TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART V 433 



these little offside things to keep you from going to sleep. (Laughter). 1 

 v/ould go to sleep myself if I was serious. For the first time in the history 

 of this country there are more mouths to be fed in your towns and in your 

 cities than there are folks working on your farms to feed them. For the 

 first time in the history of this country urban population has overtaken 

 and outrun rural population, the percentages being 51 to 49. And you 

 ask why? It has all come because of the things that I have briefly 

 sketched, and others. The virile young man or young woman of America 

 is not going to work for a mere living — they demand something as a 

 wage. Don't talk to me about this "Back-to-the-country movement," I 

 am against it; and I am against it until you change the conditions so that 

 your country school furnishes to your country boy and girl this same op- 

 portunity for an education that your town and city school does. I am 

 against it until your country church is as fully equipped in furniture and 

 convenience and in comfort, and in the ability of the man in the pulpit to 

 expound the gospel, as they are in Des Moines, Duluth or anywhere else. 

 I am against it until your country roads give to the mothers of this coun- 

 try an opportunity to visit their neighbors, as their sisters in the towns 

 have the opportunity of visiting each other. I am against it until the 

 privileges and the conveniences of country life are commensurate to the 

 comforts and conveniences afforded by city life. And when you give me 

 that, then I shall go back, but not until then. (Applause). 



But that does not get us anywhere to talk about these things, does it? 

 What's the trouble? What has brought about this? In legislation the 

 farmer is not entitled to a single, solitary bit more than any other class, 

 but, by the gods, he is entitled to as much as any other class. (Applause). 

 The farmer has been taught to produce, with the result that he produces 

 more per capita than any other farmer in the world, notwithstanding the 

 general contrary idea. He is a remarkable producer, but an equally re- 

 markable poor seller of what he produces. (Laughter). The energies of 

 our institutions for fifty years have been directed to the problem of the 

 increase in farm production. Will I shock you to say that as a student of 

 economics, somewhat — not enough to hurt — I haven't gotten to the expert 

 class yet — I don't give a tinker's blame about production at this moment, 

 and for this reason, so long as the American farmer is productive enough 

 not only to feed himself and his family, but to feed another family and a 

 little more in town, and then export some to feed foreign families, the 

 problem of production is not pressing, is it? What I am concerned with, 

 and what to my mind is the great, outstanding, vital thing before the 

 American people, — and I say that deliberately — I didn't say "farmer," I 

 said "people," — is that some system shall be devised by which he shall 

 get his pro rata share of what I, the consumer, pay for the things produced 

 upon the farm. That is the vital thing. (Applause). And when you devise 

 such a system, you will not have to talk about production, because that 

 system will mean profit to the farmer, and profit to the farmer means 

 either one of two things— either he will take the profits of the farm and 

 reinvest them in improved machinery, improved livestock, better homes, 

 better barns, better everything around the home, carpets on the floor, 



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