The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-27
The Cityward Tendency.

The student of social questions does
noe require to be told that there Is no
menace to the future of republican
government in America more threat
cring than the present tendency OF
population to concentrate in cities, and
no philanthroric proposition more in
viting than that this tendency should
be reversed. The overcrowding of
cities stunts physiques, dwarfs morals.
debauches conscience, deadens the
poetic sensibilties and lays just the
kind of over-heated soil in which polit-
ical villainy eagerly achieves its fun
gus growth. These assertions in this
day of sociological inquiry are not dis
puted; they are sad but accepted postu-
lates of modern progress. That instead
OF deserting the farm for the vice-in-
tested. disease-infected city, the
young man of today ought to be de-
serting the city for the farm is every
where conceded: the problem is to get
him to act upon this salutary view.
a special committee of the New York
Association for Improving the Condi-
tion of the Poor was recently assigned
to investigate this problem in its spe-
cial bearing upon the unemployed in
Gotham, and in its report, just issued
in pamphlet form by William II. Toll
man, 1O5 East Twenty-second street,
are many interesting statements of fact
and belief. Speaking with particular
reference to New York state, this re-
port illustrates a natural law coinci-
dent with the United States when it
observes that FROM
400 to 1850, the population of the country
increased twelve times, while that of the
cities of 5000 inhabitant and over iu-
creased eightysiX times. In 1890 one-thir..
tieth Of the population of the United
one-fourth. In the past one hundred
years the population of New York state
mas multiplied itself more than seven-
teen times, and that of the city about for
ty-siN times. During the same period, the
city OF Albany mas increased tWenty-seV-
en- times. Rochester from 1920 to 1880 has
Increased about sixty times, while the
state in the same seventy years increased
in population but four and one-half
times. Syracuse from 1850 to 1890 has in
creased four times. while the population
Dl tnc Sldlt mas 1Ot quite NOuDltu llSpll
in the same period. From 1860 to 1890 BinS
hImton has increased four and One-half
times. which is considerably more than
twice the increase of the population OF the
state during those years.
In it's endeavor to discover the causes
of this very evident rush from the
country to the city, the committee sub
mitted first to farmers, and then to
the country clergy, the postmasters,
school teachers, supervisors and coun-
try store-keepers, eight questions, as
follows:
No. l. How much has farming land de-
preciated in your locality in the past twen-
ty-five years, and what is the cause or
causes? No. ,. Is there tendency among
farmers and their families to leave their
farms and live in towns and cities? II so,
crease in tenant farming? No. 4. Are far
mers gradually reducing their land in
debtedhess? NO. D. What rate of interest
do farmers pay on notes and mortgages:
| No. u. Can You furnish the names of some
| farmers who keep accounts and can show
some percentage of profit on a fair valua-
| tion of their farms? No. I: Are your dis
| trict schools as well attended as in years
past? No. s. Are the principles of agri-
culture taught in any form In your
schools
The responses tothe first part Of ques-
ton No. !, in reference to the deprecia-
| ton of land, We're singularly unani-
nous. Without a single exception, ev-
cry person from whom the information
| was sought responded in the affirma-
tive. From the answers received by
him, Mr.. Powell, one Of the investiga-
tors, calculated the average deprecia-
tion at AZ per cent. Mr.. Kelgaard, an
| other Investigator, from his memoran-
da, fixed the percentage at so per cent,
"and yet" says the report, this de-
probation has taken place in the face
| of the increase of population in the
state from 1870 to 1890 of 1,61O,3S9 souls.
The railroad mileage in New York has
at the same time increased QS70-93) by
| 4,1S2 miles, and the increase on the as
sessed value of real property in the
| twenty-five years ending 1892 Is calcu-
lated at $l,659 643, ,90S. While increased
population and wealth must have
greatly increased the demand for agri-
| cultural products, the estimated value
| OF farm products Of the state Of New
York, which according to the United
States census, was figured for the year
1869 at s253,526153 in 1894 fell to $751;
| 593, ,009." Obviously such a striking fact
| is not to be accounted for wholly upon
| the score Of the general fall in prices,
| and in the responses to the second half
of question No. the relative percent
ages Of the principal causes assigned
are as follows: Low price of farm
products, 25; opening OF western new
land L. price of labor -higher in-p -prn=
portion than prices, 10; loss of fertility
in the soil, s; scarcity of good farm
laborers, 4; unjust and unequal taxa
ton, 4; want Of tariff protection in
farm products, 3; and over-produc-
tion, 8.
No less interesting are the responses
to question 2. This question, it will be
noted, is divided into two sections: Is
there a tendency among farmers and
their families to leave their farms and
| live in towns and cities? is the first
half. Mr.. Powell reports that "a per
cent. Of the replies received by him are
in the affirmative, while Mr.. Kelgaard
has again subdivided the inquiry, and
reports that "3O per cent. of the farmers
are anxious to leave their farms and
would at once drift to the large cities
if they only knew how to get there and
| had any assurance whatsoever of
work" He adds, however, that S6 per
! cent. report that their children as they
grow up cannot be induced to follow an
agricultural life. AS to the causes OF
this tendency, 10 per cent. of the replies
assign it to Improbable farming; 10 per