Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1873-07-24
Land Monopoly.


The census reports show that the
average size of farms Of the United
States had declined twenty three per
cent. in 1870, as compared with 1860.
In the State of Illinois the falling OFF
was not equal to the general average,
as it amounted to but thirteen per
cent. In the whole country the mum
ber of farms containing over thou
sand acres declined seventy per cent,
vet in the State of Illinois this class
offarns increased from 1914 in 1860
tO3O2 in 1870, q gain of sixty four
per cent In contrast to this it ap-
pears that in Indiana the farms of
over a thousand acres increased in the
ten years but from "A rs, while in
Ohio they declined from 112 to SO.
The censes does not give any fur
ther information concerning the extent
of the farms containing over a thou
sand acres, but we know that in the
State of Illinois they are many OF
them of enormous size, and that all
sorts of improved labor saving ma
chinery are employed in their cultiva-
ton. The economical management
of these great estates requires that they
shall have as few men as possible as
workers, as few animals as possible
for shelter, and as little consumption
as possible OF the crops by those en-
gagged in making them, and these OBJ
jects are pretty fully attained.
The proprietoFs of these principal
ties do not help the trade or trades of
the towns near them, for they can
and do buy their stores in bulk at the
city. The small farmer near them,
who produces his crop at much great
er proportional cost, complains with
reason that his business is losing one,
and, in imitation of his fellows, he
will he willing to sell out to the land
monOpolist who can, to a certain ex-
tent, control the markets, or can ac-
commodate himself to them.
The consolidation of lines Of trans
portation complained of by Illinois
agricultarists is not more striking than
the tendency in Illinois 10 monopoly
of the land, and if this tendency
should be maintained in the future as
in the past, it will not be long until
a few land owners may by combination
control q large part of the products
of the State, and render the business
of farming, in its proper sense, toe
small to be respectable or remunera
tive.
We have not observed that it has
been proposed to limit by law tht
number of acres which one man may
own, or to make q schedule ofmaxiuu
prices of wheat, corn, hay, or Other
agricultural products. 1t may be sup
posed that this will not be necessary
that the men who produce millions o
bushels of grain, and who may here
after control the food supply of th
country, will never in season o
comparative scarcity, make an i'm
proper use of their power. If cor
in ILL., should be worth dollar bush
ell they would not bold their crop a yea
with the hope of getting dollar an
a half for it. They know that sort o
thing would be morally wrong, anG
of course, they would not do it.
The question concerns mainly tn
men who own the average sized farm
of one hundred and fifty acres, and dt
pend upon the labor of themselve
and families for livelihood. We pre-
sumo that the Oranges are mainly CON
posed of this democratic elem en-
and we would suggest to them an in
Quiry into the effect of immense farm
operated by machinery upon the ma
kets for agricultural products, an
whether the tendency to land monoI
oily is beneficial to the agricultural il
terest in general or not.