The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-11-20
Why the Farmers
Are Leaving Iowa.

The fac: that while other states are
showing. in most cases, healthy in
creascs in population, the population
OF Iowa decreased three tenths Of one
per cen. O. 7oSc, between the years
1900 ard 1910. IS constituting a sub
ject Of .co:ancn. by nearly all of the
newspapers. and everyone is trying to
explain the singular situation.
As the birth rate and the death
rate in Iowa has each probably re-
manned normal, the decrease in roDE-
Iation to tie number Of 1882 is really
more significant han it fist appears.
Had 40 one moved ont Of the state.
the increase, under q normal birth
and death rae. would have given the
state 372,719 more inhabitants in 1910
than 1t had in 1900. The real loss
therefore makes a total of about $780,
600 OF $4,000 people per year. Why
did $4,000 people move away from
| Iowa each year.
The same census statistics also
show that the number Of farms IN
Iowa has decreased from 22S 622 to
2l6.S07, Or by l1.1S5, equal to a little
more than { per cent; the total acre
age in farms has decreased from a.
$4,000 70 33,9O5 600 Or by $50 900
acres, equal to Is per cent. and the
| improved acreage from 90 ,S9S,O 900 to
! 80 $4,000, or by 431 900 acres. equal
TO IA per cent. Al the same time,
the value of farm lands and buildings
has increased from s1,2o6, $4,000 to
! $2,19S025 geo. or by s1,542,273, 900,
equal TO 1871 per cent.
! The figures showing the increase in
the value OF land probably contain the
/ real explana ion OF the main cause of
1owa's less Of population. The tariff.
As we pointed out few days ago, had
something TO do With it, but land
values are at the Bottom of this sin.
gular condition.
AS shown by the above figures, the
average price of land in Iowa is s9G
per acre, or more than double what
it was ten years ago Much Of it, in
fact all Of the best land, is valued at
a great deal more than s96 per acre.
Il runs from that figure to 5000 Der
acre.
What young man. y years old. can
start out today with any hope Of ever
owning q farm in Iowa. He can't, in
a life time, ever make enough out Of
the land there to buy and pay for 100
acres. He must either become a
hired man or a tenant. He can never
| became land owner. What does
Iowa hold ont fer him, and why there
fore should he stay in Iowa?
| The fact Of the matter is that Iowa
is degenerating from a state of home
owners, who farmed their own land.
to condition Of landlordism and ten.
anty where man who does not own
farm can never hope to own one.
Consequently, the young able-oodied
farmer is moving into ether sections
where he can hope TO own a farm and
where he will ultimately own one.
This condition is made worse also
by the fact that the farm-owners. the
old retired farmers. are moving into
the towns, and they seldom help a
town very much. Having teen used
to economy-having made their money
by saving as we'll as by hard work
they are poor spenders and they dom.
take kindly even to city Improvements,
let alone personal extravagances
They are usually opposed to bond is
sues for street paving, and they don't
understand why the public should be
taxed to pay for the maintenance Of
| city parks or the erection of modern