The Great Farm Convention at Wash¬ 
ington 
SUBJECTS OF INTEREST:—Farm credits, ex¬ 
port of surplus products, freedom of co-operative 
buying and selling, domestic markets and storage, 
reduction in transportation rates, Muscle Shoals fer¬ 
tilizers and reduction in taxation were the subjects 
of greatest interest to the members of the national 
farmers' conference. This sentiment was expressed 
in private conversation between the delegates, in 
the reports of committees and in the discussions on 
the floor. It was emphasized in the vote on the 
resolutions. These resolutions favored legislation to 
provide a new system of short term personal credits; 
to provide international credits for the purpose of 
facilitating export trade; to extend the scope of the 
Federal Farm Loan system; to study the feasibility 
of crop insurance: to reduce taxation; to give agri¬ 
culture the same consideration as other industries 
in the framing of tariff laws; to develop inland water 
transportation; to improve the country highways; to 
reduce railroad freight and express rates; to pro¬ 
vide terminal markets and storage warehouses; to 
control the development of hydro-electric power so 
that the use of the electric current may he made 
available to the residents of farms and villages at 
uniform rates to all users, and to impose tolls for 
the passage of ships in the Panama ('anal. 
THE ST. LAWRENCE CANAL.—The so-called 
St. Lawrence River project, which involves the build¬ 
ing of deep canals and other improvements along 
the St. Lawrence River, that ocean-going ships may 
be passed through to the Great Lakes, was vigor¬ 
ously opjiosed by Representative Teu Eyck of Albany, 
N. Y. The project was supported by the Western 
interests and endorsed by a majority of those voting 
in the convention. 
THE PRESIDENT'S RECOMMENDATIONS. — 
President Harding recommended encouragement for 
watering arid lands, reclaiming cut-over areas, pro¬ 
tecting fertile valleys from inundation, and for 
drainage of swamp lands. The delegates made it 
clear that they were opposed to the development of 
any more new lands until those now in use could be 
cultivated at a profit, or. at least, without loss. The 
President may have intended this limitation, but tlie 
convention wanted it clearly expressed, and so voted. 
FARMERS' TROUBLES.—Some of the delegates 
to the conference went home to the South and West 
sorely disappointed. Farmers in their sections are 
facing hard conditions. Many of them have mort¬ 
gages on the farms. Some bought farms at peak of 
prices, paying nearly double their present values. 
Practically all are in debt to their banks ro the limit 
of their credits. They pay from S to 10 per cent in¬ 
terest. They have a surplus of wheat and corn and 
cattle and cotton, but no money for present living or 
for supplies for a new planting. Many expect to lose 
their equities in the farms and become renters or 
laborers. The delegates came to Washington hoping 
for a measure of prompt relief for these conditions. 
Their own disappointment was secondary to the nec¬ 
essity of reporting at home that no immediate relief 
can be expected. Of course, no oue was to blame. 
In their necessity they simply hoped too much. They 
expected the Impossible. 
FOREIGN DEBTS.—If anyone did not know it 
before, he would have learned in Washington that 
the people of this country expect and insist that the 
eleven billion or more dollars due our government 
from European governments must be paid to relieve 
our people of a part of our heavy taxes. Any official 
who openly opposed this purpose would thereby dig 
his own political grave, lienee the people enjoy flu 1 
expectation of payment and proportional relief from 
taxation. No one in Washington at the time, how¬ 
ever, had any expectation that the foreign claims 
will ever be paid in either principal or interest 
There was no serious purpose apparent to demand it. 
The policy seemed to he to let the subject rest until 
it is forgotten and the debt forgiven. There is some 
honest doubt as to whether it would he wise or bene¬ 
ficial to collect it. There is. however, no doubt in 
our mind that a frank position and a bold, open 
stand, and personal sacrifice, if necessary, would be 
of great benefit to the world in general and to the 
American people in particular. International hank¬ 
ers and highly protected interests have their own 
selfish interests to consider, and they would not 
profit by a payment of the debt. The international 
hankers would lose opportunity for profits in a sta¬ 
bilized international exchange. Both of these inter¬ 
ests are and for long have been powerful at Wash¬ 
ington. 
THE GENOA CONFERENCE.—The delegates rep¬ 
resenting farmers in distress are a unit in advising 
that our government be represented in the Genoa 
Vht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
economic conference in order to settle the affairs of 
Europe and open a market for our surplus farm 
crops, but they do not want the European debt to us 
cancelled. If our representatives go to Genoa, the 
first question asked them will be our position on that 
debt. If they consent to cancellation, they offend 
and embitter the voters of America. If they demand 
payment they will not. to say the least, he popular 
ar the Genoa conference, nor with the international 
bankers and high protective manufacturers at home. 
