Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-27
PRESIDENT Roosevelts Plan to Improve Conditions of Life on the Farr

practical botany and borticuItura-thos
would constitute useful and attractive as
poets to the curriculum in the country
school, along with many other things
equally appropriate but now unknown.
When 1t comes TO the problem of better
roads-and this is essential to working out
all the other features Of the ideal township
legislation is necessary, and II must be-
secured from the state. Cooperation of
the nation, the state and the local govern
mental division in development Of better
roads is the ideal Of many; perhaps i'm
practical and chimerical, but yet it Is in
many minds. Good roads are necessary to
centralized schools, because with central
feed schools there must be transportation
of the pupils at public expense, which
would be impossible without undue ex-
pense. Likewise better roads are necesstry
before the ideal social and intellectual d.
velopment may be secured; before the peo-
pie will go to the lectures which will b.
held in the assembly room Of the township
school or church; before the township IL
brary and reading room. for which quar-
tiers would be set off in the same establish
ment, can be patronized.
The roads problem will come in for much
and praycrful consideration by the com
mission. Years of agitation and urgent APP
peal have thus far aroused the people OF
the cities to the need of better roads. To
get laws through legislatures, looking to
better roads. is commonly rendered ms.
difficult because of the conservatism Of the
farmers themselves, who would be chief
beneficiaries. Yet It is conceded that this
must somehow be accomplished as a very
beginning of the whole scheme of social
reform for the country.
One interesting aspect of this inquiry will
be the light it will shed on the tendency
to tenant farming in this country; absen-
tee landlordism and tenant management; on
the question of farm labor, and wages, and
on the reasonableness of current prices at
which lands are held. and of rentals
charged for them in different sections OF
the country. 1t is well known that lands
of equal economic value, located in differ
ent sections, are Of widely different values
in the market. The reasons for this will
constitute an important light on the whole
question OF farm conditions.
In different sections OF the country the
problem of the farm Is vastly different. In
the SOUTH, southwest and throughout the
frontier regions. conditions are worse than
in the rich agricultural states of the mid
die west. These latter have all they need.
materldllyi lney hhVe put 10 DC taught now
best to conserve and expend It to get best
results. Again. the east, with its aban-
doned farms and decadent agriculture pre-
sents yet another problem. The dry farm
ing country and the irrigated regions are
peculiar TO themselves, and have their own
special sets Of problems. And so on
through all sections and circumstances.
And at the end OF II all there is the
haunting thought that perhaps by its very
success the work might become a greater
failure; that is. TO explain the paradox,
that the boys and girls OF the farm. raised,
educated and equipped under these i'm
proved circumstances. might take that bet
ter equipment away to town and blithely
set It to work there. utterly unmindful that
they were given It all in order to keep
them on the farm. Suppose their posses
sion OF better equipment to meet the eondi-
lions and demands OF city life should
merely increase their disposition to 90 70
the city, Then indeed would It be doubly
a failure
But none OF the students OF the problem
seriously believes the result wni be any
thing Of that sort