Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1914-07-30
Town Making VS.. Town Breaking.

As>>e eAAe VIC nave tdhdUll
reached the period where we must
think and plan. l am one of the slow
German farmers that mad to be shown
and now l am giving my experience
that others may profit, for knowledge
is more expensive now than ten years
ago.
Twenty-Five years ago l began my
farm career. l had an old team and
$50. Our furniture was mostly home
made-chairs, cupboard and lounge
made from dry goods boxes, neatly
covered with 10c cretone by my girl
wife. We rented eighty acres. Being
boy of good habits got all needed
machinery and groceries of our home
merchants on credit, until fall crops
were sold. The first year was a wet
season and l did not make enough to
pay creditors. l went to each on date
Of promise and explained conditions,
paying as much to each as possible,
and they all carried the balance over
another year. They continued to &C
commodate me until l was able to
buy forty-acre piece of my own.
AS soon as l owned these few acres
the mail-order houses began sending
me catalogues, and gradually began
sending my lose change to them, let
ting my accounts stand in my home
town, where 1 had gotten my accom-
m Od tiOn when I uaodod a.
We then had one of the thriftiest
little villages in the state-good line
of business in all the branches, mer-
chants who were willing to help an
honest fellow over a bad year, and a
town full of people who came twice
week to trade and visit. Our little
country town supported a library, a
high school, band, ball team, and we
had big celebrations every year. A
farm near live town soon doubles
in value. I sold my forty acres at a
big advance and bought an eighty,
gradually adding to it until had 200
acres of the best land in Iowa.
then felt no need of asking favors,
and found 1t easy to patronize the
mail order agents that came almost
weekly to our door. l regret to say
that l was the first in the county to
make up neighborhood bill and
send 1t to mail order house. Though
we got bit every once in a while, we
got in the habit of sending away for
stuff. Gradually merchants lessened
their stocks of goods for lack Of pat
ronage. Finally we began to realize
that when we needed a bolt quickly
for machinery, or clothing for sick
ness or death, we had to wait and
send away for 1t, which wasn't so
pleasant. One by one our merchants
moved to places where they were ap-
preciated, and men of less energy
moved in. Gradually our town has
gone down; our business houses are
"tacky" in appearance, a number are
empty, our schools, churches and
walks are going down, we have no
band, no library nor ball team. There
is no business done in the town, and
therefore no taxes to keep things up.
Hotel is closed for lack of travel Go
down to the depot when the freight
pulls in and you see the sequel in
mail order packages.
Nine years ago my farm was worth
1885 an acre; today I'd have a hard
matter to sell it for $167 an acre. 1t
IS too far from a live town-so every
farmer has said that wants to buy.
He wants a place near schools and
churches, where his children can
have advantages. I nave awakened
to the fact that in helping to pull the
town down, 1t has cost me $500 in
nine years. Like the majority of
farmers, 1 didn't figure far enough
ahead.
This sort of business means the
doing away of country towns. What
will 1t mean to farmers to have only
few large cities at a distance of
500 or 1000 miles? What are we go
ing to do with our children, who are
demanding even better advantages
than we had?
Those cities we help to build re-
turn no favors; they take our money
but offer no credit In time of need. II
we want high schools, etc., we must
raise the money and build near our
farm homes or send our boys and
girls to the cities at great expense
amidst temptations of which the farm
has no equal. Neither am l the only
awakening farmer. These mail order
agents that come to our homes every
week are becoming a nuisance and
making 1t unsafe to leave women and
children alone on the farm. With
farm cordially, we take these strang
ern into our homes, often as one OF
the family, and we are sometimes
paid In having them entice our girls