The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-11-22
organized in Chicago.

OrSdHlZeu III OnlcaRO.
The figures which have been gathered
show that such monopoly does not ex-
list, in the sense that is probably most
often computed to it, in that there are
few large bodies of land held for spec
ulatlve purposes and not adequately
cultivated. But there is a monopoly in
the sense that nearly all of the arabic
land in this country is now in private
ownership and is therefore to be pur-
chased only at competitive prices, which
are generally high. You can buy
piece of land in almost any part of the
country. but you will have to pay a
price which is based upon a speculation
as to what the land will be worth in the
future, as well as upon what it will
produce, and you will have to take such
a tract as you can get, with such i'm
provements as chance to be upon 1t,
rather than tract Of the size you want
and are able to pay for. In a word, you
must be something of capitalist to be-
come farmer. This means that the
classes of people which haye most need
for land cannot get it.
The land area of the United S ates is
about l. 903, 600, 900 acres. Of this 879,-
900, 900 is in farms, and ATS, 900, 900 of
the amount in farms is improved, &C
cording to census figures of 1910. An
estimate of the area actually in crops
at about the same time placed this
area at 3l8, SIC, 600 acres. OF the area
which was in farms but not in crops
about POI, 100000 was IN pasture, in
GLIDING both woodland and grass land.
There remained, it will be seen, large
areas in farms that were not improved
and. large areas that are not included in
farms at all. Of course, much of this
land is not arabic, but it is estimated
that in 1910 there were $4,000, 900 acres
of arabic land which had not been i'm
proved.
The existence of this large area is
the basis Of the charge that there is
land monopoly-that with the country
facing shortage of foodstuffs millions
of acres are held uncultivated for spec
ulative or other reasons. But further
analysis shows that 80, 600, 0CO acres of
irrigable land had not been placed under
irrigation, that 100000 acres of
draiHable land had not been drained.
that 1876, 000, 900 acres Of the arabic
land were to be classified as dry
farming" lands, the cultivation Of
which is a somewhat uncertain venture,
and that 80, 900, 900 acres of this land is
included in cities and villages.
The total arabic land remaining unac-
counted for is 1876, 100000 acres. Some
of this is held in great tracts by rail-
| roads and lumber companies. some of
it in private estates. but the total con-
| trolled in all of these ways is not large
enough to be an important factor in the
problem. Most of the lumber com
panies are Offering their cut-over lands
for sale, and if the sale is slow 1t is
generally not because the price is I'M
reasonable, but because the cost of re-
moving the stumps and brush is HIGHS
Likewise large tracts held by the
Northern Pacific Railroad are offered
at what the Department Of Agriculture
considers reasonable prices.
Most of the arabic land not under
cultivation is in relatively small farms.
Many Southern farms contain an I'M
due proportion of land lying fallow and
of woodland, while many Western
farms have large tracts Of open land
that might be cultivated So the ara
bic land of this country has not been
developed to capacity, but the increase
of production and Of ownership of land
must be an intensive rather than an ex-
tensive process.