The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-04-05

Lead the Immigrant to the Land.

will have to be a commercial prom.
sition based on: the untitled lana.
Of private ownership.
With hard work this land can /. :
converted into good, one ma
farms. But there must be ~
work, because the farmer ~
takes the land must begin ar ~
homesteader does. He viii proh.
ably have to build his house m
barn. He will have to prepare IN
soil. But this is no more than
pioneers, immigrants and natIrs
born Americans. have been doinr,
all over the country in the years
when it was being developed. Ths
job should be easier now, with par.
eel post, mail order systems. raj.
roads and practical government n.
sistance.
Government Must Help
Mr.. Husband feels that il N.
government does decide to helm ~ I
immigrant get a start on a farm
the work should be carried further
and an extra effort made to HEN
him achieve success. That Is. N.
thinks the county agent and ths
home demonstration branch Of ths
department Of agriculture should
give the foreign farmer and hi
wife special attention. The chi. {
dren's bureau can also help him
apd local and state agencies can
look out for the sanitation Of HI,
farm, and the education of his chill.
dren.
First Of all. however. Mr.. Hu,. ]
band feels that the foreigner should
not be shunted of to piece Of
land where he can only catch sikht
of the smoke from his nearest
neighbours house on a clear /day
This isolation has been a discom.
fort that many homesteaders have
had to endure. Isolation is espe.
cially distasteful to the immigrant
and will undoubtedly be avoided in
planning the new homestead pro-i
ject. Waste land can be found in
| the crowded east as well as in tie
west. A large tract Of land ats
! considerable distance from existing
| farms would probably, if turned
over to the immigrants, be divided
among a number of them, so that
they would not feel shut out from
other people. A whole colony q
foreigners, however, is not SO DE-.
SCRABBLE from the Americanization
point Of view, as a few mixed In
with American farmers.
People in different parts Of the
country have begun to write to Mr..
Husband saying that there is land
In their localities which would be
suitable for farm development, and
offering to cooperate with the gov
eminent and the new settlers.
Though no definite plan has been
formed, letters have come from
such widely distributed states IS
Florida, Michigan, Utah, North Ds.
kota, Kentucky and Maine.
A railroad official has written to
say that the railroads ought to CO.
operate in such plan. An Italian
bank official offered to loan money
to Italian immigrants for land IN.
vestment, and other organizations
have written expressing interest or
offering suggestions.
The first step contemplated is to
get together officials of the labor,
agriculture and interior depart
ments to formulate a working plan
and to see if existing government
machinery is sufficient to carry il
/ out. If not, it will be necessary for
congress to pass law giving the
necessary authority, and perhaps
providing some funds, before any.
thing can be done.
| If it is worked out as Mr.. Hus.
band sees it, the immigrant farm
plan will be under the general d.
rection Of the government, even
though It involves a commercial
deal between the owner Of the
land, the immigrant, and either
bank or the United States treasury.
J! In recent years there have been
plans similar to this one engineered
by promoters who took more inter.
est in the immigrants dollars than
in his welfare. From experience
! with these schemes. the foreigner
has become wary of good farm
lands cheap" proposals. If the gov
eminent takes a hand, it will be
necessary for it to prove to the
! immigrant in the beginning that II
is not staging a sleight of-hadd
performance. The governmM
cannot POSSIBLY say to any ind.
vidual farmer, 81 will guarantee
you success or pay your losses,
but 1t will have to assure him thSt
the project is a sound bushes
proposition and that the covert
ment agencies stand ready to teaA
him and help him with his prok
lens. /