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Farmers Are Best
National Defenses
Union City, Ga., April 4—Presi-
" dent Charles S. Barrett lias issued
the following statement to the
members of the Farmers union:
To the officers and Members of
the Farmers Union: Just how
much attention the extra session of
the new congress, now convened,
is to pay to the American farmer
depends upon—the Ameaican
farmer.
As I remarked in a statement
last week, a vast amount of harm¬
less furore will be expended in
the effort to make the farmer be¬
lieve that his congressman is doing
something substantial.
Whether the promise ends in
performance will be determined
by the extent to which you are
“from Missouri,” and let your
congressman and senator see it.
BARREL- HEAD ORATOR.
From the barrel-head orator on
up to the highest statesman, it is
generally admitted that the farmer
is the backbone of the nation.
You ought to Udow it of your
intelligence, not to mention
ie many times you’ve been told
in Fourth of July orations and
in congressional campaigns and
hand shaking trips.
The man whose labor adds nine
billions of dollars annually to the
wealth of the nation is given one
Federal department, scant appro¬
priations, while other departments
and bureaus devoted to other in¬
dustries and to business generally
multiply each year their demands
upon the treasury.
There is no justice in this sys¬
tem. What is more important,
there is little common sense.
It will pay the nation to culti¬
vate the farmer, not only with
rhetoric, but with sympathetic in¬
vestigation and substantial atten¬
tion.
The Roosevelt Country Life
commission illustrates feebly my
meaning. It was a groping effort
in the right direction. But despite
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Address aJl Letters and Communications To
THE FITZGERALD LEADER
FITZGERALD, GA.
THE FITZGERALD LEADER. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5,1911
the praise lavished upon the
er by congressman, congress did
not even appropriate enough
money to print the commission’s
report. That document was pigeon¬
holed, and is being printed only
thru private endeavor.
The government ought to find
out, first, how to help the farmer,
the point at which he most urgent¬
ly nesds assistance—and then give
the assistance.
Confessedly, armies and navies
are necessities in this country ot
international complications.
BEST SORT or DEFENSES.
But the best sort of national de¬
fenses would be found in the pa¬
triotism of tthe farmers of this
country, a patriotism that would
be of more avail against foreign
menace or civic evil than all the
dreadnaughts we could afford or
the armies we could muster.
Fortunately, the American farm¬
er does not seta price on his pa¬
triotism. Every war in which this
country has engaged establishes
that fact.
But it is wise for the nation in
times of peace to make rock -rib¬
bed the patriotism of the most
sustaining element by
toward it an attitude of plain j us
tice.
Go thru the budgets annually
passed upon by congress and see
just how relatively slight is the at¬
tention paid the farmer.
TI It will ... . be argued, . ,
or course,
that the farmer, as a citizen, pro-
fits from the appriations directed
toward other channels by this gov¬
ernment.
That is only partially true.
Such a view is short sighted. It
loses sight of the fact that the larg¬
er part of the funds going to make
up these budgets comes from and
must continue to come from
farmer. It is, therefore, only the
rudiments of common equity and
common sense that a larger share
of these funds should be intelli-
expended in the farmer's
behalf.
Take only one instance: The gov-
ernment spends hundreds of thous¬
ands every year in telling the
world how large or how small the
cotton and other crops are to be.
How much does it spend in find¬
ing out for the farmer such world¬
wide data on demand, mill stocks,
present and probable consumption
as would enable him to market his
crop to the best advantage?
How much does it spend in en¬
couraging him to install practical
systems of collection and distribu-
tion, such as would return incalcu-
lable dividends to the nation ?
PRESENT POLICY.
The present governmental poli¬
cy toward the farmer is dribbling,
piddling!
It encourages the farmer to in¬
crease his yield, with the proba¬
bility of getting a lower price, but
doesn’t spend money to show him
how to get a just price for that
yield, to make his home life more
congenial to make life in the coun¬
try more worth while and nearer
like life in the city.
How much of selfishness, for in¬
stance, is there in the swelling
cry, “Back to the land?”
One-tenth of the money spent
u P on makin 2 life in the land more
attractve wouid abolish necessity
° r
The country has, unconsciously,
been looking at the farmer from
the small end of the telescope.
It is time the instrument were
reversed!
Battle ships are formidable. Well
drilled armies are consoling,
Better still is a sturdy well satis-
fied husbandry patriatism unruff¬
led by a vague consciousness of
neglect at the hands of its govern¬
ment.
CHARLES S. BARRETT.
Union City. Ga. April 3, 1911.
The genial Sam Abrams is now
in charge of the Clothing and Shoe
department of I. Goldenberg
and Company of which firm he is
a member. His many friends
in the city and country will find
him in his new quarters on Grant
and Sam will greet them
with the “smile that won’t come
I
Church Directory
Every pastor ia Fitzgerald is urged
-,o send in his notice of church ser¬
vices for this column.
JENTRAL CHRISTIAN CIIURCH.
Lee and Jessamine St®.
E. Everett Hollingwortb, Pastor.
Residence Phone 336.
Bible School, T. F. ITemminger,
-uperintendent, meets every Lord’s
Day at 9:30 a. m. Morning worship,
with Lord’s Supper, Little sermon for
Children, and Sermon, 10:45. Evening
worship at 7:30.
Prayer and Praise Service,Wednesday,
1:30 p.m.
Everybody welcome at all meetings.
Only once a stranger here.
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Corner of Grant and Suwanee Sts.
H. A. Schonard, Priest.
Services every second and fourth
Sunday.
Mass at 9 o’clock a. no.
FIRST M. E. CHURCH.
Lee and Magnolia Sts.
E. J Hammond, Pastor,
Sabbath School 9:30 a.m. Morning
worship at 11 : 00 . Epworth League at
6G5 p. m. Evening worship at 7:45.
Prayer service Thursday evening
at 7:45. The general public, especially
strangers invited to all these services,
CENTRAL METHODIST CHURCH
Cor. Lee St. and central Ave.
Sunday School 9:30 a. m.,L. O.Tisdel
Superintendent. Preaching |by pastor
11 a. m. Junior Epworth) League
4:00 p. m. Senior Epworth League 6 4
p. m. Preaching by pastor 7:30p. m.
Prayer meeting Wednesday night at
7:30.
All are cordially invited to these
services and strangers are especially
welcome
Guyton Fisher, Pastor.
U. B. CHURCH
Directory of Service®.
Sunday School, 9:30 a. m.
Preaching 10:45 a. m. and 7:30 p. m.
Y. P. C. E. U., 6 pm.
Mid Official week board services meeting Wed. the 7:30 first p.m. j
Tkurs- j
day evening of each month at E:30.
J. L. Leichliter, Pastor.
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FITZGERALD CHAPTER NO. 32
R. A. M.
Meets first and third Tuesday night
of each month at Masonic Hall Corner
Central Ave. and Grant street.
J. E. Turner. High Priest.
J 110 . B. Russell. Secy.
GETHSEMANE OMMA NDERY
„ NO. 20.
Meets second and fourth Tuesday
nights of each month at Masonic Hall,
corner Central Ave. and Grant street
J. H. Mays, Eminent Com.
J. B. t-eanor, Recorder.