The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-01-15
WHAT ABOUT IT?
By O'BoYLE

BY O'BOYLE
The Jefferson American ideal called
for wide spread private ownership
of agricultural lands by the people at
large. They would then feel they had
a stake in the country. The earth
would be theirs and all that came from
| 1t and depended on it would be under
their control. So would government.
Government would be of the earth,
earthly, and a real and honest earth
Government would function to remove
the difficulties that hinder the free
and unembarrassed action Of natural
growth.
Jefferson thought all this. He
thought that a man with two feet
securely on his own soil would be
sovereign in his own right and jealous
to defend his rights whether violated
in his own or another's person.
He believed as others do now that
then people would not wait until few
leaders furnish them the answers to
their questions. People would think
out the answers for themselves They
would arrive at solutions to their prob
lens by their own efforts and put
their solutions into practice. They
would have a constant all time dis
cussion of all matters of common in
terest and they would arrive at con-
illusions more satisfying than those to
be obtained by waiting for others to
form their conclusions for them.
How naively this Jefferson thought!
And this is what his thinking has
reached in 1910 = Farmers without |
land. and behind that. rural poverty
and behind that the shadow Of Amer
lean fascism.
Each decade shows an increasing |
proportion of tenancy from 25 percent |
in 1880 to 35 percent in 1900; from |
3S percent in 1920 to AZ percent in
1930-35. Since 1890 the number of
tenants has steadily increased more
rapidly than that of owners.
Tenancy is spreading. In 1880 in
1870 counties and in practically all of
the South, half of the farms were ten
ant operated. In 1885, in 500 counties
tile parts of the corn belt the same
was true.
Ownership is losing Many heavily
farmers are in financial
and they have hardly more
equity in their farms than have their
tenants. So percent of American
farms were owned by American farm
ers in 1890. AZ percent in 1880.
These figures resulted after subtract
ing Indebtedness. If the value of all
land is taken, more than AZ percent
is not owned by the operator and IL !
percent is covered by mortgage debt
True ownership of land has reached
its lowest in South Dakota, Iowa and
Illinois where it has fallen below 30
percent. In the cotton belt the equity
Of operators in their farms is between
30 and 40 percent.
All this placed the Joads on the
highways.
In Iowa more than 40 percent of
the farmers are tenants and they
operate over 60 percent Of the land.
10000 share troopers, white and
black, cultivate 10 percent of all farm
lands in the nation and 80 percent
Of all the farms in the south.
What about tenants and civil lib
critics?
Sherwood Eddy in his pamphlet "a
Door of Opportunity" page 81 writes:
The question may be raised whether
hey had any right to organize a
for their own emancipa-
ion. The planters or owners were in
possession. They had the land, what
aver financial power and credit there
vas, the control of the press, of the
Jtate government, of the courts, the
,ower of legality or the making of
he laws, the best legal counsel, the :
prestige of the ruling race and the !
uling class. The workers had moth
ng but their bare hands. Was there
or them a Constitution, a Bill of
lights, the aspiration to life, liberty ?
nd the pursuit of happiness, the 0
light to organize in order to improve 2
heir wretched conditions? They be- Il
ieved that they had this right and J
only the most reactionary