Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-22
SECRETARY LANE ON
SOLDIER LAND BILLS
Discusses Measure Offered by Herbert Myrick
as Substitute for One He Advocates
and Makes Reply to Criticism.

Of Massachusetts, under conditions
which shall furnish an unanswerable
demonstration Of the ability of Mas
sachusetts to become measurably
self-sustaining. and 10 create condi-
tions of rural life even superior to the
attractions of town life when the ad-
vantages of economic independence
and social equality are weighed in
the scale.
There are no deserts" in Massachu-
setts. not many "swamps." and there
Is very little distance" We found
land within sight of the Boston state
house. just outside the city limits. ad-
mirably suited to our purpose. We
found other land within TWENTY-FIVE
miles of Boston. with steam and cleo
trio transportation. that can he pur-
chased for So to SIS per acre in solid
tracts of thousands of acres and con-
verified into the most ideal farms and
homes at cost comparing most
favorably with any other part of the
United States. We found still other
lands fifty miles from Boston, tens
Of thousands of acres. offering every
advantage for diversified farming and
the most attractive conditions of
country life, which can be purchased
| on extraordinary terms and brought
to a high state of production at a
| cost which any industrious soldier
can meet under the terms of the pend
ing legislation.
Development of Resources the Aim.
Let no man sign Mr.. Myrick's petit
ton under the mistaken apprehen-
sion that we propose to divert the
best young blood of Massachusetts.
| with all the term implies in the way
of energy. thrift and ambition. to
distant swamps and deserts" when
they prefer farms i'm their own
states" On the contrary, we propose
to conserve and develop the resources
of Observation-Disclosures human re-
sources, as well as her resources OF
land and water, of farm and field. And
. in the process of doing SO we propose
to broaden her economic foundation
and raise her standard of citizenship.
Mr.. Myrick is mistaken in another
| important particular. He says: mo
man or family, even with some capt.
| tai, should seek to own a farm upon
which to rely for a living and a
modest competency until they have
! learned at least something about
practical farming" His mistake con-
sists in permitting himself to i'm
| agine that any man possessing a par
ticle of common sense could think
nfh a reSnnnlihle
public men at Washington, in and out
I of Congress and the administration.
/ could think of putting an utterly I'M
skilled man upon a farm, even under
the best conditions.
| We took 100000 men from all
walks of life and trained them for
the hardest job on earth-the job of
whipping the German army. They
made good on the job.
| Seventy-f1ve per cent of the soldiers
who have applied for employment
with a view of acquiring homesteads
later had valuable farming experience
before they went to war Not only
SO, but there will be ample oppor-
tunity during the period necessarily
required for the organization and
construction of projects to give the
| men a thorough course ct Lsiruction.
/ They will have ...ie advantage of the
best leadership and of high example
| in every department of their work.
Both the leadership and the demon
| stration of methods will be of the
, downright practical sort.
other Alleged Errors.
Thus as Mr.. Myrick was mistaken
about sending the boys away from
their home states and localities, SO
he is equally mistaken about permit
ting them to start without practical
! knowledge and experience. He is
even in greater error in making this
statement, which is a part OF the pc
tition he asks his readers to sign:
Better farms, better homes. better
markets are obtained at less cost in
regions already developed"
Our preliminary investigators lead
me to believe that we can purchase
lard so situated as to be able TO
place it's fresh products IN the Rcs-
ton market every day: that We can
clear, level and drain that land, ano
make up any broad deficiency IN is
chemical qualities. according to its
peculiar needs; that we can build
houses, barns and fences for indiric-
ual farms; that we can construct good
roads leading to a community center
with its school, church. post office,
store and public hall-all the facili-
ties of organized social, intellectual
and commercial activity-at an aver
age cost of 500 per acre.
The lowest unit of settlement should
be one hundred families. while FIVE
hundred or one thousand families
would be proportionately better. This
number of people going upon the land
practically at one time, considered in
connection with all the Improvements,
public ard private. will very greatly
enhance the value of the land. This
is important to the government since
it will materially increase the value
Of its security, and it is far more I'M
portant to the soldier settler. 1t
gives him a fine start in his fight for
a competence, for he VIII become the
beneficiary of the "unearned incre-
ment" rather than the victim. as he
would be in entering community
already established. In the one case
he gets the incrsment; in the other
he pays it.
Challenges Comparisons.
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