Pueblo chieftain., 1921-04-07
BY rREpER1c ]. HAsKIN

Washington d. c., April 4.-The
problems of what to do with the I'M
migrant. of crowded cities and OF Idle
farm lands can all be in measure
solved by project for giving the i'm
migrant every opportunity TO OBTAIN
a farm as soon as he arrives In AM
erica, in the opinion of the new
Commissioner General of lmmigra-
tion, Mr.. w. w. Husband, us express
cd in an exclusive interview.
Mr.. Husband has not yet perfected
his plan for doing this. but Will soon
begin holding conferences with MS
colleagues for that purpose. Ills
general idea is to use uncultivated
lands in private ownership. under
some commercial arrangement, with
Government supervision or coopera-
ton. The immigrant is not to be
given a ready-made farm. but aid
and instruction in clearing waste
land, as. the pioneers did The farm
is to be paid for in long INSTALL
ments.
While there is wide disagreement
as to how the thing should be done,
all students of the agrarian problem
OF this country agree with Mr.. Hus-
band that the great need is for some
system by which the man eth little
or no capital, who is capable OF
farming. may get hold of land on
such terms that he can make n liv-
ing out of il.
THE Immigrant" according to the
new Commission General, ought to
be the logical element in our popula-
ton to restore the balance between
rural and city population. a con-
siderable part of the normal immi-
grafton of the United States is a
farming population that knows moth
ing but farming. These people hold
the love of the soil as a native in
heritance. and their hope is to own a
few acres of land and some stock. l
have visited the peasants of various
countries OF Europe. / have eaten
with them. and slept in their houses
and ambition. That is one big thing.
You have not got to teach the i'm
migrant to love the land.
Mr.. Husband went on to explain
that this desire for land ownership
does not lead the Immigrant to seek
a farm for himself when he comes to
this country. because in recent years
friends and relatives who have pre-
ceded him have not gone to farms.
The immigrant comes here more or
less dependent on others of his race
to help him. He follows the example
Of these others. and settles down in
New York's East side or in n New
England factory town. and starts
vending or working in a factory. No
matter what his race may be, the
foreigner is timidly clannish and
clings to the program mapped out by
those who CAME ahead of him.
Aliens Willing TO Farm
Mr.. Husband holds that the quail
ties that make these immigrants fol
low the leadership OF others will at
tract them to the farms, once the tide
is DETECTED from the cities to tho
land
when immigration was largely
from northern Europe. he says. the
alien who landed here made straight
for tho farm. Then southern and
eastern Europe began to send more
immigrants cosnciaent with the cnor.
nous Industrial development of the
United States, beginning about 1890.
In 1850. 7o.5 per cent OF the popula-
ton OF this country was rural. and
then began the drift to tho cities
from the farms and from Europe.
until last year tho rural population
was only ass. The trend toward the
city would have existed anyway. But
the millions who have come from
largely contributed to II.
I'm this period wc have developed
n wonderful industrial system and
the Immigrant has been big factor
In It's success. We owe him good
deal. But moro immigrants continue
10 pour iIorri WV. anu hiirt y "a
constantly decreasing opportunity
sor them in tho cities. They arc mere
ly Increasing the difficulty of an AL
ready difficult situation.
I've will probably have immigra-
ton in the future as in the past and
we must soon do something to attract
tho aliens to sections wher they arc
needed and where they can make a
fair living"
The remedy proposed by the Com
missioner lies in the millions OF acres
OF waste land in this country. There
are no longer enough desirable home
steads on Government land to supply
many immigrants. II will have to be
a commercial proposition based on
the untitled lands in private owner
ship.
with hard work this land can be
converted into good. ono man farms
But there must be hard work, be-
cause the farmer who takes the Isnd