Any way. embarrassment is anticipated, and unless 
the people here insist, we will probably not be repre¬ 
sented. 
UNDERWRITING EUROPEAN CREDITS.—Fail¬ 
ing in this, our farmers with surplus products ask 
the government to underwrite European credits for 
the export sale of ihe products. That is to say, 
European buyers offer securities which are not gilt- 
edge, and which could not ho promptly converted 
into cash. The scheme is for the government to take 
these securities or credits from the foreign buyers 
and to turn the cash over to the producers for the 
surplus crops as they are exported. Australia has 
made some success in guaranteeing export bills, and 
our farmers look for similar help. This demand was 
discouraged at the conference, hut (he committee on 
credits expressed the hope that the government 
might find it possible to do something along this 
line. 
EUR(>PEAN TRADE. — Another embarrassment 
associated with our export trade and European debts 
due us is our stand-pat high protective tariff policy. 
We now have three-quarters of the gold of the world. 
Europe can send us little if any more. We have too 
much now. and to receive more would only increase 
the difficulty. If Europe pays her interest and debt 
to us she could only do so by sending us wealth in 
foods, raw materials and manufactured products. 
This would increase our surplus and result in com¬ 
petition here. If we construct high protective tariff 
walls against them they cannot get in. Besides, if 
we forget about what Europe owes us for the pres¬ 
ent. as is the present political tendency of mind, we 
must yet take from her enough of some kind of goods 
to pay for our exports of manufactured goods, as 
well as for the surplus food products exported. 
Heretofore the trick has been to put a high tariff on 
goods that would compete with manufactured goods 
here, and allow food products, food substitutes and 
raw materials to come in tax free to pay for them. 
Farmers knew little about the manipulation of tariff 
schedules. They were satisfied with tariff on pro¬ 
ducts the surplus of which is sold abroad, and con¬ 
sequently the tariff could do them no good. The tax 
was a gentle form of death. Farmers, however, are 
now getting wise to the game. They will no longer 
he satisfied with the old policy. They now demand 
free potash, for example, and a tariff on farm pro¬ 
ducts commensurate with that on manufactured pro¬ 
ducts. Not only that, but when Holland puts a tariff 
of $2.50 a case on condensed milk, and France 15 
cents, while letting the same product in free from 
other countries, farmers demand an equally high 
tariff against them. We can sell only as much as we 
buy. If everybody gets protection, what can be im¬ 
ported to pay for our exports? 
PAYING IN GOODS.— To summarize, farmers 
want Europe to pay her debt to us as a means of 
reducing our national debt and to lessen our taxes. 
Europe has not got the gold to send and we would not 
want it if she had. Hence Europe can pay only by 
sending u< goods. Farmers do not want Europe to 
pay by sending us farm food products. Manufactur¬ 
ers do not want them to pay by sending manufac¬ 
tured products and machinery. Each of these indus¬ 
tries wants to reserve the home market for itself. 
Besides, farmers want to sell their surplus of wheat, 
cotton, cattle and corn to Europe. The stand-pat 
high protectionists want to sell Europe the r manu¬ 
factured products. Our surplus of gold, the high 
foreign exchange value of the dollar, the eleven bil¬ 
lions due us in Europe, our powerful international 
bankers, the many political fortunes we have to 
save, and our high protective tariff policies form a 
composite obstacle to the export of our surplus of 
farm products. The national government has some 
problem to solve. If some one statesman could for¬ 
get his political future he would have an opportunity 
to do a great national service in working out a sound 
policy. While doing so. however, it would be neces¬ 
sary to put the other leading national statesmen under 
an anesthetic. It would disorganize the whole politi¬ 
cal system and discredit the regular members if one 
undisciplined altruist be permitted to perform a 
really meritorious and disinterested service. Politics 
is a selfish game, and Washington is saturated 
with it 
241 
The Sportsman and a Non-posting Law 
Tlie New York Conservation Association is largely 
an organization of hunters and sportsmen. In times 
past there has been some friction between the mem¬ 
bers of this association and New York fanners over 
hunting privileges. A meeting was held at Syracuse, 
January 13-14, at which the sportsmen and leading 
farmers frankly discussed their differences. Our 
representative at this meeting makes the following 
clear statement of his impressions: 
I have to admit that I was amazed at the change 
of attitude in respect to the farmer's rights which was 
reflected by the statements of many of these sportsmen. 
Of . course, I recognize that the progressive sportsmen 
--till have the opposition of a powerful deterrent wing, 
but I believe their leadership is falling into saner hands. 
Many of their prominent leaders stated to me that they 
realize the acceptance nf a non-posting law is inevitable. 
