The Denver star., 1914-01-31
IMPORTANCE OF
Land movement
Former Naval Auditor Makes
Some Practical Suggestions.
MERIT IN PLAN OUTLINED.

Special Propaganda of Any One In
dividual or Race, but the Common
Privilege Of AII-south Has Album
dance Of Idle Territory.
By RALPH W. TYLER.
Owensboro, Ky.-The back to the
farm movement, which a few years
ago was the pet hobby Of DR.. Booker T.
Washington. has now become a veri-
table slogan with the whites of this
country. Quite recently prominent
white men, members of boards of
trade and chambers of commerce in
the large cities of the south. appeared
in Washington as a committee and pc
titioned the commissioner of immigra-
ton to turn the tide of foreign immi-
grafton arriving daily in New York
form the great west to the southeast
ern states.
This indicates that the whites want
the vast area of unimproved farm
lands in that section developed and
they welcome the Italian. the Greek.
Russian Jew. Slav. Pole or Hungari-
an immigrant to the south for that
purpose. Once the tide of foreign I'M
migration is diverted to the fertile
southeast it will continue until all OF
the more than 100000 acres of un-
improved farm lands in that section
are taken mp. and made to enrich the
tillers and to supply the country WITH
farm products. the insufficiency of
which at present contributes to the
high cost of living.
What are termed the southeastern
states include Alabama, Florida, Ken
lucky. Mississippi, North and South
Carolina. Georgia. Tennessee and Vir-
Einia. states whose colored population
ut present Is 6.5OO.OOO, nearly two
thirds of the entire colored population
of the country. OF this 6.5OO.O00 in
the southeastern states fully one-half
is crowded into congested quarters of
the large cities. where they must bat
| tie fiercely amid insanitary surround
| ings and prejudiced labor unions for
ate future.
| W Tue ia-u Is uo louSeT lIie
exclusive propag ganda OF DR.. Washing
ton. Every state in the Union is EN-
| phaSizin- Il hy IN iirtaining one or
more splendidly equipped agricultural
! colleges. in which scientific farming is
! taught the young white men and wom-
en-. 1t is emphasized by big white
| syndicates buying up farm acreage for
| speculation. in anticipation of the real
ization of this assured back to the
farm movement Alabama has H.
03S.I3l acres of unimproved farm
l4.655.396 acres. Kentucky 1854 1886
acres. Mississippi l.IO2.3I3 acres.
North Carolina l3.626oI3 acres. South
! Carolina I.4l4.O29 acres. Tennessee
9,l5l.lT3 acres and Virginia 9.625.5IS
acres.
There is now splendid opportunity
for cooperative movement among
our people which will have for its pur-
pose the purchasing of much of these
more than IS,o00.uoo acres of unim,
proved farm lands in the southeast and
to convert them into productive fields
of truck crops. waving grain. stock
MissiSSippi'S soil will yield l2l bushels
of corn to the acre. and Sonth Caro-
iinas soil has yielded over 200 bushels
OF this much demanded grain to the
acre Wheat. long considered the mo
nopoly Of the north and west. has been
grown in Georgia and North Carolina.
with yield OF fifty bushels to the
acre. and in the southeast oats. nnoth-
er crop long considered exclusively In
digenous to the plains OF the north
and west. have yielded sixty bushels
and more TO the acre.
| false notion. too long holding him
| in fetterS has caused the Negro to re
| gard the farm aS the rightful sphere of
| the untutortl and the crowded city the
proper haven for those who have Sc
cured smattering uf the dead Ian
| gungeS and faint understanding ot
the pythagorean theorein. The resui,
| has been that into the crowded cities
Negroes have rushed only I" ind III
| most Instances they can hardly have
| elbow r,ntn: that race prejudice In
| creaseS In prornrtou ns their numbers
| increase and that the dreamed ot fn-
| ture OF wealth ami ease Is. after ali
but II mirage which ,eads on to n
maelstrum in which many ultimately
founder.