Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1921-08-19


WAC possess. la4 people OF pe-51 ere noe usually
n-a---l or .a,,- o-sYaa.5 Living q easy. aas
A-a-- Is ties 5safuay asft % tra-5-a hence there sa
Peatlesityt plptlsa-g Ut n-.a-5, 4u ~ 15oty waste
Of natural resources.
ouJ IN rae last stages Of 5bls phase complete de-
pteLon OF the soil Is accomplished old mansions are
aoondonded to weather and rot great families Dissolve
and decay estates tall into Cae hands of outsiders
loss OF population ensues and high taxation is uc1,-
duced
The third phase is final and permanent
AS this period develops there steady growth Of pop
ulation. Waste is displaced by thrift extensive methods
give way to the intensive and dlyerstication and live
stock bring self sustained living the farm itself there
by banshng credit and dependence With this change
comes more producing power per square mile, hence
more gross Sptoductt6n and moro net income and be
again, relative less taxation
Noxubee County is at this time in the theoes of tran
ston from the second to the third phases in it's agrcu
Eura development In fact it that it already
entering this third period reluctantly but inevitably
we out accept the facts in the case and set the proper
forces working great deal be done to accelerat
the change and shorten our period of distress
We have sat too long wrnging our hands over {.
diminishing supply of labor There is cause for this
loss and am not at all that the glib explanation of
high industrial wages" is the correct answer Wage
'NN'SH
lars per day paid in ndustrias is not the real reason
for steady and permanent labor movements from sgri
Cultural sections Extremely few people prefer city
or industrial town life to life on the farm
Scarcely any at all who are earning fair living on
the farm quit for the more crowded life of industrial
centres The fact is that youth and labor are driven
from the farm almost by nakedness and quite by despair
lney cling doggedy as long they and let go when
they must They leave, primarily not because of at
tractye offers from afar but because of ntoerab CON
iitions at home.
Now what are we going to do about it?
we continue to drift, bankruptcy and ruin will in
few years do the job for US. The abandonment of
re" farms will cause general depreciation Of val
aes that seekers after cheap farms will flow toward
US, and acquire for song much of the land which is
now held to be so dear Large holdings of land either
through lease ownerships practical only for the
wealthy, and only then under some special condition
sound economy and the establishment of permanence in
social relations require that there be as many actual
'wners Of land practical operation will permit
we must abandon all and or we must fight it
through
No Board of Supervisors Legislature is RESPONSE
he for plight, nor can either remedy it. II ia i'm
possible to set aside great economic principle by Iec
station What relief find must be of our own move
nent and making
We have, quite properly built extensive good roods and
plendid schoohouses. These improvements are calcu
ated to attract new people to country They do
ract people. But they and look and ask the price
md tarn away. 1t is necessary that we readiust our
deas about the selling value Of land,
Naxubee county is capable Of great things under
few years OF intensive diversified agriculture Great
racks of land lying idle because extensive one-crop
Agriculture has Broken down and failed The land
awaits the worker while the land lord also vany waits
We are huggng the hope, nay more, the deusion that
one day the negro will return We may we'll make
up our minds that he will not return. The negro has
not proven generally equal to the needs of intensive
agriculture The job Of restoring depleted soil is
white mans job, -Sst; &%TYS ~
Thus we reach final conclusion. Our solution liesl
in denser population, population Of thrifty, self
sustaining producers. And in order to that pop
uation We must let it be known that want them and
that we invite them upon such terms will attract
them to US,