Evening star., 1937-02-13
Making America Over.

Making America Over.
The report on farm tenancy just COM
pleted by a special committee under
craftsmanship of Secretary Wallace be-
comes more interesting because 1t fol-
lows so closely on the heels of the Pres
ident's recommendations, just trans
mitted to Congress. proposing the out
line of new agricultural economy for
large area of the Midwest. The two re-
ports deal with separate problems, one
of them resulting from attempts to in
troduce type of farming inherently un-
suited to the climatic and soil condi-
tions of the Plains States; the other
resulting from a type Of progressive
poverty, cumulative in its effects, which
has dragged down large element of the
Nations rural population, especially in
the South, to state little, If any, above
the lowest peasantry of Europe"
If intelligent effort at remedy is not
undertaken the prospect of thousands of
families in the drought States is one of re-
curing periods of drought and famine,
grasshopper plaques and duststorms,
with gradual destruction of the crop re-
sources of the soil and the possibility
that great American desert Of mil
lions of acres is in the making.
And unless there is adoption of some
centrally directed program for dealing
with increasing farm tenancy, which has
reduced thousands of families to degra-
dation and poverty already and under
which "the deficiencies in stand
ards Of living which make their bodies
easy prey to biological parasites make
them easy prey to economic and even
political parasites" Americans of the
future will face a condition which is
merely threatened now. Rural civiliza-
tion," the report warps, fs threatened
with decadence."
The remedy proposed in both the long
time rehabilitation of the Plains States
and in treatment of the farm tenancy
evil is costly, not merely in the expendi-
OuAS Va A1O11Cy, buL III GllC doSuIllpIlOIl VI
heavy and dangerous responsibilities by
the National Government. In both
programs the National Government,
through agencies created for the pur-
pose. would purchase millions of acres
Of land-for resale to farmers on easy
payment plans, for lease or for retire.
ment altogether from agricultural use.
In both programs the National Govern
ment would hold mortgages on thou
sands Of farms, exercising necessarily
rigid control over the farming methods
Of the purchasers and even over their
habits Of life. Estimates of the number
of the potential beneficiaries may not be
important at this time. But the posi-
bilities are suggested in the statement
that fewer than half of the farmers Of
the Nation now own the land they
operate.
The farm tenancy report originated in
letters to Senator Bankhead and to
Representative Jones of Texas last Sep
tember, in which the President asked
their aid in formulating a program for
presentation to Congress. Senator Bank
head and Mr.. Jones were authors Of a
farm tenancy measure in the past ses-
sion Of Congress, which passed the Sen
ate but never reached a vote in the
House. After conference with these
members of Congress the President ap-
pointed a committee Of thirty-eight
farm leaders, editors, Government Of
ficials and private citizens to study and
report on a farm tenancy program.
The report adopts some of the theories
of the Bankhead-Jones legislation and
parts Of the plan proposed last Novem-
ber by DR.. Tugwell, before his resigna-
tion from Government service. Pur-
chasers Of Government land would be
selected after a five-year period of
trial. during which they would rent
Government-owned farms. Farm pur-
chase price would be repaid in forty
years, with interest at two and q half
per cent. A novel feature of the report
Is its proposal to tax the proceeds of
land speculation in order to prevent or
discourage such speculation. The pro-
gram also suggests minimum standards
that must be met by landlords in the
provision Of housing for their tenants.
As the National Government now is
conducting demonstration" program
under the Resettlement Administra-
ton, involving acquisition of land in
ten Southern States for sale to tenants,
it would appear to be wise to delay the
enactment Of permanent program until
the experience gained through the DEM
onstration can be studied. But there is
little doubt Of the eventual necessity for
some such program as proposed by the
Presidents committee.