Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1920-08-20

August - ISSUE "a nv D~'---t
Gentleman
The press ard periodicals Of the
country are today full of information
reztfye 70 the desertion of the farm
BY the farmers and tne impending
threatened famine with which Ee are
confronted They all recognize the
facts as shown By questiOnairres and
close observers and there Is 10 quss-
ton that the conditions they portray
are true, but they have been missing
the fact that the present condition 3
the result OF years Of failure On the
part Of The fsnciers and economists
10 recognize the condition which Is the
inevitable result Of wrong economic
principle Il is not directly due 70 the
recent war and labor conditions
TIE farm situation is not 2 phass
Of our postwar readjustments; il IS
the result Of years Of unconcious ab-
sorption o. facts BY farmers and edu-
cation 0f the farmers themselves Al
OF which shall rry 70 snow, together
with the things that brought the con
dition about. and 70 suggest 70 those
thinking PERSONS who care % folloZ
+ this line q thought a fex of tfe things
that rsust BE- done 70 rectify this con
dition
For me uast twenty-five years I
have been closely azsocia-ed with tar-
q r1erS- their interests and ny own
, have feen Identical and 7 have rad
on cr-nrtrui-y n observe ard study
fre rarmer7s problems and tie way
- v-orks them out- For fifteen years
j. -,ararsd 2 1ar-e farm Drousrtv IN the
q central west and dealt with tenants
Tho worked these farms. During this
-a-fod I saw lard values IN this sec
ton rise from forty dollars 70 one
/ hundred dollars IN acre. yet / never
T. cr17ld bring the return on the vz'uz--
-fon r., the property 10 over three pr
cent for any FIVE year period
Lozth 70 nOxs
You vii ask. L the return did not
u -ise. ~hv aid the price Of land ac-
4 vance7 Ny observation showed rn-
r. TWO thiags: the farmer IS loath ID
move. NJ wants 70 live N the sane-
nIace and h wants his sons and rs
y daughters about hiEn. 50 when the son
J. hecoues of age and wants 70 HorS Tor
N himself OF the daughter nzarTles ne
: lneirhbor's boy, that farmer wants tAein
clos 70 him. and he wants 10 buy 4
~ place rs Close as possible and put ne
Oh bow on IL Usually he does not nave
the money 20 buy, OF o1-y sn1@ii =
mount % pay lOE1. and he Hlorls-ses
~ bor1e ul.ce aad the new pizce, and
then he and tfe boy through series
: ~ wears gradually p1y 4 OK
ThuS in the past IS the cnllaTen q
~ community became oil enough %
A. - Themselves, ua-t Of the land
vent OF the market and this tended
n raise the price OF the rest oi Il
= when the land IN 9 community reach
81 q high prtee and the farmer could
- not figure that he could buy land for
he ho-s and pay OUT he would sci
p ard move vest 70 cheaper land. vTlere
n h. could buv from r7vo 70 four acres
Of FOR what h. had received for one q hss
g own acres.
0-1-in- The -econstructi0n period fol-
g. tovr-ne -b,s Civil War We had vast
-,r.7zv-r.--si vest which absorbed Vne
II -aS-ress ard a6renturpus spirits whose
-,--e -5ss -he uar had broken there
t,- e-e~t tfrz IN p rsw years wonderful
2 =-r--4sa n a.riculturai products In
-ra F4-- r57a-fes -he land values n IL
81 rf-o7s snd Iowa reached and passed 2
sale value q one hundred dollars an
~c-= M0rv farre7s sald ~ tneSe
n-srrs anf c-rie ~ Nshr-3sa- lfiAo.
| N7SS .s---
g srom f' -t=T -.
~ bad S7i - -
they oous onl - .----.4
inr f0r ~ - 80
Hrf for ,,,--5--
-
s. !
sr ray no7 -
. u s.f-s-.-
''sve7 - ln2S N--' -, =-s---z ~,
q m ~ 500 ti ,--.s :
r.
.r
r 80.
fHe 7as
noi0 aa
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