The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-04-07
LANDOWNERS IN GEORGIA
Remarkable RecuPeratIve Powers
shown by Farm Statistics.

Remarkable RecuperatIve Powers
Shown by Farm Statistics.
To the EDITOR OF The Times.
In a recent issue Of The Times there
/ appeared an editorial under the caption,
The Tenant Farmer opening thus:
col. ". L. Peek makes the somewhat Startling
statement that eighty per cent Of the farmers Of
Georgia are non-iand0Wners This l. the more
remarkable when IL is considered that the popula-
ton IS fixed in its habits, and that the majority
Of The white farmers IN the rural districts are
native born and can trace their ancestry Though
several generations of Goorgians.
1t NAY be- that Georgia i not much worse %
than many other states il statistics could be OBJ
tanned, but such condition l. not good fgf any
agricultural country
There are available though not very
fresh statistics bearing on the question
Of farm tenure. and they suggest that Col
oRel Peck has been misquOted or drew his
conclusions from information which had
siumped about 100 per cent from the real
facts
The census returns Ct 1890 showed that
there were 175.6SS farms in Georgia. o.
which 1901 were occupied BY owners. and
lO2.CSl by tenants. Thus. ten years ago.
4l9o per cent instead OF 20 per cent. of
the Georgia farmers owned their farms
a very good showing. indeed. compared
with the statement attributed to Colonel
Peck. Moreover. il applied 10 the coadi-
tions Of 1880, which are generally believed
10 have materially improved since then.
a little further explanation viii make
q still better showing for the Empire
State Of the South, In 1890 the population
Of Georgia was 1881. 1853. OF when 97S 357
were white. and S5S 996 were cUiOred. In
other words, OF the aggregate population.
nearly a. per cent comprised a people who.
less than generation before had been
suddenly injected into the body rolitic
not only as nOn-landholders. but praeti-
cally as non-owuers Of anything beyond
their hands Yet another examination will
disclose an even more considerable add
tion 10 the glory of Georgia. OF the 10 SIS
farm owners in shat State in 1880. 112S24
were whites, and 6.g92 negroes. and OF
the l02 0Sl tenant farmers returned in 1890
~ ISL were whites and a.. SOC negroes OF
course. all or nearly air negro tenants are
tenants Of white landlords: and all negro
owners had been permitted to purchase
from the whites on terms favorable enough
10 meet the require ments Of their feeble
financial resources.
Thus a population weighed down a gen
Grafton before by an almost equal p0pIia-
ton OF weak. uneduca ed, unskilIeo and
irresponsible non-Owners in addition to
the wreckage OF the most fearful rDnfiict
Of modern times is lifting Itself vel up
to the general average Of farm own sTship
in the entire country and carrying its
vast burden OF former slaves and their de-
scendants upward al an equal pace with IL.
The last decade has Witnessed a large
immigration into Georgia from the y nth
and West, most OF the new Corners be-
coming land owners. and during that pc
riOd the negro has largely Increased his
holdings. so that the returns of the
Twelfth Census are sure to show farm
tenure in that State TO be in an exceed
ingiy healthy condition. with a percentage
OF ownership not FAR if any below that Of
the entire United States which was. in
1890. 65.g2
II this shall prove TO be the case, as ]
believe it viii, We shall have in Georgia
remarkable example OF the enormous
recuperative and expansive CapaCit,- OF
she South and its people
FRANK ABIAL FLOWER