Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-02-11
BACK TO THE FARM

James J. Hill and others are quite positive that the only hope of relief from the pressure of high prices is to put more people back on the soil. That would mean lessening the congestion of unemployed labor in the cities and relieving the pressure upon those who remain there 1t would take those who were transferred out of the Slough of Despond which the city is to thousands, and make them independent and self supporting. They would raise from the soil more than they needed to eat and thus provide additional food supplies for those not living di- recty from the soil
 It would do all this, and the movement de- serves every possible encouragement We have hopes that presently some of these wise men who lay so much stress on the necessity of placing more people on the soil will divulge a means of doing it. It will be agreed generally that it is good thing to do. It also will be agreed that there are many Respondent city res idents who would be glad indeed to get back to the soil. It is easy to say that they should be moved there; but the trouble is to do it.
 This much conceded, it must be denied that the present trouble is due entirely or even chief ly, to the lack of people engaged in cutivating the soil To say that it is the chief cause is equivalent to saying that the soil of this country does not now produce enough to feed the coun- try and that cannot be said so long as the ex- ports of food products are so great as they are now If not enough to feed the country were being raised from its soil, certainly none would be exported. The trouble is that prices are controlled largely by powerful interests, and that in order to maintain unduly profitable prices at home they export large quantities, even when they get for them abroad less than they could sell them for in this country.
 Yet that being made clear, still it is true that there are too many people living in the cities and too few living on the farms. Several years ago, in commenting upon Chicago's action in changing the name of its 1.-Two Million Club'' to 'Three Million Club" when the coveted D. 100000 of population was reached it was said that 1t would be much more to the point, and much more for the good of Chicago and the na- tion, If the name was changed to "One Million Club" and efforts made to put half the people of Chicago on the soil. This was before Messrs Hill, 1oakum and others had begun to point out the need of doing this very thing
 1t IS vital thing that these men proclaim, and 1t IS going to be more vital every year. This country now IS producing enough to feed its people and to help feed the world; but if the city population continues to grow and the farm pop ulation to shrink in proportion, presently the soil will cease to produce even enough for the home uses, and the United States will be driven to the humiliation of importing food products.
 People should be taken out of the cities and placed upon the soil; thousands of them, mil lions of them. They will lose the hardships and privations of city life as we'll as it's glittering attractions; but they will gain the freedom and comfort and independence of farm life. The cities will lose in population, but those remain ing will gain in freedom and comfort, while the resulting addition to the nations food produc- ton will not only provide good living for the producers, but will make living conditions easier in the cities.
 But pretty nearly enough has been said about thls need. What now needs more to be discuss ed IS how to meet it.
 TAMMTNN