Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-11-25
BORAH POINTS OUT
REAL SOLUTION OF
LIVING PROBLEM
In Letter to George w. Per
kins Idaho Senator Sc
verely Arraigns Govern
ment for Treatment of
West.

Washington, Nov. 25.-A severe ar
raignment of the attitude Of the gov
ernment toward the western states is
contained in letter written by Sena-
tor Borah of Idaho to George w. Per-
kins Of New York, in reply to the lat
ter's recent suggestions Of remedies
for the high cost of living problem
Senator Borah declares that more
farms and more farmers would furnish
the lasting cure, and that the reclama-
ton Of the unoccupied lands of the
west would relieve the situation.
The east is called upon to aid in the
work which the west has undertaken.
The letter of Senator Borah follows:
my Dear Mr.. Perkins:
'T have been interested in your dis
cussion OF the high cost Of living and
the remedy. 1 find myself in SYM
pathy with your suggestions. I was
also much interested in the presidents
suggestion to the farmers to raise more
crops. In view Of the fact that the
west in a political way has put itself
upon the map, I hope 1t will not be
considered an intrusion IL 1t inter-
poses itself into this economic dis
cussion also.
MORE FARMS AND FARMERS.
while considering the wise sugges-
tions as to central markets, auto trucks
and a thorough system of distribution
and the raising of more farm products,
would it not be we'll to consider the
broader and even more lasting remedy
of providing for more farms and Sc
curing more farmers.
In the west are millions of
acres of fine agricultural lands
dedicated to nonuse through
short sighted policy Of the gov
ernment. In the great south are
vast areas of fertile swamp
lands awaiting some practical
constructive policy to open them
up to. anxious settlers.
GRAVE MENACE PRESENTED.
IF one will study the figures show
ing the rapid increase of population in
our cities and proportionally speaking
the startling decrease in our farming
population he will find in such figures
grave menace to the happiness and
contentment of our people, a menace
which 1t ought to be our every effort
to avert. There Is being brought
about a situation which no system of
distribution, however essentially wise
it may be, can little more than mollify.
And we have been disposed to accent
uate through fnrnental action
| rather than to lessen this tendency
| thus to build up the cities and re-
tard the growth of the producing
areas.
"A few years ago under the misno-
mer of conservation we tied up, incor-
porated into forest reserves and other
Withdrawals, millions of acres upon
which nature never grew a tree and
of the finest agricultural lands, Mil,
| lions of the same acres are still locked
up.
EMIGRATION TO CANADA.
During the five years pre-
ceding the war in Europe we lost
each year 100000 homesteaders
who passed through the great
west and on into Canada, where
they took up farm lands, re-
nounced their allegiance to this
government and swore allegiance
to another in order to get that of
which we had an abundance but
which through mistaken policy
we were Withholding from them.
They were unwilling to be sub
jected to the surveillance and
the persecution which have been
visited upon the settlers Of the
west for number of years.
True, we have .aw by which theo-
| retically speaking settlers can go into
the forest reserves and locate agricul-
49,
ings it amounts to an inhibition against
securing such lands. A policy which
withholds or discourages the bona fide
settler in taking up these lands is not
simply an act of folly it is measured by
its effect upon the welfare of our whole
people a crime-no other word ex-
presses it.
ENTERPRISES CHECKED.
Furthermore, our irrigation enter
prises have been checked for want of
funds to go forward. Mr. Lane in his
first report, a most brilliant and in
structbve document as secretary of the
interior recommended the use of $780,
100000 in the reclamation of our arid
lands and stated in most conclusive
way the necessity for 1t. But nothing
along that line has been done of late.
There are large areas of agricultural
lands upon which settlers have been
waiting for months and years hoping
| that the government would put water
upon the land to enable them to re-
claim 1t.
I'VE appropriate money for rivers
and harbors one half of which is sheer,
shameless waste II not worse. But we
starve the appropriations for the rec
lamafinn of arid lands The last riuara