The Newtown bee., 1908-01-31
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EDITORIAL INK DROPS.

When the flat and the apartment
 house began to crowd out old home.
 steads in the cities and to suggest that
 tenancy was inevitably the coming
 mode of existence, the saying was
 that, however secure a foothold the
 European system might again in cen
 tres of population, the American far
 mer would eternally be lord of his own
 domain. But alas for this shortsight-
 ed optimism Even while men are exult- ing over the record brea king crops and
 incredible wealth of our farmers, land
 lords and tenants are multiplying rap idly in agricultural regions. The pros
 porous times of the past few years,
 with the lucrative openings for the
 young men in shops, stores and banks,
 in the centres, in many instances has
 left the fathers alone on the farms to
 struggle with the farm work, made
 more difficult by the scarcity and poor
 quality of the farm help. Then, be-
 coming discouraged the old folks have
 leased the farm to a foreigner and re-
 moved to the village. .- | 4
 From our travels about this section
 of the state we should say there were
 more rented farms in Litchfeld coun- ty than in Fairfield county. In the town of New Milford many of the old American families have moved to the attractive village, leasing or renting their farms on the hillsides. In Wash ington, New Milford, Roxbury and Sherman those thrifty and excellent people, the Swedes, who make the best | of citizens, have come in large num- bers, first as farm tenants, and later buying and improving some of the best farms in those towns. The equally industrious and hard work ing Polish people are acquiring farm property to considerable extent, and as a rule they make a success.
 A significant summary of facts has just been given in the "Popular Science Monthly'' by Professor Homer C. Price, of Ohio State University. Eight years ago more than thirty-fve farms ut of every one hundred were operat- d by tenants, while 23.3 per cent of all farm lands G. e., both developed md undeveloped acreage) was rented to , ransient occupants. Rural landlord | sm is thrice as prevalent in this "land | f economic freedom" as in overpop- lated Germany, and statistics taken o-day would probably show that the { igh tenancy rate of France (47.2 per [ ent) is almost if not quite equalled. q Then it is. considered that the rela- ( we number of tenants has been in- :, reasing in spite of the millions of c cres taken up annually for forty years f homestead grants, the magnitude of d lis economic transformation becomes
 ill more impressive.
 It is encouragingly contended that in A merica the farm hand rises to tenant, u Id from tenant, to owner, so that the d end toward landlorism is not an un- It holesome sign. But Prof Price afir.ls M Y, at the roseate theory conflicts with w e facts; if tenancy were a transit R nal stage for any large numb of ci rmers the percentage of rented V rms could scarcely increse steadily m :. r twenty-eight years. The only ne ,thods thus far suggested for dis sh lraging lease holders and keeping ns ners upon their native or acquired al res are not hopeful. The removal of xes on mortgaged farms, question ds Ie procedure at best, would not ae- NJ