PLACE OF THE FARMER IN THE SOCIAL SCALE 89 



THE FARMER'S 



The farmer, as is the case with every other realm of 

 human activity, has the right to organize for his own 

 betterment and for his own advancement, but this or- 

 ganization is not for the purpose of selfish interests, nor 

 should the good that comes from it be at the expense 

 of any other group of citizens. Agriculture can pros- 

 per only as all other industries prosper. To be sure, 

 it is the fundamental industry. The other industries 

 could not exist without agriculture, but it would be a 

 poor kind of a country in which agriculture was the 

 only industry. I believe that all groups of activities 

 are thus mutually interdependent, and no one of them 

 should be exploited at the expense of the welfare of any 

 other. 



If the fundamental principle of the American gov- 

 ernment is correct, namely, that the citizen unit is 

 equal before the law in all parts of the country, then 

 these attempts at class segregation must be funda- 

 mentally in opposition to the organic principle on which 

 the nation is founded. The farmer of the present and 

 the future will therefore have power and influence in 

 proportion to his merit, his education, and his devotion 

 to the public service, and this is all the power and influ- 

 ence that any man should possess. 



Personally I believe that agriculture is the funda- 

 mental profession, that it is one in which a man can 

 have greater opportunities for development, have 

 broader views of life and render more efficient service, 

 than in any other activity in which man engages. But 

 much depends upon the point of view. There may be 

 carried into agriculture the same selfish principles that 

 have made commerce synonymous with greed and Wall 



