
cash in return. If Washington were
to return today, he and hundred
thousand of our farmers could talk in
terms of perfect understanding.
eyes," the Senator said, to empha-
size the point, "Washington would I'M
derstand our farmers perfectly. Thou
sands of them may have had time
to read Washington's farming exper-
fence, but they are going through the
same experiences today. AS l recall
it, Washington was tireless exper-
imenter. He sent to Europe for the
newest books on the science and prac-
tice of agriculture. He imported new
and better seeds and cuttings. He
read up on new and better formulas
for fertilizer. He even mixed ex-
perimental varieties of compost with
his own hands. In every sense of the
word he was dirt farmer.
"And today" the Senator brought
out with conviction, Washington
would find his successors on the Am
erican farm just as progressive. The
farmer of the present is just as eager
and quick to adopt new and better
methods. He no longer reads Euro
pean authorities, because his own per-
iodicals are good or better. But the
point is, he reads them. He forever