The Washington herald., 1920-04-24
by RAYMOND G. CARROLL.
Special Correspondent.

Marshalltown, Iowa, April 22.-The
Salvation Army has gone into the
country. With timely vision the or
ganization founded by General Will
lam Booth has turned its attention
to the rural America, where lodges
the solution of the country's eco
nomic problem, and, incidentally,
from which largely suspends its po-
litical outlook. Realizing the direct
need for labor in which farmers find
themselves, the Salvation Army is
straining every effort to provide the
necessary machinery to funnel
enough men from the cities to meet
the conditions.
Iowa is a farmers paradise, and
Marshalltown is one of its typical
county seats. John D. Rockefeller.
sr., once told the writer that he
thought Iowa was the best State in
the Union. Nearly every acre can
be cultivated. and every county has
at least one railroad running
through. l came here direct from
overpopulated Chicago to find the
Salvation Army already installed
and active in its new great work.
Cities Attract Young Farmers.
Col. Ashley B. Pebbles. who is
the divisional officer for the Saliva
tion Army in Iowa and Nebraska,
said: I'VE know that not more than
8 per cent of the men who left farms
to serve in the American army and
navy when the call came returned
to their homes when demobilized
Iowa sent over 100000 men to the
army and over 10000 to the navy;
Nebraska 10000 to the army and
5000 to the navy. Why haven't the
farmer boys gone home? They have
stayed in the big cities. where, for
the time being, they are getting bet
ter wages.
Unless the farmers get help
they are going to plant but a frac-
ton of last years crop. This means
higher prices than ever for food
stuffs next winter. Because of our
forty years experience in the large
cities of the world. and familiarity
with the living conditions and temp
tations there, we purpose being
one of the agencies restoring nor
NAL conditions in the agricultural
districts. At the present time in
dustrial homes and lodging houses
in the cities are virtually empty,
but within the year. when indus
trial earnings become insufficient to
meet the increasing cost of living,
we Will not have the necessary ac-
to take care of the
human driftwood. This is the con-
dition we are now aiming to fore
stall by having the vehicle organ
lied to connect the man and the
farm when the man is ready"
Market Sterilization Needed.
The farmers are commencing to
speak out loud" against the eco
nomic boss-ship of large middle
men-centers like Chicago. Listen
to J. r. Howard. of Ciemons, Ia.
president of the Farm Bureau
Federation, which has over 12O, 900
me mbers in Iowa alone: May We
not do as much for ourselves
in perfecting a market as the cot
ton growers have done in building
warehouses. 1t is appalling, of
course, to think that we might
some day operate the stockyarfs of
Chicago and Kansas City, but un-
less these markets are stabilized
such thing will come to pass.
There must be closer relationship
between the farmer and the buyer
of his product. To us remains the
task of .effecting it"
In the southern counties of Iowa
another rural Organization called
the Farmers Union has over 10000
members. Altogether there are
about 100000 farms in the State,
their average size being 165 acres.
From these stretches of marvellous
ly fertile prairie, century ago
trodden only by the savage, last
year came 14.2 per cent of all the
hogs, 14.4 per cent of the corn, 1877
per cent of the oats, So per cent
OF the cattle. and 81 per cent of
the milk cows produced in the
United States.
Therefore, going among these de-
cidedly agricultural folk-the more
wealthy having retired to the occu-
pancy of fine homes along the shady
streets of Davenport. Fort Dodge,
Ottumwa. Oscaloosa. Sioux City,
Council Bluffs. Des Moines and .the
smaller towns--one discovers Iowa
practically united In political opin-
ion. They want no President who
stands for universal compulsory