The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-08-18
RURAL DELIVERY HELPS FARMS
Spread of This Delivery and the Com
ing of Daily Papers Causes Boys and
Girls to Asemain Rather Chan Go TO
Cities.

Unofficial reports from the census
bureau seem to indicate that the drift
from the country to the city is less
marked than it was zen years ago.
There are no official figures out yet
to prove this, but government statisti-
clans who are working on the tabula-
ton of the current census, say that
comparison with the figures of ten
year ago led to the belief that the tide
is at the turn, that the cities will soon
cease to draw such comparatively heavy
tolls from the red blood of the rural
districts as they have in the past.
There are several factors that bear
out this change of drift. One import
ant factor is the rapid growth of what
may be called the interurban" popu-
latlon, those who work in the cities and
live in the country, going back and
forth as steam or electric road COM
muters, or in automobiles or motor
yachts.
Another factor that has big in
fuence in favor of the rural districts
is the spread of the rural free delivery,
which was in it's infancy a decade ago.
In the past ten years the R. F. D. has
ramifed everywhere carrying the daily
paper to remote and lonely neighbor-
hoods, and going far toward making
farm life less irksome and depressing
y to those not in sympathy with the quiet
of the old regime The rural telephone
lines, now spreading rapidly, must even
tually exert an influence in this direc.
tion perhaps even more marked than
that of the rural mail.
The Fhigh cost of living" is held to
be another factor that has contributed
to this end. For the farmer, least of
ALL is affected adversely by necessities
of life. On the contrary, it is he most
of all, outside those drawing dividends
from big interests that control the sup
ply of food stuffs, who profits by the
prevailing high prices. So naturally the
farm is desirable in proportion as prices
go up.
Other factors having like bearing
with these are the automobile, which
offers the farmer handy mode of
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the state agricultural schools. And
of course, the "back to the soil' slo
gan that has been raised in the cities
mostly by folks who never knew the
soil, has had its effect.
So it would seem that the decline
of rural America has ceased and that
the upturn is at hand.
Still other interesting facts have
been developed by the partial census
returns thus far available For in
stance, it is evident shat at least
sixty cities will be added to the list
of towns of $4,000 or over. Ten years
ago there were 160 of them. 1t also
develops that two-thirds of these new
"cities" are in the north central states
y The national capital shows a com
paratively small increase in population
The census of 1900 showed an increase
of 81 per cent. Now it has fallen to IS
Columbus has made big stride, gain
ing 44.6 per cent, as against "a per cent
ten years ago. Lynchburg, Va, die
even better, showing an increase of SCI
per cent.
Texas promises to be the big sensa
ton of the decade. Fifty-two counties
now in show population of S27 ,0oS
an increase of 4S7. If the ratio i:
maintained in the Lone Star state
there will be perhaps five more con
gressmen from there in the next con
gress and then, Oh joy!-there will be
a singing of peans from the Panhandle
to the gulf-for then Texas will %
ahead of Ohio in ranks of the sister
hood of states.