Some of their acts, however, did not tend to generate 
confidence in the farmer's mind. TIip most disgusting 
resolution was the one which provided that iu the future, 
when any property is posted, the owner shall he re¬ 
strained from selling, bartering, or in anv way dispos¬ 
ing of the sporting privileges outside of h'is own family 
nr those occupying the property. This resolution was 
carried after being objected to. All I had to say at 
the public sessions was in objection to this resolution. 
I stated that farmers would lose what fairh they still 
had in the constructive elements in sportsmen's organi¬ 
zations if such acts were persisted in. Some time after 
this resolution was carried. Mr. Lowell. National Grange 
Master, strongly condemned it. The adoption was re¬ 
considered, and tilt 1 resolution was rescinded. Ilenrv M 
Brigham was the firsT man to object to this resolution 
at its first consideration, lie and Charles A. BehJeiehter 
of Troy were the most prominent sportsmen who con¬ 
tributed to squelch this stand of the old guard. 
The situation as exemplified by the Syracuse meeting, 
compared with that which ex-isted a year ago., convinces 
me that, sportsmen are rapidly preparing themselves to 
accept a non-posting law. and. I believe, this may be 
accomplished after another year of effort. 
The International Armament Conference 
This conference ended on February 6. after about 
three months session. Ihe result of its labors may 
be briefly stated as follows: 
,, L , <Completion of a treaty by the United States, 
Great Britain, f ranee, Japan and Italy, limiting the 
' ze of their navies, ending the race for supremacy in 
naval armament. 
2. Completion of a treaty forbidding the use of poi- 
sqn gas in warfare, and making it illegal, in interna¬ 
tional law. for a submarine to attack a merchant ship. 
3. A tri-partv agreement by the United States, Great 
1 • ritem and Japan, providing for the maintenance of 
the status quo in Pacific fortifications within prescribed 
areas outside of the homelands, this to remove suspicion 
and create better feeling. 
4. A complete settlement of the controversy between 
< mna and Japan over Kaicm-c-hou in the Province of 
Shantung, under which Japan is to surrender the for- 
rnei German leasehold, and C hina is to regain complete 
control of the territory and of the Shantung railroad. 
5. Announcement by Great Britain that she would 
return the port of Wei Hai Wei to China, in harmony 
wi:h the retirement of Japan from Kaiou-ebou. 
fi. An agreement to adhere to the "open door” policy 
in t hina. the resolution providing for an international 
hoard of reference in China to settle disputed questions, 
and the abandonment of the policy of "spheres of influ¬ 
ence” in China. 
, . The adoption of a four Power compact in terms 
p edging the Powers to respect each other's territory in 
the Pacific, and calling for a conference of nations when 
trie peace of the Pacific region is threatened. This com- 
1 act. when ratified, will abrogate the Anglo-Japanese 
alliance. 
S. A settlement made outside of. but ill view of the 
conference, of the dispute between Japan and the 
United States over the island of Yap. in accordance with 
claims advanced by Secretary Hughes for cable rights 
in that island. 
!>. A formal pledge from Japan to withdraw from 
Siberia and from the northern part of the island of 
Sakhalin as soon as certain conditions have been real¬ 
ized. This pledge is regarded as fulfillment of the prom¬ 
ise of moral trusteeship to Russia. 
10. Practical abrogation of the "21 demands” 
through adoption of the “open door” pledge relative to 
( hina and the settlement of the Shantung question. 
That Rocky Road Poetry 
We were interested in reading "The Poetry of a 
Rocky Road.” appearing on page 111 of The R. N.-Y. 
This road is in the western part of the town of Ilume. 
High water washed away the approaches of the bridge 
and some of the adjoining road. One of the members 
of the town board, wbo seems i tak< til the responsi¬ 
bility of running our town, tells us they had the road 
temporarily abandoned over two years ago. They have, 
however, left it open to the public, even fencing off a 
strip of the neighboring pasture to make it passable at 
all, and have so left it as a death trap. Nor have they 
made any move to fix it. On account of the condition 
of this road, we farmers living to the west of the bridge 
have to draw our produce to the railroad, as well as 
uUr feed and fertilizer home, by way of the hill road, 
making it two miles further before we reach the State 
road. This detour heroines almost impassable iu Fall 
and Spring on account of the character of (lie soil, it 
being to a large extent clay. 
We do not understand why this road is held up. be¬ 
cause the town is well able to fix it. We have never 
heard a taxpayer complain when his money is used for 
a good purpose. We do kick, however, when our money 
is used year after year and nothing is done to show 
for it. u, i. hodxett. 
R. N.-Y.—There are several other comments on that 
p c: ure. The County Farm Bureau will print the poem 
and picture for local distribution, to show up this out¬ 
rageous situation. The R. N.-Y. has many readers in 
the locality and county. If they can get together and 
organize they can clean up this road mess, and do many 
other needed things. We have done our part in showing 
it up: now conies your part in shoving to oue side for a 
better road. 
