Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-09
jim HILL SCORES
LAND LOTTERIES
DECLARES GOVERNMENT is PER.
MITTINe NEW FIRMS TO GO
TO sPEcvLAroRs.
RAILROAD MAeNArE SPEAKS
AT OMAHA CORN SHOW
Bay. Uncle Sam Distribute. Choice
Land Among Tom, Dick and Harry
Hill Reiterates His Warning Of
Danger Of Shortage in Foodstuffs
With Increased Population.

the national corn exposition today,
Of increasing the productivity Of the
farms Of this country. He said in part:
'The whole subject Of our food sup
ply and its relation to population, in
dustry, growth, institutions and every
thing that concerns our future Is ap-
propriate for this occasion. The true
statement Of the broad general fact
which 1t is most desirable that every
one should understand is this: That
lation which it must necessarily have
within comparatively few years if it
does not change its agricultural meth
DDS. The emphasis is all on that con-
ditional, clause.
1--WE can not support our coming
population upon the crop yield per
acre that now satisfies us. We have to
transform a growing decline in value
and productivity Of our soil under
continued cultivation into rapid in
crease in both. If the crisis can be seen
moving upon US now, and If 1t took
Great Britain over half a century to
raise her wheat yield from about fif-
teen bushels to thirty-two bushels per
acre, we have no time to lose. What
has to be considered. the keynote Of
all present discussion, is not the diff
hculty but the urgency Of the task. The
whole argument is one not. Of despair,
but Of reassurance; provided only that
we do the obvious, Indispensable and
feasible thing, and do It now.
Land Lottery Scored.
"Area is inelastic. Our public lands
are mainly exhausted. A few more
years will see the last Of them. And,
lest they should not be squandered
quickly enough. we not only offer them
to everybody under conditions that In
vite ana reward fraud, but when the
government finds itself burdened with
a particularly choice and valuable tract
Of farm land it holds a lottery and dis
tributes 1t among Tom, Dick and Har-
ry, no matter whether farmers or spec
ulators, after they have been collected
from distant parts of the country by
appealing to the passion for gambling.
The areas to be obtained by reclama-
ton work would not, all told, take care
Of our increase for two years. So there
are final limits already in sight to the
quantity of tillable land.
"The productivity of the soil and the
food supply as compared with acreage
and with population both decline. Our
total agricultural product has been
growing so rapidly and so immensely
that we find 1T hard to realize that this
may be entirely consistent with failure,
at the same time, to keep pace with the
growth OF national needs. The coun-
try. unless there shall be a change,
is approaching a time when it must
import wheat to meet home needs
Other food products also lag behind
the constant new demand. Since that
demand can not be escaped, tand since
not to meet It means want or a low
ering Of the standard of life and COM
fort in this country, which no Ameri-
can would wish to see. there is hut
one course before the nation. That is
to increase the productiveness of the
farm so that the earth's gifts may year
by year equal or exceed the peoples
requirements.