Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-01-08

one Of the most fruitful causes oil
Insanitary housing. This IS probably
the largest single cause contributu.
- tuberculosis, and an increasing
number ot counties have thought II
necessary TO build and maintain san.
dfgr'3 for tubcrcuiar patients.
n g r0' enough that the state take
care for ms dependents. II has Il right
and it D, lis duty. 10 prevent such de-
pendcugy wherever possible Other
states long since have enacted laws
10 prevent the building Of houses
which would be inimical 10 the pu5.
lie health
The Time has come when Illinois
should adopt some kind of 4 housing
code. li such code mad been adopt
ed half century ago. without need
less burden To anyone We would today
have good housing conditions through.
Oh, the State. And so, if looking 70
the future. we should adopt such q
code now. ,heslums. which are the
breeding place OF disease and crime.
would begin to disappear, Such q
code might properly be very leulent
towards conditions "a they now exist.
but by rigIdly controlling the future
would inaugurate a better day.
Agriculture.
There IS another problem pressing
hard upon Us now 4 great proportion
OF our farm land is no longer occupi.
ed by the owners. Fhe market value
Of these lands is so high that il IS
increasingly difficult for the tenant
10 purchase farm, as he did in for
n.er days. Land banks have been es.
tabllshed by the government, bat they
do lot help materially in states like
Illinois. With proper provision, the
government could safely lend, as in
Denmark, a large per cent OF the fair
cash value Of the farm This amount
could be amortlIed on the basis OF u
low rate OF interest, such as the gov
eminent pays upon its securities. and
could De extended over long period
OF years, so tina, AT the end Of period
the farm would be paid for.
However. 10 enable the young man.
who is just starting out as a farmer
10 ge- into a Position to do this. some
changes must be made in our laws re
lating 20 landlord and tenant The
most general form Of lease in use. at
the present time, is contract for
one wear without amy reference to
the future He would not be human
II he did not do SO. This means a
constant appreciation Of the land. and
the landlord and the tenant seem 10
be in a conspiracy to ruin the fields
IS rapidly as possible the landlord
eNac'ing the highest rent possible
and the tenant taking from the land
all the fertility that he can This
condition. if permitted, viii lead sure
j. TO the ruin Of such lands. /, has
been said truly that there are three
parties 20 d lease OF d farm-the land
lord. the tenant and the land itself.
but the land cannot speak. And if il
is to be conserved for future geuer
ations, the State must speak in its
stead
lie, lis not persist in the mistake We
have made 50 long. The Mississippi
Valley has been rightly called the
ggana.y Of the world. But if our az
Glculture in the next hundred years
snail be no better than during the last
hundred, at the end OF that time the
Mississippi valley will be dotted with
abandoned farms You cannot sub.
tract from the soil forever, adding
nothing, without finally reducing the
remainder.
! know this is difficult problem,
but it must be met in some way. II
earnestly hope that the Legislature
will take the question up seriously
for feel certain, il it does, some oro-
gress will be made towards its So
luton 1t may be found desirable to
prescribe certain form of lease by
which a certain proportion Of the
Iarm VIII be sown in some legume
each year. 1t may be necessary to
provide that when the tenant has in
creased the fertility of the soil or mas
made improvements, the owner shall
not, at the expiration Of the lease, be
permitted either to raise the rent or
Dust the tenant until he shall have
paid the tenant for the unexhaustel
increase OF fertility, or for the i'm |
proFements This would tend to give
the tenant new interst in the land, /
and would improve his methods of
farming. at present, there is no DOS |
sible inducement to HIM to make the |
farm better since it may be taken |
from him at the end Of the year. Ii
would also have the effect in my
opinion, of lengthening the average
life of farm leases, which. in itself !
would help the agriculture of the /
State.
| also urge the continued support .
Of so-called Farm bureaus in the .
State. Those counties which have |
had farm advisor longest have made .
the greatest progress in increased pro
iuction and in increased prosperity
Tor al the farmerS-for the tenants.
and those owning the farms they till.