The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-01-25
PLANS TO stop
TIDE TO CITIES
Rudolph SpTeCkGls Has Project
For Prospective Farmers.
WOULD ENLIST CAPITALS AID.

Idea Is to Have Wealthy Men Buy Up
Desirable Land, Then Resell It on
Long Payments So One Crop Failure
Will Not Entail Loss of Farm-Says
Capitalists Should Form a Fund.
Rudolph Spreckels, leader in the San
Francisco anti-graft crusade, in addi-
tlon to ideas for civic reform, has n
plan for stemming the tide of the
wave of population flowing toward
the American cities with such alarm
ing rapidity.
The trouble with the back to the
farm propaganda today" Mr.. Spreck-
els says, sis that, while it distributes
a lot of free advice to the residents
Of congested sections in our cities, it
offers comparatively little aid of
substantial sort. think that it is not
because city dwellers prefer the cities
70 the country that they remain in a
state of Industrial dependence, but be-
cause they have not the capital re-
quired to buy farm and the stock
and implements necessary to make it
paying venture.
Thinks Fund Should Be Formed.
II believe the capitalists of the Unit
ed States should form a fund so that
they could buy tillable land and then
resell 1t to prospective emigrants
from the cities at actual cost, with
provision for easy terms of payment.
These payments could be so arranged
as to extend over a period of fifty or
even seventy years, so that there
would be little question that the pur-
chaser or his family would eventually
ewn the land.
~As it is, many hesitate to leave
their urban homes because farming
is n great deal of risk. They would
be compelled to place heavy mort
cages on their land, payable in a few
years. Under this plan a series of
unfortunate seasons would be fatal to
the farmer, who would be unable to
meet the demands of the incumbrance
on his land and would thereby forfeit
his holdings. together with the money
he had expended in getting started
Calls It Mistaken Plea.
"The plea to the man of the city to
emigrate to the frontier to bcw out
home for himself where land is cheap
Is mistaken. Pioneer life necessarily
entails many hardships, which the city
dWeller and his wife cannot endure
because they are not Injured to them
To a man who has been reared on
farm 1t is difficult enough to transform
a stubborn prairie or a heavily wood
ed land into tillable land, but for the
inexperienced farmer, recruited from
the congested cities, 1t is almost im-
possible. After a few years he will
get discouraged and return to his old
home and work.
Here is the difficulty, however To
embark on a farming venture in dis
trict which is already cultivated and
settled to some extent requires a big
outlay of capital, whereas in pioneer
regions land can be obtained either
free or for nominal sum. And this
Is where the capitalists should extend
a helping hand.
Europe's Plan Succeeds.
"In many parts of Europe the plan
of long payments for land is in oper,
alton and is proving a great success
When the settlers are assured that in
case of crop reverses they are not in
danger of losing their homes and that
II they fail to pay for their homes even
In a lifetime their sons can continue
the payments they do not hesitate to
leave the bench Of the wage Garner
for the plow and the reaper. under
stand, too, that this plan has been un-
dertaken in various parts of the Unit
ed States on small scale and that eff
forts along this line have been the
source of great satisfaction to those
who have supported them.
'It is a great problem, this back to
the land movement. 1t will be the
great problem of the future, as it is
the problem of the present. Our cities
are certain to increase in population
Immensely for many years to come.
AS the number of mouths to feed
grows the number of actual producers
on the land must increase or develop
ment must cease"