Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-04-16
LARGE FARMS A MENACE.
Clarence Poe Advocates Tax Reduction
On Small Holdings.

That big plantations are menace TO
the south, the ideal being a great de-
mocracy of thrifty, homecoming small
farmers, and that taxes should be re-
duced on small land holdings and in
heritances, was the argument present.
ed in an address before the Southern
Commercial congress at Nashville,
Tennessee, recently, by Editor Clar-
ence Poe of the Progressive Farmer
Mr.. Poe was one Of the two principal
speakers in the Seaman A. Knapp me-
mortal meeting and declared that DR..
Knapp's great aim was to make the ru-
raj south a vast democracy Of small
home owners. To this end Mr.. Poe
advocated the English graduated tax
on the unearned increment In rural or
urban land holdings, with holdings Of
$1,000 or less wholly exempted, and a
heavy tax on inheritances Of $4,000 or
over, likewise graduated. I'VE must
tax small holdings less, great holdings
more" he declared, the gains Of thrift
and industry less, the gains Of chance
or inheritance more" He also urged
the immigration Of thrifty northern
and western white farmers, declaring
this the only sure plan to remedy our
excessively large proportion of negro
population and solve the problem Of an
adequate social life in the country.
Of 10
Poe dealt with the increase Of agricul-
tural incomes in the south and declare
ed that they could be doubled by the
adequate use of machinery and greater
horse power. Statistics show" he
said, that farm workers in three typi-
cal south central states average less
than one horse and cultivate only six
teen acres per capita, earning $3.50
year, whereas the farm workers In
three typical north central states av-
erage between three and four horses
per capita and cultivate sixty three
acres apiece, earning 1868 year."
Coming directly to what he pro-
nounced the more important part of
DR.. Knapp's work, Mr.. Poe said:
Put in single sentence, Dr.
Knapp's one great aim, his dominant
ideal was to make the south vast de-
mocracy of thrifty, homecoming far
mers, every man sitting under his own
vine and fig-tree. I wish every farmer
in the south could get and read his
bulletin, The Causes of Southern Ru-
raj Conditions and the Small Farm as
an Important Remedy To break up
our great plantations into smaller hold
ings and to encourage and help every
farmer to own his own home; this he
regarded as the most important task
ahead of the leaders Of southern agri-
culture. To use DR.. Knapps own Ian
guage:
"a prosperous, intelligent and con-
tented rural population Is essential to
our national perpetuity. The worlds
experience has shown that the best way
to secure this is to encourage the di-
vision of all the lands into small farms,
each owned and operated by one fam
ily'
my own conviction, ladies and gen.
tlemen, is that in this statement DIR.
Knapp showed the vision of prophet
and a seer. 1t will be we'll indeed for
the south If we do not come too late to
listen to the warning of England two
centuries ago against the Fastening ills
to which any land is subject where
wealth accumulates and men decay
and where princes and lords flourish
at the expense Of a bold peasantry.
Even now the duty of the hour as
conceive it, is to tighten the burdens
of the small home-owner.
The methods 1 suggest are new In
the south, know, but do not hesitate
to say that believe we must tighten