Evening star., 1937-04-11
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

changing farm tenants into
farm owners has run into
obstacles. Not much is likely
to be done about it by this Congress
not much more than a start, If any
thing, and slight start at that The
House Committee on Agriculture con-
sidered it and turned it down, de-
cided nothing should be done. Re-
lection by House committee Is not
necessarily final; the project may be
brought forward In some other way
But there has come to be general
lack of enthusiasm for it. Even Mr.
Roosevelt, who undoubtedly believes
sincerely in the idea, seems not dis
posed to press for more than a start
at this time
The obstacle that seems to make
most impression on Mr.. Roosevelt
Is money-the amount needed turned
out to be large. And just now Mr..
Roosevelt seems to be, surprisingly,
money conscious" Apparently he
has come to share the view that large
Government expenditures are cause
OF imitation. Apparently, just now,
his mind Is on averting imitation
And so he seems to be tolerant of
going slow on expenditures for relief
Of farm tenancy, as well as other ex-
penditures.
One feels regret at being obliged
to report this. The extent of farm
tenancy is a real flaw in the Ameri-
can social and economic structure.
Curing it is one of our most urgent
needs. The cure, If it could be ac-
complished, would increase the num-
Der of farm owners. That in turn
would increase the number of con-
tented families, families having an
anchorage, and pride of ownership.
And that would make at once for
individual character and national
stability.
Facts on Farm Tenancy.
The steps SO far taken toward cur
Ing farm tenancy can be summarized
briefly. They begin with recital of
the facts.
The facts are that at present two
out of every five American farms
are operated not by owners but by
tenants. In some States, where land
Is most fertile, in the very heart of
the mid-continent section, the pro-
portion runs as high as three out
of every five, and in some Southern
States, four out of every five.
Throughout the country. on the
average, the percentage is increas-
ing; few decades ago it was one
farm out of every four; now it is
two out of every five.
Each year on the average 10000
more farms pass into the occupancy
OF tenants.
The duration of occupancy of the
same farm by tenants is shockingly
brief. The report of Mr.. Roosevelt's
Committee on Farm Tenancy says
OF read the report correctly that
the average tenant occupies a farm
lass than two years and then moves
on to another. If that is correct many
farm tenants must compose almost
a migratory class. A tenant with so
brief an occupancy is likely to let
the farm run down. 1t is bad for the
tenant. bad for the owner, bad for
the country.
These facts have long been known
by a small number of thoughtful
persons BY them the condition has
been deplored, but hardly any one
undertook to do anything about it.
Doing Something About Tenancy.
The actual doing something about
farm tenancy began during the presi-
io1 inv, 1oc CT Eo11 ny,o
Mr.. Roosevelt gave out statement
saying something must be done about
farm tenancy. A few days later Gov.
Landon gave out similar statement.
Some Of Gov. Landon's friends said
that he had been contemplating this
step for some time, and that Mr..
Roosevelt must have heard about it
and acted quickly to get the credit
first. That may have been mere sur
mise. Anyhow both candidates were
on record, were under promise to do
something about farm tenancy. 1t
was a kind of competition that some
times emergeS as fruitful incident
of political campaigns.
Mr.. Roosevelt was elected and
thereby got the chance to act. Dur
ing November he appointed com
mittee on farm tenancy" with in
structions to report by February l
SO that there should be opportunity
for legislation in the present Con-
gress.
Farm Tenancy Proposals.
The Presidents Committee on Farm
Tenancy, in its report, recited the
conditions and suggested remedies.
One remedy was that Congress should
make an opriation-usually the
first step in reform is a governmental
appropriation. The committee recon-
mended that the Government buy up
large quantities of land, and that
this land be subdivided and sold to
persons wishing to become farm
owners. The terms were to be made
easy, the payments to be at low
rate of interest over a long period
the committee suggested 20 years.
This was well enough But the
Committee on Farm Tenancy, as it |
studied the situation and looked to
the future, foresaw difficulties Some |
OIL GIlc ulLlCuluicS lay III ll0IIldIl I'D
ture-a type of impediment not al
ways foreseen by ardent reformers.
The committee found that many
persons who are now farm tenants,
or choppers" are farm laborers do
not have the character or capacity
to become farm owners. The Gov
ernment, with money, can make a
man farm owner-but nature may
have neglected to give the man the
qualities necessary for ownership.
In the committees report is a de-
scription of some tenants which really
seems over-severe. 1t speaks of "the
problems arising from the ignorance,
inertia, ineptitude and unreliability
of some of the tenants, croppers and
laborers." Those words, I assume,
must have referred mainly to the
South, and only to comparatively few
of the class in that section In many
sections Of the country. and to some
extent in the South, tenants are a