The Neshoba Democrat., 1921-06-02
If AMERICA IS TO Be SAVED
The FARMERS MUST
BE SAVED.


fact that an investigation made by
the State College of Agriculture at
Ithaca, N. Y, shows that last year
10000 men and boys left the farms OF
the State of New York, with net
loss to the farm population OF the
State of 1900, or two per cent. In
commenting upon this condition,
the Journal says:
Here is a statement OF facts made
with no intention Of debating arem-
edy. The purpose is to call the at
tention OF thinking men to condi-
tion that vitality affects the immedi-
ate future. and even now retards the
recovery OF business.
Three thousand homes, on the lar
ger farms and In the most prosperous
communities, were visited In the
course of the investiga ton, and 1T
was found that OF these farms 70 per
cent did not even have running water;
II per cent did not have furnaces OF
any kind, and only 15 per cent had
bathrooms. All of these items form
a part OF the modern factory employ.
es' standard of living. Says the
Journal:
"Other facts were reported, reveal
ing comfoFtless and unsaDitary con-
ditions OF farm life in this, the Eur
pire State. But these alone should
be sufficient to show why young
men and women leave the farm
homes faster than their places can
be filed. TO make the homes COM
Portable and sanitary, to provide
adequate buildings, fencing, drainage
and other capital expenditures to
make the country's farm what they
should be would require an outlay
of half q billion dollars. But the
farmers OF New York have no pros
pect OF doing this 80 long as high re-
tail prices are maintained to the
public in the face of declining markets.
Compare the average purchasing
power of an acre OF crops OF last year
with that OF 1914, when exchanged
for necessaries. 1t will now buy 62
per cent as much coal; So per cent as
much sugar; DC per cent OF muslin; b9
per cent of lumber; ga per cent OF lime
and 72 per cent OF wire fencing. LII
barter were the medium of exchange,
the farmer OF New York would have
to carry 20 pounds OF onions to town
to buy his daughter handkerchief,
and take along 300 pounds OF cab
bage to pay for restaurant dinner
for himself and wife. He would have
ito sell ITO pounds of wool to buy
himself suit OF clothes, and strip
the hides from three steers in order
to get his son pair OF shoes"
These comparative figures graphi-
cally depict conditions as they are.
There is no exaggeration; in fact, in
the case OF the Southern farmer, the
cotton grower, particularly, the con-
ditions are much worse. And not
only does business lacking In re-
muneration as Is that OF farming ull-
der present conditions become unat-
tractive; not only is 1T driving the
more progressively inclined young
people from rural life into the con-
gested urban world, but by that
very fact must 1t OF necessity In time
tend to lower the type of those re-
manning on the soil. Tho whole
matter hinges upon fair remunera-
ton for work done. Ii the farmer
can sell the product OF his labor at a
fair price, he shortly will be in po-
sitlon to do away with those things
that go to make drudgery or worse
OF ordinary farm existence. Low
price cotton, produced as a result OF
the labor of man and his entire
family, will never bring in revenue
sufficient to enable that man to ed
ucate his children, or have the ordi-
nary comforts OF h decent home, such
as the Industrial workers In all cities
have. But with cotton selling at q
reasonably profitable figure, hgure
that will repay the same man and
his family for the work done he will
enabled to pay off his debts; gradu-
ally acquire ownership in and not
rent the land he works, and, as pro-
gression In such lines is usually geo.
metrical rather than arithmetical, in
few years will be in a position to
avail himself of those things that
will be OF benefit to him, but which
now have the same academic inter-
est for him as has the wheat crop on
Mars.
Absence of protective tariff upon
agricultural products means u con-
tinuation OF the conditions to which
the Wall Street Journal refers. Low
as is the standard OF living OF many