The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-03-30

own their farms are but . minority Of
the iarming class. and . small minority Of
those engaged In agriculture. II follows that.
oven among nominal farmers larger number
would instinotively welcome rather than repel
the idea Of common rights 10 land. and whom
their voting power was strengthened. a. II
naturally would be. By that Of the landless
agricultural laborer. It would utterly outweigh
that OF the Independent farmers.
30 much for the actual barrier. presumably
opposed to the application Of the authors ideas
BY the element which once undoubtedly con-
trolled the United States. Mr.. George insists
further that this barrier. suoh - II H. Is crum-
bling daily. and that all the tendencies OF the
time point TO the extinction OF the typical
American farmer. tho man who cultivates his
own few acres with his own hands. He proves
By rigorous analysis Of the confused and doc
tored returns on the subject In the last census
that. Notwithstanding the confident counter
assertion OF Superintendent Walker. there has
been during the last decade q remarkable in
crease In the average size OF FARMS an increase
that bears startling testimony to the workings
OF that propulsion toward concentration which.
in 30 many other branches OF industry. has
substituted the factory for self.em ploying work.
men, The author points out how "one inven-
tion after another has already given the largo
farmer crushing advantage over the small
farmer and invention Is still going on. And 1t
is not merely in the making Of his crops. but
In their transportation and marketing and In
the purchase OF his supplies. that the large
producer In agriculture gains an advantage
over the small one. To talk. as some do. about
the bonanza farms breaking up In a little while
into small homesteads Ii as foolish as to talk OF
the great shoe factory giving way again to
journeymen shoemakers with their lapstones
and avis. The bonanza farm and the great
wire-fenced stock ranch have como to stay"
In this tendency to concentration. which ex-
lists wherever modern industrial influences are
felt. and which. even In this country. has
reached agriculture Mr.. George foresees the
extirpation Of the traditional American farmer.
who. with his own hands. and the aid OF his
boys cultivates his own small farm. From
this characteristic figure OF an era now begin
ming to pass away. two types" he thinks. are
already differentiated-the capitalist farmer
and the farm laborer. The former is perhaps q
banker and speculator. as we'll as q
farmer. The latter Is proletarian. q nomad
part OF the year a laborer. and part
ofthe year tramp. II our treatment OF land
continues. rs now. some OF our small indepen-
dent farmers will tend toward one OF these ex-
tromes. and many more will gravltate toward
the other for" concludes Mr.. George. calling
the renders attention to a cumulative proof
which he had not hitherto submitted. besides
tho impulse to production on large scale
which is operating to extrpato the small In
dependent farmer there is. In tho rise OF land
values. another powerful tendency operating
In the eame direction" 1t is only In those az
ricuturnl districts where land has increased
little. II at all. In value. that we find home
steads which have been long In the pos
session Of the same family OF working
farmers. As land rises in vauo the
working farmer finds 1t moro and more
difficult for his boys to get farms OF their
own. while the price for which no can sell will
give him a considerably larger tract OF land
whore land Is cheaper: 80 he and his boys
obey the impulse to westward immigration.
Tho fact is" SAYS Mr.. George summing up
tho results OF the discussion. that the typical
American farmer the cultvator OF q small
farm OF which he is tho owner Is the product
OF conditions under which labor is dear and
land is cheap. As these conditions change.
labor becoming cheap and land becoming dear.
he must pass away. as he has passed away In
England"
We may here mention that Mr. Georges dec
laration regarding the increase In the average
size OF farms during the ten years ending In
1880 called forth q categorical donial from Con-
sus Superintendent Walker. The correspond
ence which ensued and which is reprinted In an
appendix to this volume. forms ono Of the most
amusing among recent contributions to con.
troversial literature. II ia amusing because
while there is no lack OF suayIty and decorum
on the part OF Mr.. George his opponent sonirms
and splutters As one fragrant blupder after an
other ia brought forward and tho ankle Of logic
is driven home through his eerepious falacies
We should NOT forget to note with satisfac.
ton that Mr.. George directs attention 70 tho
large sums Of monev Of late invested nv Enc.
lish landowners in farms and cattle ra ncbes
1vest n, tho Mississ,nnj Tbasa naraons wbo