Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-01-28
Committee Appointed by Governor
Clarke Makes Report.
$4,000, 900 ACRES OF IOWA
BEST LAND IN WORLD.
Practical Suggestions Looking
Toward Agricultural Improve
ment i'm Iowa by Men Who
know.

members of the committee were Jonn
Cownie, of Des Moines; Eugene Sc
cor. of Forest City, and F. ID. Steen,
of West Liberty. A comprehensive
study of conditions and needs was
made by these men and their report
has inst been forwarded to the gov
ernor. The report follows:
THE governor of the state of Iowa
has asked this committee to outline
briefly some of the agricultural
needs of the state, which needs we
herewith set forth along lines OF pro-
duction, distribution, cooperation,
marketing and credits.
The 35,O00,OO0 acres of land OF
the state taken as whole is a body
of more uniformly good land than
can be found anywhere else on the
globe. 1t reaches within 200 miles
Of the greatest grain and live stock
market of the world. Its eastern
and its western boundaries are two
mighty rivers capable of bearing i'm
mense tonnage of navigation. 1t is
crossed by a number Of the trunk
lines of very important railway sys-
tens. It's soil, rainfall and climate
are such that, since it's settlement
by white people, no serious crop
failure has been experienced. These
same conditions operate to make 1T
possible for most products of the
temperate zone to be produced here
in abundance. Iowa is the very cen
ter of the corn belt and excels in the
production of that cereal. It's peo-
pie are industrious, law-abiding and
intelligent, and will compare favora-
bly, with people of any other part of
the world.
Notwithstanding these many ad-
vantages, the agriculture OF the
state has needs of very far-reachlng
character.
The most obvious of these needs
is the recasting OF the present sys-
TEN OF land teancy. At present 40
per cent of the farms of the state are
occurred by tenants. Most OF the
leases run for but one year; few
are for three years, and some for
five years. THIS system of short
term tenancy is bad for the land
lord, worse for the tenant, and
worse for the land.
The general practice OF farm ten
ancy takes but very little into &C.
count the all-important factor of re-
tanning or improving the fertility OF
the land. No structures too severe
can he employed to condemn the
very general practice of depicting
soil fertility. The greatest Often
der is the landlord. 1t is within his
power to bring about change. The
tenant is compelled, because of high
rent and the short-term lease, tC
wiring from the land all possible re-
turns. He cares but little for re
turning any fertility back to the soil
because next year, doubtless, he viii
move elsewhere. Such system Of
tenancy robs the land, depriyes the
landlord Of possible returns, and de
stroys in the tenant the interest NJ
should have in the soil, the building
and other improvements. 1t makes
him careless as to the claims OF TIT
school, the church, the roads ant
general neighborhood welfare. Ii
short. it makes of him, against hi
will, perhaps, citizen who canno
discharge his high duties as mem
her Of the commonwealth.
We need laws, both federal ant
state, that will compel consideration
of the land in all leases, making 1
the chief factor of Importance, to b'
followed later by the claims OF TIT
tenant and the landlord. We nee'
mandatory laws providing for com
pensation to tenants for improve
ment both of the soil and of build
ings. And then we need laws AM
general practice providing a sane
rational and intelligent system o
land tenure, which must place frs
in importance the claims of the land
Another very serious need OF tn
farmers of the state Of Iowa Is u
learn more generally the advantage
of cooperation. They are, indeed
reaping the benefits of cooperation
in some instances, namely, in mutua
insurance, cooperative creamerie
and cooperative elevators. But tn
great body of farmers of the stat
are strangers even to these, eXcep
the first. The western farmers grew
up in isolation on the diferen
farms, each family seeking to pro
duce as many of its necessities a
was possible. Self-dependence wa
almost the predominant and all-im
portant virtue. When other line