The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-10-01
O o o o O o o o o o o o. o @ O
Q SOCIALISM AND THE O
0 FARMER. G
o o o o o o o o o O o O o o G


Simmons. Ny. sept. ~, 1913.
To reach the average farmer with
the true principles of Socialism is
the greatest problem that confronts
the Socialist movement. The aver
age farmer. unlike the wage-earner.
is isolated and generally morgan
ICED. and therefore is more of an
individualist than the wage-earner.
When asked what he thinks of So
cialism he will. nine times out of
ten. say: 81 am opposed to It. be-
cause Socialism will take my farm
from me and everything I have will
be divided up" Little does he know
that capitalism has already accom-
plished to a great extent. that which
he fears Socialism will do in the fu-
ture
Up to twelve years ago. says Har-
ry NJ. Hyde. in Technical World
magazine for January. 1909. Con-
gress had given away the public do
main to railroads and other corpo-
rations to the extent of 266, 000, 900
acres. A bit of territory not far
extant from the total area of France
and Germany-two countries which
support between them a population
much greater than the United
States.
Less than one hundred years ago
the public lands of the United
States comprised 1.s00.0O0,000
acres, and Of this TIE choicest was
granted ofIhand to railroads and
other corporations. Henry Miller. a
single land owner. says the same au-
thor. is lord of the land over an area
two-thirds as large as the whole of
the Emerald Isle.
Col. d. C. Murphy, of New York
Sta,e. held title when ne died to
more than 100000 acres of farm
land. Henry Miller owns and con-
trolls 14.40O,0OO acres of fertile
land-22.5 500 square miles-equal
in round numbers TO the aggregate
area of Massachusetts. Connecticut.
New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
In 1870 there were only 3,400 farms
in the United States that embraced
more than 1000 acres each. In
1850 this had been multiplied by
nine-nearly 10000 In 1900 the
number of farms containing more
than 1000 acres had jumped to
nearly 5O,OO0-an increase OF near
ly sc per cent.
In 1880 twenty-five out OF every
hundred farmers in the United
States were tenant farmers. owning
no land of their own. working for
landlord on shares or paying rental
in some other way In 1900 more
than thirty-fve out of every hum
bred were working land that belong
ed 10 somebody else. Now. my
farmer friend. | could go on and fill
column after column with facts and
figures similar to those above. But
i lhiuh NntN " al Dt
sufficient TO at least interest you
quite a little.
Taking the last fifty years as
basis. it will only be a half century
until all of the farm and timber
lands will have passed into the
hands of a few Individuals few
rich landlords owning all
the land and millions of wage-slaves
filling the land. And remember.
YOU and your sons will not be land
lords but tenants. working for what
ever your master chooses 10 pay
YOU. Fifty years from now, under
the present system, you will have
one chance in five millions OF being
a landlord, and five million chances
to one of being a tenant. You say:
'All right. that is true. but how are
you Socialists going to help us?
What are you going to do for u.s."
Nothing, my friend. until you get