scant consideration for profits that should be real- 

 ized by the producer as a result of the larger 

 yields. Material prosperity, however, is not a suf- 

 ficient motive, except where it assuredly is used 

 to improve the moral and social conditions of the 

 community life. To double the yield of crops 

 without doubling the enjoyments of living and im- 

 proving home comforts accordingly, will avail but 

 little toward developing rural conditions that will 

 withstand the competition and false allurements 

 of the city. 



Urban Degeneracy. A nation's strength, more- 

 over, is a matter of blood and brain fiber. Urban 

 degeneracy is an accepted biological fact. The 

 dissipation, lack of physical exercise in the open 

 air, and high pressure living and working leaves 

 in its trail a progeny diminishing in numbers and 

 decadent in those high qualities essential to good 

 government. 



Democracy, as a permanent institution, how- 

 ever, is not yet an assured fact. The experiment 

 of self-government is still in the making. Its per- 

 petuity cannot be predicated upon scheming trad- 

 ers, money brokers and political manipulators, 

 but must depend in the last analysis upon the solid 

 phlegm and conservatism of its rural districts 

 where men are too busy with productive labor to 

 scheme for political office or unearned wealth. In 

 other words, and I speak it with sincerity, the 

 rural population conserves the real dependable 

 life blood of this nation. It is an accepted fact 

 that in every crisis of our country's history the 

 rural population was not only on the side of right, 

 but ready to defend the nation's honor with their 

 votes or with their blood. 



When the nation's debt was appalling and 

 money poured into the national treasury in but 



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