The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-12-25
Condition of the German Peas

In many German villages, where
the common land has been gradually
narcelei in small bits, the farms OF
the peasants are composed OF minute
strips of land. scattered over the whole
parish. 1 have seen farms which
contained TWO hundred such strips.
Barring. Gould. in Germany. Past
and Present, writes: ''In some places
the owner of twenty hectares (sbout
fifty acres) will have some one thou
sand bits of land distributed over the
whole surface OF the parish. Such is
the case on ne Main and the Middle
Rhine" The lots of land are too
small for pastursge; universal tillage
drives the price of grain so low that
farming is rot profitable; while the
extra labor necessitRted by having
land in so many small lots places the
peasants at q great disadvs ntage.
Legal difficulties and conservatism
prevent the exchange Of lots and the
concentration OF farms. A poor year
commonly forces the peasants into
the hands of the jews. In each VII
lsge there are Jews who are contlpu-
ally watching the d,stresSes OF the
farmer; they induce him IN every way
to borrow money; aod when they
have a hold upon him he seldom
escapes. Two euocesslve bad years,
combined with ruinous rates Of inter
est, are often sufficient to overWhelm
him, The Jews seize his land, and
sell it cut in small parcels 81 high
prices, as contiguous owners are
anxious to enlarge their plots. Some
of the mesnest specimens Of mankind
are found among the village Jews.
and their severity often causes ont
breaks against t5em. The landed
/ classes sympatbize with the peasants
| in their difficulties. and this eXplalns
| in q measure the present agitation
against the Jews 10 Germany. Even
Bismarck is eaid to be bitterly
opposed TO the jaws; bis synpathiet
are with the landed aTistOcracy, and
he disiikes the rise to power 0! the
mercantile and H1oney-lendlpg
classes, of which the Jews are the
most conspic l0us examples. G. was
on. so deeply involved In a serious
Outrage committed on the property
OF 81 obnoxious J8a that he was
forced to leave the village. He con-
fessed bis acts were foolish, but
pleaded in excuse the loss of land
and home by the peasant with whom
be vas staying. The Jew had in-
duced the peasant TO enlarge his farm
o. buying lands OF loans At excessive
interest. A bad Y ar followed, and
the peasant was obliged TO borrow
more money. The Jew. 10 lending
forced the peasant to ta6e one third
OF the loan in spirits. The natural
consequences followed; the peasant
drank too much; his crops we've poor;
| hls interest was not paid; aud his
land Was seized by the Jew. The Jews
are harsh but tffectgal instrument
for destroying the system of small
Iot-farming:" they bring the owners
| OF lot farms into their poser, and
| then sell the lGtdS TO those whose
farms are IN larger Tote. and who
are therefore prosptrOus Historical
reasons have caueed the email LOT eys-
ten TO exis, Onie among the rich
| landa rf Germ*ny .nt 1t hae conse-
O emily never been 10 vogue IN
| Northern GeImats. Nevertheless,
the poverty Of "a su1l nss made the
! toe e nGtl0u OF TIE keasAnts In the
north worse thaD al OF those in tie
.on,h Ci G.rmau! December AtEdn-