Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-06-13
The "Back-to.the.Farm" Folly.
AN ABLE PRESENTATION OF THAT SIDE
OF THE QUESTION.

AN ABLE PRESENTATION OF THAT SID
OF THE QUESTION.
The fundamental economic probleE
of to-day is not that of increased pre-
duction, whether of agricultural staple
or of manufactures, but rather it is tha
of distribution. As long as many pee
pie lack the means to buy, productio
may be steadily increased in vain, so Ia
as they are concerned. The man wh
has no money cannot purchase anything
even If the price be low and the qnantit
be great. Increased production doe
not always help the poor man; and, o.
the other hand overproduction mus
inevitably hurt those who are engaged
in il, whether it be of corn or chairs.
In 1888 there were 25,000,0 900 acre
more in cultivation in the United State
than there were in 1880, and the farmer
occupied upon this land produced from
it 49l 900, 900 more bushels OF cereals II
1888 than they did in 1880. Did TIN
make life a simpler matter? No. Fo
the producers received for their increas
ed product s4l 100000 less than the!
had been paid for their restricted
product. Another, and perhaps more
striking, way of putting this is to say
that for all the toll of cultivating $4,000.
900 acres more than they had cultivated
they received 81, ,0O0,0O less than moth
ing, Such facts as these-and they are
facts, not theories OF arguments-wll
scarcely tend to lure the boy out OF th'
city 10 the farms. Overproduction OIL
the farms is as disastrous as its opposite
Conditions have changed vastly. snc
IL is this fact which the "return to ag
riculture" theorists fail, apparently, t(
take into consideration. Back in thu
age of homespun as many families coulc
be provided for as could be furnished
with a reasonable amount OF land to till
This is no longer true. Agriculture hs'
become part of the worlds organized
industry. 1t is no longer crude task
at which the ignorant and the incom
petent can prosper. The farm, undoubt
edly, was the last stronghold OF the un
aud unprogressive, but 1t ls
no longer a safe refuge for them. VIZ
can no more solve the problems OF oui
civic poverty by transporting the un'
fortunate TO the rural districts, and there
setting them to farming, than we couio
by shipping them to the blast furnaces
and starting them to make pig iron
than we could solve the problem OF our
rural poverty by removing those who
su fer from it 70 the cities and putting
them at trades of which they have nc
at which they are incom
petent, and for the product of which the
dem and is limited and we'll supplied al
ready.
The critic will say: "a man cannot
eat pig iron, but he can eat the produc'
of the soil" That is quite true. But
man can also starve while raising crops
unless he has at hand certain amount
of capital on which to live until the
seed shall iructify, the fruit be garnered
and the mature product shall be mar
ketei. Nor can a man support himself
and family in these days as men coulc
and did in other days on the products o.
his own farm, the direct outcome of biz
own individual labor. Man does moi
live by bread alone, wants become need'
after a few generations of the wanting
and wants are multiplying under the
development of modern civilization
The farmer must have shelter, and muct
more than shelter-a real home witt
furnishings, while his crops are growing
In these days pioneers cannot go ou
into the wilderness and hew home ou
of the virgin forest as the pioneers o
old did. They could not themselves iiv'
in such home; they could not rear thel
families in such home. In othe
words capital is as necessary TO tn'
farmer now as it ever was to the manu-
facturer. The man who is suffering II
the city slum lacks capital as much a.
he lacks land, and almost certainly lack
ANYTHING like competent knowledge o
agriculture as much as he lacks capital
n, then, you "place the landless maj
upon the manless land" you will be do
ing neither man nor land service. Th'
man will prove to be unable land VII!
not?) to compete with the intelligen
and instructed farmer who has been t
the manner born; the land, unskillfull.
husbauded, will not yield up its capacity
and surely will deteriorate. The mai
will make an utter failure OF the farn
unless be has some means OF learning
how 10 labor economically and effective
ly, and unless he is in some way, through
his own or others efforts, supplied Will
reasonable capital.
Go into our city slums and select from
them 100000 families. OF course yo'
will select those families that in you
Judgment need to be removed. 1t viii
be. YOU must remember, the fact tha
they have failed in town which vii
make them objects Of your fine philan
thropy. After you have chosen thos
who seem least fitted to combat tn
difficulties Of life in the city-those who
therefore, must plainly need SOM
chance-take them from their slum
and put them ON the land. Back then
with sufficient capital Gf there is sui
ficient capital existent) and 80 trail
them (if so great feat can be perform
ed) az to make them sure to be success
full. You will then have done exacti,
what the "back-to-the-land" advocate
are crying for. ,
But what will you have accomplished
The world won't want one mouthfu
more than II requires to please you
hundred thousand Of assisted agricu
turists; their success won't put q singl
dime into the pockets Of the poor ma
| in the city who has nothing with whic
to buy their produce. Assuming Una
as farmers they make now world
records-that will not increase the 100
consumption. They will only be adj
to find a market for what they raise o
their land IL they drive one hundre
thousand farmers off the land into th
city which your hundred thousand cam
from. Gravitating, naturally, to %
city, this one hundred thousand woul
of course enter into competition thel
for employment at the various occup'
tions at which they can most easily el
out a livelihood. Thus they will d
press the various social strata beio
them, until again your slums will CO
tainly be psopled by a hundred tho'
sand. You will have changed the hu
dred thousand occupying the slnm cell
You will have done no moro. You vi
have transferred one swarm to anoth'
and better hive. perhaps, but you vi
have to fill the old hive just the sam
Meanwhile, you will have spent va
sums of money and Q lot OF time al
effort to no purpose.
You will have done nothing towa
the real solution Of the mighty prooiei
j You will have wasted energy and
sources waicn might much better ha
80 - kfr n a