Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-12-02
Money Loaned Allies Would Have Given Every Tenant
 Farmer $500.
ON HOME E-OWNERS
 RESTS THE NATION
Ferguson Urges Wealthy to Loan His Own Countryman, and Big Problem of Future Is Settlcd-POtatOes
 Should Be More Popular.


 Ferguson of Texas, in an address be fore the National Conference Ql Marketing and Farm Credits here to day, said that the land question i before the American people, an' made an appeal to capitalists to stud, the problem: and to help the homeles to buy homes, by loaning, but not giv ing, them the necessary funds.
 He said there are today 2,500,O0t tenant farmers in the United State: as against less than 1,000,000 thirty years ago. This he considered evi dence of the growing importance o adopting a land colicy.
 1 The loan made and the loans vel to be made the warring nations o1 Europe he said, would lend to every tenant farmer ss,0OO enough to start them on the road to land ownership Governor Ferguson said, in part:
 "We are absolutely alarmed at the growth Of that school of political eco- nomy which stands for psnlic owner ship of all property and the with holding of private ownership by any
 "We find that with the growth ui this idea the growth of the number ot tenant farmers has increased in a greater proportion. The number o1 less than million thirty years ago, has increased to two and half mil lion at present. Step by step a spirit Of unrest seems to be spreadins throughout the nation and uncon- sciously we ask Ourselves who will finally preserve this republic. "Silently but surely we are ap- preaching a crisis in our history as a. people. We att this time are face to face with influences that may threaten us from afar and at home. We must protect ourselves from those who might attack us from without and save ourselves iron, these who would destroy us from within. The first may be accom- plishsd with the sword, but the sec ond can. only be accomplished with the plowshare.
 Build the small home and this re- public is safe. The self interest of those who would own hcmes would save it from every invader ana usurper. Did you ever hear of man taking his gun and defending a boarding house? No, but history is replete with the valor of yeomen of many ages who laid their lives upon the altar of a nome.
 "Oh, but you ask, Would force the | rich to buy homes for the poor? MO- thousand times, no. But do bold 1 ly declare that if in this country those who have and can do fer others continue to lose sight of the great | need Of a homeless people who have not and cannot do for themselves, by themselves, they are inviting further trouble, which may grow all too soon | to a. degree too serious to contem- plate.
 "Within the last twelve months the financial interests of this country have loaned the nations of Europe one billion dollars and in another lhwelve months ws learn they are te loan them another billion, making l two billions. This action will do and has done, more harm than any other one thing that has been done it does not prepare us to delenH ourselves agains'. others, but makes us indirectly a party to transactlor that has excited the anlnoslty of oul people against the government where such loans are made.
 "Ycu will perhaps be astonisHet when I call your attention to the fac that this two billion dollars woui' make a loan of -$S00.00 to every ten ant farmer in the United States Enough money tc' stant them all ol tbe road to ownership of land. An' mind you, the loan would be just a. lsafe and secure, and-in my opinion better than the loan to- tho warrln: nations of Europe.
 "Let him that hath loan, (not give to his own countryman that hath not and Old Glory will wave long an: proudly over this land of the free an' the brave.
 "I hope the day will never com
 when the government will have t' ltake up this burden of settling it Ivast untitled domain by direct con tract with the individual, but if capl tai shall lose sight of it's moral obll
 gation to lend assistance ito thos
 who need it, the government may b
 driven to a drastic exercise of 1t
 police powers in order not only t
 protect it's citizenship, but even 7
 perpetuate it's own existence.
 q appeal to the capitalists of thi nation to study these great question and to become imbued with patrl
 otic purpose to do something. to re Iturn ms to the good old principles c
 all individual and free Democrac!
 Help the homeless in every state
 buy homes. By so, doing you not onl
 produce citizenship that will pre
 serve and protect your property bl
 you will have the consolation ths lyou have lived to bless mankind.
 Potato Growing Obstacles.
 Prot. H. F. Horton, of the wsl!a' D department ri the Ans :ican Steel