Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-18
Battery of Children Headed
by a Woman Required
of Every Tenant.
CITY PARASITE
EXPLOIT FARMER
Editor IS es-r, -. e;... e.....
tionaI Testing e.for. Federal In
du'triaI Cor 4'ion'' Land 'rv.ssl-
sation-Ii $ Opportunity For Far-
mer to s.uire Own Homs-Mas
jority Of arms Arc Mortsassd.

Dallas. Texas. March 1s.-Alleged. de-
mand OF land owners for children to
work on southwestern tenant farms
were described in the federal Industrial
commissions land investigation today.
by Pat Nagle OF Kingfisher. Mr.. Na@ls
is editor Of the Tenant Farmer He
said:
The word force. when referring to
Oklahoma farm lands. does not mean q
Bowie knife or a pistol. but battery
OF children with woman at thei1
head"
Mr.. Nagle then read into the records
two letters from a land owner residing
in Mclean county advising that tho
tenant to go on one Of his farms must.
have plenty of force He also tests
fed to an eviction of an Oklahoma tenA
ant who was put off the land because
he had no children. This tenant was
old and a young farmer with force
and a young wife had offered to take
the farm If given immediate posses<
sion. The witness offered to give priS
vately to the commission tho name %
the town which this eviction was puu
thru by a town court.
Oklahoma Farms Piastersd.
Mr. Magic. testifying today In tho
hearing said:
I'm eastern Oklahoma about two4
thirds of the farmers are renters, In
western Oklahoma, formerly Oklahosma.
territory, one third are renters and
two-thirds own their land. Total rent>
ers in Oklahoma now are 100000 OF
$4,000 farmers owning their land 90 per
cent are mortgaged."
Mr.. Nagle described what he sal0
were typical conditions in the state ~
shown In one county OF 5000 faIansssv
one-third of whom were renters. OF
the 1000 owning farms, so per cent
We're mortgaged. He said: {a
I'm this county Is county seat and
two electric light towns. In tho elecS
trio light towns are grouped appeuxis
mately 100 parasites Of the first de-
gree. These parasites are interlock0dx,
Ii the bank that exploited the farmer
thru usury should decry the graft OF
the grain men. what would happen
The grain men would charge usury.
withdraw his deposits from tho bank
and report the matter to the state grain
dealers association and this commit
tee would take the matter up with tho
banks correspondents In Kansas City.
Chicago and New York, and the banks,
Mr.. Nagle said mills. elevators and
other business in small towns help
more or less to exploit farmers. Ha.
added:
The parasites are virtually autos.
Gratis in their little kingdom. They con-
troll the press. The papers In electric.
light towns are careful not to publish
anything to enighten the farmers as
to the inner workings OF these inter-
locked groups They control the
church. They distribute themselves
among various churches of the com-
munity and IL the minister should de.
nounce their methods they would with
draw their influence and support.
To this system of alleged control by
comm ercial interests of small towns,
Mr.. Nagle charged was due the fact
that 80 per cent of the farms were
mortgaged. The other farmers, he said
escaped mortgages by side lines in adj
dition to farming.