Baxter Springs news., 1919-03-07
LAND TENANTRY BILL

Topeka, March 3.-The land tenant
program of Governor Allen has q
more hopeful appearance now than at
any time since it was first presented
to the legislature by the governor.
The house defeated the proposition
early in the week through the efforts
Of the insurance companies which
lend large sums on Kansas farms, the
loan agents and q few conservatives
who object to seeing Kansas straying
from the straight and narrow path Of
standpatism.
But the senate is working out plans
for q hand tenantry program for the
governor that Is going to check 1t
squarely up to the house on the ques-
ton Of whether or not the plan should
be submitted to the people at the next
election. Numerous conferences were
held Saturday and the plans now call
for final action on the amendment to
the constitution not later than We'd
nesday in the senate.
"The great mistake many members
of the legislature make in opposing
this proposition is that they think it
is q dream" said Governor Allen Sat-
urday. Denmark has had it for many
years. New Zealand has had it for
years and both these governments 60
much farther than hes ever been pro-
posed in Kansas. California is now
putting the proposition into operation.
Other governments have the same
plan in operation in various ways and
our own government tried to make
this nation one of home owners by
giving away its lands to homestead
ers.
Every man who has been. success
full can look back in his life and mark
the time when someone gave him
start, little help of some kind, loan
of money, the use of some material,
an opportunity. They talk about self
made men, but every self-made man
had to make start somewhere, some
how and usually someone offered him
the opportunity.
"All that is proposed in Kansas is
to have the state help worthy men to
get the start they need. They may be
new timber or they may have been un-
lucky. All that is proposed is to have
knock at the door Of the
man and extend the helping Of the
state for his own advancement and
and the betterment of |
the commonwealth.
"The insurance companies and the
loan companies which have been main
tanning lobby before the legislature
to defeat this bill are laboring under
2 delusion. The submission Of this
and its adoption by the
people is not going to hurt them a
single penny. The proposed amend
ment is to help those the loan COM
panies cannot help at the present
time. l am informed that the loan
had unusually good bust
ness last year, some Of them the big
gest business in their history, in the
face of the fact that the United States
farm loan system was in active COM
petition with them. The same COM
panies which are fighting the state
plan fought the governments farm
lOan plan on the theory that it would
nurt their business. Yet the govern
nent's loan banks did not decrease
business Of the insurance companies
or the loan agencies at all.
"The proposal before the legislature
s going to make future customers for
he loan companies and the insurance
seeking farm loans. The
tate purposes to help the men who
,annOt be helped by these private con-
.erns now, and sooner or later, the
ncn given an opportunity by the state
o own their farms, will become GUS
'mers of these same agencies. The
tate's plan is to assist the men with
ut canital" |"