The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-03
Startling Quality of These r,ouro.

Startling Quality of These Ftpures
The startling quality Of these figures ia tho
MAGNITUDE of our problem. Where are these
regpe, not OF some dim, distant age, but Of
to be employed and how supported? Notw;th'
standing the addition OF more than a miliian
people year from abroad. nearly all of them
men and women who must work for a Hvinn y
labor outside Of the cities was never ne scar 20
or wages as high at the present time. I'M
migration fingers in the great centers and adds
farms stretch out their hands in vain Ra,,roo1
IN making extensions have to get help at the
nlgnest market price. and find large percent
age OF those whom they employ mere boboes ubo
desert soon they have succeeded in oettino
transportation from one part OF the conn+rS
10 another Farmers besiege the employment
agencies ne, IN vain and offer the lazy tramp
sum Tor days work in the field unieard Of in
any other country In the world. The situation
grows more embarrassing yearly. Hours Of
LABOR are being reduced In some Of the states
scarcer as the movement OF population to the
cities grows more pronounced. considerable
portion OF this years magnificent crop will be
either reduced in quality or altogether lost nv
reason of the impossibity Of getting labor to
handle it properly. Discouraged small farm
ers are selling their land to larger proprietors
VINO can probably substitute machinery for
men. The country needs workers on the
SOIL Not to turn the stranger away but to
direct him to the farm instead of the city:
NOT to watch with fear possible increase Of
the boys on the farm and to send youth from
the city to swell the depleted ranks of agri-
cultural industry is the necessary task of a we'll
advised political economy and an intelligent
patriotism.
Stern Question as to Future.
The United States has been able easily to taxa
care OF the great increase Of population in the
past but 1t had vast of unoccupied
land, but at the present rate Of occupancy every
acre OF public land will disappear within the
next fifteen years. But a large percentage
OF the lands included In this estimate are wholly
or partially unfit for tillage, it is literally true
10 say that our arabic public lands have almost
disappeared And where are our children ia
find standing room and the tens of millions of
the future place for wholesome industry?
This Is an intensely practical question. It il
immediate For within twenty years We must
house and employ in some fashion fifty millions
OF additional population and by the middle of
this century at time when the child now
born Will, be IN the prime Of lfe there will no
4 approximately two and one-half times as many
people IN the United States as there are today
No nation in history was ever confronted with
a sterner question than this certain prosnect
sets before pN
Our Potential Resources.
Rational consideration of our potentia, ro.
Gources and OF available future employment for
this great multitude must of course nroceeI
together. Labor must have material to worb
upon, and labor and material must also he 90
combined that the sum total shall be an increase
of product equal to the advancing demands upon
-A#. p Z