The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-11-02
TO PROVIDE FOR RETURNING
SOLDIERS

Great Britain, France and the United
States are giving much consideration to the
problem of providing for the thousands OF
soldiers incapacitated for further military
service Many have already returned to
Great Britain from the battle fronts and
plans are being formulated for placing
these men, and those who will follow them,
on farms, where they may be self-support-
ing and of valuable aid in the prosecution
of the war.
The state government of Victoria, Aus
tralia, has appropriated $11.250.0OO with
which to provide farms and livestock and
equipment for returning soldiers.
The problem of utilizing former soldiers
confronting this country at the close of the
civil war and will be presented at the close
Of the present war. In the sixties it was
met through the vast extent of fertile pub
lie lands open to entry. Now. 1T will be
necessary to place most of the men on
privately owned lands.
California proposes to purchase land to
be assigned by the state at low prices and
on easy terms to men of limited means.
There is opposition to the plan on the
ground that It will result in inflated values
and that similar previous experiments have
failed
Colonization plans usually fail. not be-
cause the land is too costly, or the basic
theory of the project faulty. bat for the
very sufficient reason that proper care is
not exercised in choosing the men who are
TO be placed on the land.
Regardless of the oratory of political and
domestic economists, agriculture is a sci
ence. Men without agricultural training
cannot make successful farmers. Men who
have done farm work in one section prob
ably will not succeed in another until they
have learned the local condition peculiar
to that locality. Any attempt to place
large numbers of men from other walks of
life directly upon small tracts of land must
fail. The idea is impractical--almost Grim
1nal. Ten acres will bring YOU wealth and
independence has lured more men to dis
phrase ever coined
That doesn't mean that the returning
soldiers cannot become successful farmers
Agriculture probably offers them a more
certain future than any other field of en-
deavor. But they must be- laugh. how to
farm. That is the governments big work
in making them valuable to the govern
ment and to themselves.
Any industrious man of ordinary in
telligence can earn big returns from his
labor on West Florida soil The opror-
tunities here are unlimited The land is
cheap and natural conditions deal We
can place thousands of returning soldiers
most advantageously and make it possible
for them to produce foodstuffs which will
add greatly to the wealth of the nation
As a first step, the government should
establish large demonstration farm in
Vest Florida-an expansion of its present
agricultural extension work-for the train
ing of men returned from the military and
naval service After these men have re-
ceived course of training they could safe
ly be placed on farms and financed by the
government during their first year and the
great majority of them would succeed. The
problem is not serious one, but it can
only be solved by making intelligent
preparation.
West Florida will welcome the soldier
farmers. but West Florida wants them to