Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-09
MOULD SEND SAMMEES
BACK TO THE LAND"
foup of Senator'S Plan to Have
Farms offeped Each Re .
turning Soldier
FOR COMMUNITY SYSTEM
A1iusements and Guidance in Tilling
Soil to Be Provided ANA
teur Agriculturists
4 WILLIAM ATHERToN DU PUY


WASHINGTON. Nov. s.--when Sammet
cones marching home his governmental
uuele will meet him at the dock and offeI
hfin farm.
This proffer will be but single item in
aNast schemespow. fermlpg, and; ;Interased
PEOPLE who ctltiyAtssit% Farms will mot, ,sbe
in4de avalabl&for returning soldiers alone
htk to men left without jobs because OF
tha closing of all those industries called
iIto being a result of the war. They
Will be obtainable also by any worthy in,
dtFdual anywhere who believes. that' a
hone on the land is preferable TO whatever
other calling he may be following" t-
On other words, n serious attempt is TO
b&imade to solve the land question OF the
naaion by a group of powerful Senators who
aFa laying plans for driving the necessary
letislation through the Congress- which
nl1ets the first Monday In Decembers Mem
bgts of this group are Senators Kenyon.
GQfe. Harding. Smoot, Sheppard. Curtis.
WNdsworth and others Of similar standing.
9Ihe basis of their plans is farm colonlza-
tiap, backed by the Federal Government
These statesmen realize that two or three
ntillons of men from the armies win be
r9fased upon the labor market without
jqlF. They will come home at u time when
nlAhition factories are going out Of busi-
ness, when the great jmachfde which has
supplied the armies of Europe is being
sEapped. In the INDUSTRIES, of ace,..in
SHtes will have TO produce in competition
With the labor of Europe, famshed for an
opportunity to work for the means of re.
ESTABLISHING itself. There is a question if
manufacturers can compete with these pro-
dueers in the markets OF the world.
But this country. because of natural ad-
vqhtages, will always have the long end Of
the stick In the production of the raw ma
terlals of the soil. Therefore say these
statesmen let us prepare our people to
ufjze this natural advantage
s-Students of the land question of this
and other countries have long realized that
te4dencies were nearly all in the wrong
dhection," Senator Smoot told me today.
FOR decades, for generations even, there
hAe been the tendency of the land to con-
c4ptrate into the ownership of the few.
Tflfoughout this country large tracts are
etsrywhere owned by men of wealth. Many
Of these lie idle. They are being held for
SPECULATION. Where they are not idle they
are largely farmed by tenants. Tenant
f3fming is a dangerous institution in any
cpintry. The farmer loses all the charac-
tef-building influence of home ownership.
Eand under his cultivation is sure to de-
tefiorate
lftAside from tenant farming and idle land
there is the other dangerous tendency OF
the people to leave the farms and concen-
trate in the cities 1t has required an emer-
Etncy to awaken the people to doing some
thing to counteract that. tendency That
EMERGENCY is now at hand. The war has
bxpken down Nold lines There is unrest
abroad in the land. That unrest is among
pebple who are entirely detached from any
siEt of ownership. Men with no home ties,
n4thing to risk, are for chaos, for over.
turning established institutions"
7sfThe way to overcome the menace they
0fter is to convert them into home-owners.
TIC home-owner Is for law and order.
Every individual who is. established in home
fi1fparehin hpcpOopg "a AaOphOr m ~
- the part of the Government. 1t there
fore seems advisable that the Government
sxould take thought toward converting its
cHizens into home-owners."
Il STUDY ENGAlAS8 8iAN sss
3rhese Senator's have studied the plans
that are being most actively pushed in
England just now,t the colonization work
df the Germans before the war and the
isolated colonization schemes that have
bten successful in this country From all of
these they have outlined a plan of action
Which should result in the conversion of
the average worker in the city to sue
c8Rsful farmer.
frhey admit that this. is a, difficult thing
70 accomplish, that experience has shown
tltat 95 per cent Of city men placed on farms
afe failures; hut they say there is a way
"a make all this different and that they
Know the way. Senator Curtis introduced a
hgi last session which points this way and
HIS 10 ne AllDllIleu dnul.puSned this
sttn. Es -
EThe plan is built upon the principle that
Guy folk, in becoming farmers. must: be
hAhdled. not as individuals, but in colonies
The city man cannot know enough about
iabd TO buy it irtelligentIy or to attend TO
the multitude of requirements NECESSARY 10
hh success as farmer These men planted
fm mcolonies can have all the elements they
lafk supplied TO them from common
source.
"a colony should consist of a minimum Of
nNy families. It's nucleus is a community
ekbter. Here Is established the school, the
church. the community entertainment hail.
the motion-picture show, the postofice At
the community center also resides the COM
ntpnity manager. This man is a scientific
faFmer who knows all the wrinkles about
fBrming under the conditions that exist at
tbs spot. He also knows such things as
ctinmunlty marketing. Ly So. -
tfhe community manager farms a typical
tbact His is the demonstration farm OF the
c9lony. He is the living example to be FOL.
ltwed by the settlers. He grows just the
c{nps that will De most probable in 'Just
tte way they should be grown Every
fArmer may follow his example. He goes to
TIE farm Of each and shows him how
VAder this guidance the city man may grow
good crops -, -. T,
2trhe entire colony is grouped about the
cuinmunity center and the demonstration
fafm. None is more than a mile or two
gFay Their farms have been cut out OF
aene large tract of idle lard such as may
~ found almost anywhere 1t has been
6I,bdivided and homes built upon the small
tracts. All is in accordance with the best
Ftlentific methods A faruhouse is built
tH'accordance with plans Of the Department
Il Agriculture. which has devoted twenty
3tars to the development of the most eco
uomical and practical farmhouse. Tools,
Sow, horse, pigs andechicltens have been
QFtalled. The settler moves in with all
ttkse ready for him. Tia 'sSpense. Of the
Whole preparation has been charged up
4Iainst his farm. The price represents those
QBbts plus small profit He is TO have
tEenty years In which 10 pay for his farm.
IN this community settlement AL the diff
q4lties that have prevented the city man
ESTABLISHING himself on the farm are re.
|pved. In the first place. the home has
tItn developed for him by those who know