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we are still guilty, to a great or less extent, of waste and inefficiency on 

 the part of those who seek the elimination of those very evils. 



I come to assure you of my disposition and, I believe, the disposition 

 of Congress and the administration, to promote in every possible way the 

 improvement of rural life and aid in the solution of the problems of rural 

 life, which are but the problems of our national life. We have not 

 devoted too much time, we have not devoted too much thought to the 

 problems of the city; we have not devoted too much attention and have 

 not rendered too much assistance to the enterprises and industries of the 

 city, but we have devoted too little time and too little thought to the 

 problems of the country, to the problems of the farm, to the larger prob- 

 lems of our national life. No one can choose but wish the utmost 

 progress and prosperity to the enterprises of mining and manufacturing, 

 to the means and facilities of exchange and distribution, but to the 

 primary industry of production we have not in the past devoted sufficient 

 thought, sufficient attention and sufficient enlightened study. There is 

 coming a new time when we shall no longer be guilty of this dereliction of 

 our duty. Tried by every standpoint, agriculture is of the very first 

 import. I do not suggest this by way of instituting any invidious com- 

 parison. Manufacturing, mining and commerce are of supreme impor- 

 tance to national prosperity, and to individual happiness. I merely 

 suggest that of primary and preliminary importance stands agriculture 

 in the scale of our national economy. Tried by the standard of value 

 merely as an investment, agriculture stands at the head of the list. 



In this country we have thirty-four billions of dollars invested in 

 agricultural production. In improved and unimproved farm lands there 

 are 788 millions of acres. So, the annual output of the American farm is 

 more than nine billions of dollars. Tried by the standard of numbers 

 merely, viewed from the standpoint of population, agriculture is of pre- 

 eminent importance. More people are engaged in agriculture than in 

 any other single industry or pursuit in the United States. One-third of 

 all the people engaged in gainful occupation are devoting their time, their 

 talents and their energy to agriculture. Tried by the standard of 

 permanence agriculture is of foremost importance. It is the oldest settled 

 industry amongst the sons of men. Hunting and fishing and herding 

 have had their time of ascendency, but that time has past. Agriculture 

 will not pass; it must abide with us so long as civilization obtains 

 amongst us. It is the only means by which a large population can be 

 sustained upon limited territory. Judged by its origin and vital neces- 

 sity, it is, of course, the foremost occupation. It is the very source of 

 our existence. It is the foundation from which flows the means of 

 subsistence. It is needless for me, and I do not intend to enlarge upon 

 the necessity or indispensability of agriculture. This is known to you all. 

 There are problems connected with this which I wish to state, which I 

 do not intend to solve, and which I could not solve at this time. 



