BEGINNINGS OF THE NORTHWEST 



Pained observation was made that the 

 response of the audience to these appeals had 

 not been all that statesmansliip could wish. 

 Undeniably the farmers listened with bored 

 weariness instead of proper applause to the 

 eulogies of their greatness and grandeur, and 

 when all was done a hard-jSsted and doubtless 

 hard-headed agriculturist from Georgia caused 

 some alarm by asking whether any steps 

 were to be taken to crown the farmer's efforts 

 in the increased production line with any 

 better prices for his product. 



Now kindly note. This heretical outgiv- 

 ing from Georgia, being reported, brought 

 forth sharp criticism in many quarters. At 

 the time the cost of living was the highest ever 

 known in the United States. In the view 

 of the city populations, this meant that the 

 farmer was wallowing in ill-gotten wealth; 

 narratives about farmers that had luxurious 

 limousines for theater parties and costly run- 

 abouts for shopping tours were favorite read- 

 ing; and it was felt that the recipients of all 

 these blessings were most ungrateful to sug- 

 gest any greater tribute. Men inquired bit- 

 terly if the farmers wanted to own everything, 

 and harassed housewives referred with feeling 

 to the market price of butter. 



And the five that had dined together that 

 night cut from the press a sheaf of such stories 

 and comments, pasted these upon a sheet of 



